Our Client is a legume seed company founded to profitably move farmers out of poverty and into the middle class. Our Client believe that the future of agriculture in Africa is disaggregated, with smallholders as the most powerful producers for local, regional, and global markets. Our Client have designed systems to be personal yet scalable. Our Client has overseen consistent annual growth in our supply chain (currently at 4,720 small-scale seed producers), production, grower income (now 300% of baseline) and company revenue, as their growers learn and become more efficient.
Our Client are now at a point of inflection: expanding beyond Zambia, adding new product lines and revenue streams, and strengthening our services to both growers and customers with investments in technology and integrated market access for customers of Our Client Seed. This expansion has included additional investment in property and machinery to cater for processing the additional production.
Position Purpose
Since 2014, Our Client Agro success has been driven by a deep commitment to small-holder farmers, the highest-quality training and products, and our innovative approach to system change.
In the next 18 months, Our Client will be embarking on a bold growth trajectory including:
Building further R&D capabilities for breeding seed with IP across SADC
Expanding further operations into Malawi
Increasing exports and other new business lines
Scale our innovative new sales strategy, Our Client Source
Growing our leadership team and investing in talent development
Reaching more than 30,000 farmers with ‘Seed + Service’ offering of training, market access
Reaching more than 250,000 farmers with quality seed
Role: Ultimately responsible for high-class seed production at GNA and quality control across all
production units
Duties:
Manage the team’s responsible for GNA’s high class seed production – Breeding and R&D,
Foundation Farm and Commercial and Emergent business segments, as well as the Quality Control team.
Breeding and R&D: Oversee the development of GNA’s breeding program and subsequent release of new varieties.
Foundation Farm: Oversee production to ensure alignment with Seed Cascade.
Commercial & Emergent: Oversee and develop a grower network for the further multiplication of seed.
Set quality control standards from field to factory, as well as oversight over quality of finished goods.
Oversee the development and implementation of GNA’s High-Class Production strategy.
Focal point for coordination between R&D, Production, as well as marketing and sales to ensure development and release of GNA intellectual property.
Identify and source quality seed and non-seed inputs for trials and eventual integration into GNA’s cropping program.
Maintain responsibility for data integrity across business units and presentation of results to internal and external stakeholders.
Primary point of contact for all regulatory, compliance and research partnerships.
Lend technical support to other production units as required e.g. Smallholder Production and Malawi.
Create, implement and manage the annual budget for High-Class Seed Production.
Minimum Qualifications:
10 years’ experience in the agricultural sector – focus on breeding and seed multiplication.
Masters or PhD in agricultural sciences or related field
Certified seed inspector (SCCI or equivalent certification) an added advantage
Expertise in legume production with specialization in groundnuts required
Demonstrated understanding of quality production and control practices from field through to seed conditioning.
Experience working with and managing relationships with compliance and regulatory bodies in
Zambia or internationally e.g. SCCI, ZASTA, PQPS, etc.
Applications can be sent to training@mycvzambia.com by 19th January 2024.
