Description

A. Cooperative Development (40%)

• Lead in formulating the cooperative development strategy for signature programs.
• Update and implement policies, procedures, and systems for cooperative development and self-help group (SHG) management in alignment with Heifer’s signature program strategy.
• Facilitate and monitor pre-cooperative orientation activities in the SHGs and clusters of SHGs as they develop into cooperatives and unions.
• Support in facilitating SHGs in the formation of primary cooperatives and support in the registration process.
• Ensure that meetings between SHGs and co-ops are conducted regularly to share progress and build mutual trust.
• Facilitate the capacity building of cooperative/union governing board and management in effective and efficient decision making, financial management, human resource management, operation and strategic planning and implementation, conflict management, and democratic governance.
• Monitor, support and backstop the cooperatives/unions for effective functioning.
• Build relationships with external agencies (public and private), and facilitate engagement with similar organizations (unions, federations).
• Conduct assessments of cooperatives on a regular basis to evaluate their status, by using the Cooperative Assessment Tool (CAT).

• Support co-ops in formulating short- and long-term strategies and business plans and ensure their effective implementation.
• Support co-ops to ensure the cooperative-owned business hubs are appropriately linked to the markets and functioning sustainably.
• Support leveraged resource mobilization and investment for sustainable growth of co-ops’ agri-enterprises.
• Work with the signature program team to develop cooperatives as business hubs with backward and forward linkages into the entire value chains.
• Support co-ops in developing business relationships with financial institutions, banks, and other value chain actors.
• Support in providing business development services (BDS) to co-op members (finance, inputs, training, market linkages and support services).
• Support co-ops to ensure that aggregation of products is functionally sustainable.
• Support in increasing the business transactions of FOABs (volume and value of services and transactions-purchase sales, through FOABs).
• Provide support in economic transformation, value chain infrastructure and market system development.
• Strengthen the collaboration and enabling environment (partnership and engagement) through the Public Private Producer Partnership (4P) model to achieve mass production and profitability.
• Regularly monitor program investments for investing in production at household and cooperative levels.
• Provide support in digital applications for livestock, vegetables, fruit and fish.

• Develop and deliver training packages/modules related to personal transformation, economic transformation and market system for farmers/cooperatives and project partners.
• Develop guidelines for the formation, management, and governance of cooperatives.
• Facilitate cooperatives in the orientation of new non-Heifer members to have a fuller understanding of co-op principles and values.
• Ensure SHG management guidelines are updated and adapted in context.
• Guide co-ops in conducting periodic Participatory Self Review and Planning (PSRP) and reinforcing values.
• Facilitate cross-learning among cooperatives and encourage the adaptation of best practices.

• Represent the Heifer Cambodia Program in the assigned region.
• Provide leadership and strategic support to Program Officers in the region to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of program implementation.
• Manage the sub-award/project partners toward quality of program and impact.
• Establish and strengthen collaboration with government, NGOs, private sectors and other stakeholders in the assigned region.
• Support partnerships and locally leveraged resources from the sub-national level (linking agricultural cooperatives [ACs] to Commune Investment Plan and District Development plan), government, NGOs and private sectors in the region.
• Visit and monitor all regional projects to ensure their effective implementation, providing backstopping of partners as required.
• Ensure systematic documentation of successes and lessons learned for internal programmatic use and external sharing.
• Conduct regular reflections for learning among the regional program team and project partners to improve program implementation.
• Lead planning and consolidate progress reports for the assigned region.
• Support to ensure the formation and functioning of the project management committees.

• Bachelor’s degree in sociology, agriculture economics, community development, business management, enterprise development, or a related field, plus seven (7) years of related experience OR Master’s degree plus five (5) years of related experience.
• A minimum of five years of relevant work experience in the field of cooperative development, agriculture/livestock value chains including access to finance.
• Knowledge of training individuals and teams using participatory methodologies.
• Knowledge of and experience with or within community organizations.
• Fluent in national language and English, spoken as well as written.
• Have an interest in animals/agriculture/community development.
• Skills with Microsoft Office package, internet browser, and other appropriate technology.
• Ability to implement and maintain various capacity assessment tools for quality and accountability assurance of cooperatives and agribusinesses.
• Working knowledge of sustainable livelihoods, value chain development and market systems development.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to both help groups reach agreements and to represent collective perspectives.
• Strong commitment to the shared leadership model.
• Knowledge of different training topics such as social capital, gender, AC development documentation, etc.

• Demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity.
• Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule.
• Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision.
• Ability to produce and present reports in a well-designed and attractive format with superior attention to detail.
• Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner.
• Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues, potential donors, and the general public.
• Constant sitting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may work at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, both locally and internationally.