Project manager (PM)
“ Development of organic tea and cinnamon value chains in Lao Cai Province, Vietnam”
Agrisud International
For 30 years, Agrisud International, a non-profit association under French law, has been supporting the most vulnerable populations to rise from a state of precariousness to economic and social autonomy.
Agrisud International promotes economic growth through the creation of very small family businesses, especially in the agricultural sector. These businesses are viable and sustainable, because they are economic and agro-ecological, because they are well anchored in the local market, and because families are accompanied throughout a professionalization process.
Agrisud pursues its objective in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and South America.
The Organic value chains development Project
The project is implemented in the scope of the decentralized cooperation program between the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region (France) and the Province of Lao Cai (Vietnam), which has existed for 20 years.
It is aligned with the national policy, regarding the development of organic farming.
In its plan for the development of organic production for the period 2021-2025, the People’s Committee of Lao Cai provides for the capacity building of DARD staff, technicians, communal staff and farms. The province has also targeted two priority crops for the development of organic farming (tea and cinnamon), as well as the production areas to be targeted (cinnamon in Bao Yen district and tea in Bat Xat and Muong Cong districts).
The project has been designed in line with the axes of this strategy.
The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders in Lao Cai Province to support the establishment and development of organic cinnamon value chains in Bao Yen District and organic tea value chain in Bat Xat and Muong Cong Districts.
The strategy consists of implementing a skills building program alternating between training phases and application phases by the trained actors.
The application phases allow the appropriation of methods and tools and the development of sustainable agricultural systems by DARD agents. They are initiated during the training sessions and continue beyond. the project’s objective
Expected outcomes:
Reinforcement of DARD agents must be carried out so that they are able to:
- define the province’s strategy in terms of developing the production of cinnamon and organic tea (action 1): identification of target markets and targeted certification standards for each of the two products.
- develop sustainable organic production systems for tea and cinnamon (Action 2);
- support the stakeholders of the value chains (input suppliers, farms, processing, distribution and export companies, certifying bodies, agricultural groups, etc.) in the transition to organic farming (action 3);
- facilitate the professional organization of organic value chains (Action 4);
- in addition to building the capacity of the province’s agents to be able to operationalize this strategy, the development of organic agriculture requires the identification of market opportunities (action 5).
The positioning of the project manager
The project manager is working under the supervision of the Representative of Agrisud International in Vietnam, in close collaboration with the Direction of Operations of Agrisud International.
The role of the project manager
- coordinates the project at the operational level (programming, implementation and monitoring / evaluation of the activities, reporting), in a close collaboration with the DARD of the Lao Caï Province,
- manages the project budget (programming and commitment of expenditure, reporting) in close collaboration with Agrisud representative in Vietnam and with the Administrative and Financial Direction in France,
- reports regularly to Agrisud representative in Vietnam, and to the Direction of Operations and the Administrative and Financial Direction of Agrisud International.
He/she must carry out its mission in compliance with the rules (ethical, administrative and financial), the approach (methods and tools) and the general objectives of all stakeholders of the project: Lao Caï Province, Région Nouvelle Aquitaine, Agrisud International and the DARD.
He/she is supervised in this mission by the representative of Agrisud in Vietnam and by the Director of Operations in France and benefits from the support of the Agrisud management (Operations, Administration and Finance, Communication).
The duties of the project manager are defined below, but he/she can receive specific mandates related to his own skills from the Direction of Operations.
The project manager is based in Lao Caï, Province Lào Caï (Vietnam) and will be required to carry out frequent field missions for the project.
Job Details
- Project’s coordination and implementation at operational level
He/she coordinates the implementation of the project and its reporting, with the DARD coordination unit, under the supervision of his hierarchy with whom he regularly exchanges:
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- He/she leads the building of the activity programs and submits it for validation,
- He/she is in charge of the preparation, with the DARD, of all training sessions planned in the scope of the project,
- He/she provides technical assistance to the DARD in the application of the skills, tools and methods learned during the training sessions,
- He/she monitors the execution of activities in line with the objectives set for the project and the expected results,
- He/she reports to Agrisud and prepares technical and financial reports for the
- Management of the project budget
- management of financial flows in close relationship with the Administrative, Financial and Logistic manager and the administrative and financial department of Agrisud International. He monitors the budget, controls the accounts, ensures the consolidation and the transmission of the financial reports to the Director of Operations which validates them before transmission to the administrative and financial services of the head office.
- Reporting
- He/she centralizes information about the project. He ensures the physical and computer archiving,
- He/she ensures the measurement of the results and effects as well as the estimation of the project’s impact (control, validation, and reporting) in coherence with other Agrisud projects.
- Feedback to Agrisud
He/she is required to regularly inform his hierarchy:
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- Monthly technical and financial reporting,
- Drafting of the technical and financial activity reports according to the frequency agreed in the documents of reference of the project (conventions, contracts …),
- Transmission of information according to needs and emergencies,
- Information on relations and institutional contacts.
Qualifications
Minimum Bachelor degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agribusiness, Rural development or related disciplines preferred.
Experience and Skills
- Minimum five years of work experience in agriculture sector in private or international organizations (work experience in iNGO/local NGO environment is a plus)
- Perfect organizational and project coordination capacity
- Autonomy and ability to make decisions
- Ability to work in a team and in a multicultural context
- Listening and consultation skills, real relational and oral communication skills
- Motivation to work in rural areas
- Partnership management capacity including with technical services, operational and financial partners
- Strong oral and writing skills in English or French and Vietnamese
- Expertise using Microsoft office, including Word, Excel and Powerpoint, and internet applications
- Honest, adapt, flexible.
Contractual conditions
- Local contract for a Vietnamese national
- Fixed contract of 1 year, with possibility of renewal
- Net monthly salary according to experience and salary grid of Agrisud
- Position based in Lao Caï, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam.
Application Information
Interested candidates can submit a full application with a cover letter and an up-to-date CV, in English, including contact details of minimum two professional referees (current and last line managers and HR department) by email to Agrisud Viet Nam [email protected]
Please also include details of salary expectations and a copy of latest diploma. Applications must be complete and marked “Recruitment of the Project manager – Lao Cai Organic Agriculture – Agrisud Vietnam” as the subject of the e-mail. Only full applications will be reviewed.
Closing date for applications: January 20
Only shortlisted candidates for interviews will be contacted.
Timetable for interviews and selection: The interviews will be organised from February (options of interview will be discussed with shortlisted candidates). Final selected candidates will be informed shortly after.
Start of the contract: As soon as possible.