(Senior) Business Consultant TIRTA

Background of the Project and Assignment

The Government of Indonesia partners with the Government of Australia on an initiative to boost smallholder farmers’ incomes: The Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Rural Economic Development (AIP-Rural).

AIP-Rural is a program with 4 projects: PRISMA (agricultural development), TIRTA (irrigation), SAFIRA (value chain finance) and ARISA (applied agriculture research). It follows a Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach and will contribute to a 30%, or more, increase in net incomes for 300,000 smallholder farming households by December 2018. It works in a range of sub-sectors in collaboration with farmers, businesses, government and civil society partners to increase the competitiveness of farm businesses through (i) increased productivity; (ii) improved business practices; (iii) a growing share of an expanding market; and (iv) the continuous adoption of innovations. The project works in five (5) provinces in Eastern Indonesia: East Java, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, West Papua and Papua.

Tertiary Irrigation Technical Assistance (TIRTA)

TIRTA is a program that aims to improve smallholder farmers’ access to irrigation. It supports the creation of tertiary irrigation schemes that are managed by HIPPA (water user associations) and local investors (lead farmers or local entrepreneurs). The program’s goal is to increase the net income of 10,000 farmers by 60% through improvements to the efficiency, technical and economic viability of at least 35 tertiary irrigation projects..

In Indonesia, irrigation is managed at three levels: the national and provincial level, which handles large schemes of primary canal systems (from 1,000 to 3,000 ha); and the district level, which manages smaller schemes (<1,000 ha). Schemes that are smaller than this are called “tertiary”. TIRTA focuses exclusively at the tertiary irrigation level, where some of the systemic failures are most evident. The geographic area covered by TIRTA is in East Java – specifically Tuban, Bojonegoro and Lamongan.

 

Application

Read the full details and how to apply here: Palladium - (Senior) Business Consultant TIRTA

Application close on 24th April 2018.

Indonesian nationals and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Purpose of The Position

Under the direction of the TIRTA Team Leader, the (Senior) Business Consultant is responsible for organizing and guiding at least one (and supporting other) intervention team working within the tertiary irrigation sector.

(Senior) Business Consultant work in close collaboration with their teams and with the (Monitoring and Result Measurement) MRM Team. They oversee the research, identification and development of new business opportunities within targeted market systems.

Responsibilities

1.    Conducts ongoing analyses of the irrigation sector and its constraints to increase the efficiency and the expansion of the irrigation schemes to increase sector competitiveness.

2.    Develops strategies to solve constraints and introduce innovation and sustainable business models.

3.    Completes technical and commercial viability studies for irrigation schemes that have been successfully screened by the program and its partners.

4.    Supports the facilitation of agreements between farmer’s groups and local investors, financial institutions and other key actors to introduce innovation and develop business models;

5.    Assessing the technical capacity needs of local service providers with a view to designing and delivering practical capacity building measures for them.

6.    Negotiates deals with other businesses and enterprises as partners and facilitators to introduce innovative business models.

7..    Oversees the implementation of designed strategies.

8.    Monitors the progress and adjust strategies to successfully transform the commodity’s value chain into a more competitive one.

9.    Is the key point of contact/local point for the interventions in business partnering with the program.

10. Prepares/assists to prepare monthly and quarterly progress reports in line with a format developed by program management.

11. Other tasks as reasonably requested by the Team Leader.

Requirements

Essential skills and experience:

·         Post-graduate level qualifications or higher in economics, business administration, marketing, agricultural studies, finance, social sciences or an equivalent discipline with GPA min 3.00            (scale of 4) from a reputable university.

·         A sound understanding of business and economics of how markets work, specifically in Indonesia.

·         Proven work experience in planning, design of systems, preferably in agriculture and performance evaluation.

·         Proven work experience in business development.

·         Proven experience in sector analysis whether this has been done for a commercial or development bank, commercial client (feasibility analysis), donor agency or non-profit organisation.

·         Previous experience in strategic planning with market development programs is a great advantage.

·         Entrepreneurial aptitude.

·         Strong analytical mind and a flair for numbers.

·         Demonstrated negotiation skills.

·         Strong interpersonal skills to be able to work with partners and in teams.

·         Ability and experience in business plan development.

·         Willingness to learn from mistakes and ability to think ‘out-of-the-box’.

·         Fluency in English and Bahasa Indonesia.

·         Willingness to live in Surabaya and to travel frequently to Bojonegoro.

·         Involvement in extra-curricular university activities is an advantage.

·         Experience in development is not required.

·         Exposure to farming and agri-business in the context of Indonesia is desirable.

Functional Relationships

This position:

·         Reports to the TIRTA Team Leader or his/her delegate.

·         Closely cooperates with team members in TIRTA and more broadly across AIP-Rural.

·         Works closely with result measurement team.