About PCI

Founded in 1961, PCI is an international non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing health, ending hunger, overcoming hardship, and advance women and girls around the world. In 2018, PCI served more than 12 million people in 15 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. During the past 50 years, the organization has served millions more in 14 additional countries.

PCI has been working in Ethiopia since 2005 and now secured a funding from US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ethiopia for its project Resilience in Pastoralist Areas (RIPA) that will improve resilience to enhance food security and inclusive economic growth for lowland pastoral communities.

AfriScout Overview:

AfriScout is an innovative, Base of Pyramid (BOP) social enterprise that seeks to improve climate-smart management of Southern Ethiopia’s drylands and the livestock that rely on them by scaling access and use of the AfriScout a mobile application.  The app provides pastoralists with actionable grazing data to make better decisions. The app fuses traditional livestock herding knowledge and practices with real-time satellite imagery on vegetation and water that is then integrated into an android-based mobile application. Since its inception, AfriScout have reached over 11,000 users across Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. PCI aims to expand its reach and build a financially sustainable social enterprise through user generated fees, contracted services and philanthropic capital.

Job Summary:

The AfriScout Regional Coordinator for Ethiopia/Participatory Rangeland Management Lead (RCE/PRM) will work as part of a national and global team (US, Kenya Tanzania, Ethiopia) of pastoral specialists and entrepreneurs that are enhancing the way pastoralists manage customary rangelands by providing them with better information for decision-making.

This position is part of the AfriScout LLC social enterprise, a limited liability company of Project Concern International, but will operate within a 5-year USAID funded resilience project in the southern cluster of pastoral zones in a program known as Resilience In Pastoral Areas (RIPA) South. RIPA South with operate in 16 woredas across Oromia, Somali and SNNPR through 5 components: DRM, Livelihood Diversification, (Agro)Pastoralist Production & Markets, Nutrition, and a Crisis Modifier.  The RCE/PRM position will fall within the DRM component and will coordinate within and across components.

The RCE/PRM will be employed by PCI/Ethiopia and report directly to the the DRM team lead, operating under the RIPA program.  However, they will function as part of the global AfriScout team with close coordination and support from AfriScout’s hub in Nairobi and the IO Global Advisors. S/he will have overall technical and administrative supervision of the AfriScout enterprise in Ethiopia, and accountable for specific targets related to registrations, app engagement (i.e. use) and ultimately revenue generation through both subscriptions and contracted services.  S/he will lead and support the Ethiopia Afriscout business strategy, marketing and promotion, customer education and adoption, stakeholder management with a broad range of partners, monitoring and evaluation, and quality assurance with guidance and support from the AfriScout MD and AfriScout’s Global Advisors. The RCE/PRM will represent AfriScout in Ethiopia and is responsible for communications with partners, sub-contractors, and other stakeholders including the general public under the supervision of the DRM Team Lead.  The RCE/PRM will directly oversee and manage a team of 3 area coordinators (Oromia, SNNPR, Somali), who will help communities undertake participatory rangeland mapping and development of PRM plans as well as support AfriScout enterprise activies.  Zonal coordinators will in turn support Field Agents in local marketing, education and customer support.

 Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Take a lead in facilitating pastoral communities in mapping customary rangeland systems that will become the base maps for AfriScout;
• Lead the design and oversee the execution of robust, insight-based information and marketing plan,
• Establish an effective customer support management system.
• Manage relations with government, Telco’s, collaborating NGOs and other relevant actors.
• Lead team of area coordinators and Field Agents in achieving
  • High customer satisfaction based on service and support;
  • Effective Bottom of Pyramid communications and marketing strategy that leads to growing consumer base;
  • Achievement of subscriber acquisition, retention and sales targets;
  • Demonstrated sustainability through execution of an effective cost recovery effort.
• Interface with our AfriScout hub and Global Advisor team to ensure quality assurance and responsiveness of app related issues and consult on necessary fixes and refinements.
• Support communities in the development of PRM plans and monitor the execution of those plans;
• Ensure harmonization of customary PRM with Afriscout pasture information
• Ensure AfriScout and PRM is well integrated into the RIPA activities
• Provide capacity building and guidance within the AfriScout and PRM contexts
• Monitor progress and make recommendation for improvement of all AfriScout and PRM management activities

Position Parameters/Special Responsibilities Required

• Up to 50% travel may be required

Department:

• Disaster Risk Management  

Reports to:

• DRM Lead

Office:

• PCI Ethiopia Field Office

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in business or relevant field.
• At least four years of experience in leading successful business development activities working in base of the pyramid (BoP) markets in Ethiopian rural areas; pastoral populations in particular is a plus
• Strong experience working with digital/GIS applications used by new digital users
• Strong national and regional networks: experience and relationships working with players in the Ethiopia BoP markets
• Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills required.
• Literacy in Microsoft Office and Windows applications (and corresponding Google equivalents: Sheets, Slides, and Docs)
• Fluency in English and Amharic required; any other local languages a plus.
• Proven ability to motivate and inspire
• Flexibility and ability to transition across a variety of roles and settings – from the village to the board room.
• Strong analytical and communication skills: experience to effectively synthesize data and prepare clear, compelling and high-quality reports and presentations.
• Strong work ethic; willingness to work a nontraditional work schedule.
• Balance: combining patience, empathy, and honesty with the assertiveness, clout and drive to see any job through to the end.
• Experience managing teams; proven ability to motivate and inspire.
• A proven skill-set in outreach and extension, facilitation and community mobilization.

Desired attributes:

• Change-maker: Has a passion for the mission and values of PCI and AfriScout
• Innovator: Seeks creative solutions to problems and challenges existing paradigms
• Edifier: Able to inspire and motivate a team and build trust with communities
• Ally: Possesses an appreciation and respect for local customs and traditions