Project Leader: Value Chain Development

Fresh Studio, is looking for an experienced Project Leader: value chain development

Fresh Studio is the leading food consulting and R&D firm in Southeast Asia. Our mission is to make our clients successful in the sustainable production and marketing of food. Since 2006, we have worked passionately to achieve this mission and assist our clients to improve all practices from farm to fork. With a professional international and multi-disciplinary team of 60 staff, five offices, one R&D farm in Vietnam, Myanmar and the Netherlands, we are playing an important role in professionalising the agriculture sector in the region. Over the years we have implemented more than 200 successful projects for clients and created many successful value chains for both domestic and international markets.

To further increase our positive impact on the agriculture sector of Vietnam, we are looking for a VCD project leader to be based in our Ho Chi Minh City or Can Tho office.

The ideal applicant has significant work experience in value chain analysis and value chain development. The candidate is experienced in designing, implementing, and reporting both qualitative and quantitative studies: base line studies, monitoring and evaluation studies, rapid diagnostic appraisals, value chain analysis studies. Based on these insights you have been able to design and implement successful value chain development projects. You have a track record to bring actors in the chain together and turn a product chain into a real value chain. A value chain which keeps growing and flourishing after external project support has ended. The applicant has excellent analytical and communication skills, is an experienced project manager, is results driven and proactive. You can inspire multi-disciplinary teams and the key actors in the chain to upgrade a product chain into a successful value chain.

For more information about Fresh Studio, visit our website http://www.freshstudio.vn

or look at examples of our work on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6f84Z0JuAMvWejNJL27QcA

Exciting opportunity

As a VCD project leader, your main responsibility will be to manage one of our newest VCD project in Vietnam. You will setup the project management and monitoring system and ensure that all the planned activities are executed successfully. You will inspire all project partners and chain actors to implement the project activities and are responsible for the project communication, including the reporting to our clients. Besides managing this project and ensuring that it becomes another famous flagship Fresh Studio project, you are expected to support the country manager with project acquisition and contributing to the further growth and development of Fresh Studio in Vietnam.

THE MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS POSITION:

VCD project management

• Manage a multi-disciplinary team to implement a value chain development project in a timely and well -planned manner
• Execute all activities within the planned budget and timeframe
• Manage and support all project partners and value chain actors to ensure the all project deliverables will be achieved
• Communicate clearly the project purposes, activities and outcomes to all internal and external stakeholders involved in various forms: progress reports, project website, project impact video, conference presentations, project brochures etc.
• Set up a project monitoring and reporting system to keep track of the progress of all project activities and make sure all project deliverables are achieved

Consultancy

• Lead various value chain analysis assignments and develop strategic value chain development intervention plans
• Lead sector studies
• Create high quality reports and presentations about executed work.
• Support the managing partner in acquisition processes;

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

Our dream candidate

You combine a good education, such as a MSc degree in agriculture economics, rural development, business economics with at least 3 years work experience as project manager of agriculture VCD projects. You love working in the rural areas of Southeast Asia and want to create sustainable impact with your work. You are not afraid to go the extra mile to achieve this. You enjoy working in multi-disciplinary teams and besides your strong project management skills, you add your own technical specialisation to the team. This could for example be: SME coaching, participatory learning and action methodologies, developing farmer extension and sourcing systems, setting up farmer field business schools or farm economics. You are strong organiser, with excellent planning skills, and attention to detail. You manage your project teams in an inspirational way.

Qualifications and skills

• A MSc degree in agriculture economics, rural development, development economics or business economics
• A minimum of 8 years of work experience, of which at least 3 years in a position as a successful project manager of a VCD project
• Work experience in the agri-business sector of Southeast Asia, preferably in Vietnam
• Strong organizing and planning skills, with attention to details
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong communicator who is culturally sensitive
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills
• Vietnamese language skills will be a big asset
• Able to work independently while being a team player with a hands-on mentality
• Passion for sustainable food
• Eager to learn, discover and to travel in the field work sites across Vietnam

Application process

Please send your motivation letter and a CV to [email protected]. Applications without motivation letter will not be included in the process. For more information, please contact the Fresh Studio HR Supervisor through [email protected]