Crown Agents USA,
Inc. (CA-USA) is seeking a Short-Term
Airfreight Competitiveness Consultant for the USAID/Rwanda
Private Sector Driven Agricultural Growth Project (PSDAG) based in Kigali,
Rwanda.
Our Business
Crown Agents is an
international develop
ment company employing over 600 personnel worldwide with a
presence in more than 40 countries, subsidiaries in 11 countries, and permanent
staff working on the ground in 22 corporate offices in Africa, Asia Latin
America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Crown Agents
provides direct assistance, management consulting, and human and institutional
development for public and private sector clients in customs and trade
facilitation, public financial management, procurement, logistics, and health
systems strengthening.
Crown Agents USA
(CA-USA), the U.S. incorporated subsidiary of Crown Agents, provides direct
technical assistance, capacity development, and procurement services to
stimulate economic growth, establish good governance, and improve health
outcomes across the developing world. Since its incorporation in the United
States in 1998, CA-USA has provided technical assistance services and support
to U.S. Government agencies and international organizations such as the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC), the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), Department of
State (DOS), and the Gates Foundation.
Project
Description
The USAID/Rwanda
Private Sector Driven Agricultural Growth Project (PSDAG) is a five-year Feed
the Future (FtF) activity implemented by ENGILITY Corporation/IRG. The project
was created in line with Government of Rwanda (GoR) targets and aims to develop
a strategic partnership between the Rwandan public and private sectors to
improve investment mobilization and create economic opportunity for smallholder
farmers through increased value chain market integration.
Role &
Responsibilities
The Airfreight
Competitiveness Expert will develop a probable and practical business model for
export commodity aggregation services. The business model is expected to show
how locally produced commodities that are exported by air can be aggregated
from the various production/processing points to a centralized place ready for
export. This will involve a careful analysis of the export commodities,
including the possibility of combining different commodities in the same
“batch” to be airlifted if headed to the same destination. The overall goal is
to address the constraint of low volumes for export from Rwanda to the various
export destinations to ultimately improve air freight prices and improve
competitiveness.
Specific
Responsibilities
- Develop
a brief inception report that will detail work plan and methodology, the
timeline, interviewee list, report review list, draft and final reports. - Conduct
desk review of documents related to how the current volumes exported from
Rwanda affect the country’s airfreight competitiveness. - Research
best practices for how neighboring countries, such as Tanzania, Kenya, and
Uganda have overcome similar constraints. Consultant may travel to these
countries if deemed necessary, to gather information from key stakeholders
in those areas. - Conduct
key informant discussions with relevant entities involved in the
airfreight business including airlines, exporters, those who produce for
exports, bulk handlers, transporters, and other key players along the
various commodity value chains. Other useful information on the subject
could also be obtained from MINICOM, MINAGRI, NAEB, Trade Mark and other
relevant organizations. - Assess
the actual and potential export products, destinations, private sector
partners including exporters and freight forwarders, and recommend their
roles in piloting the commodity aggregation. - Then
map the processes involved in exporting the various agricultural
commodities from production till they reach their export destinations. - Evaluate
the physical infrastructure from farm to the market that is supportive of
commodity aggregation and export for fresh and processed products and make
recommendations for improvement. - Develop
a business model for the provision of services to aggregate export
commodities and if appropriate, recommend how NAEB and PSDAG can
collaborate in piloting the aggregation model. - Assess
the current status of MINICOM’s trade hubs and how they can be integrated
with the proposed aggregation model. - Prepare
interim and draft reports for presentation to stakeholders for validation. - Finalize
the draft report based on inputs received from the validation meetings and
submit final report to PSDAG.
Qualifications
- Post
Graduate (Masters or PhD) qualification in Economics, Agricultural
Economics, Agriculture or Agribusiness, Public Finance, Public Sector
Management or other related field; - Previous
experience advising on airfreight competitiveness for African countries - Not
less than 5 years’ experience in agricultural development, strategy and
business plan development, and or project / policy implementation; - Familiarity
with agribusiness investment environment in Rwanda preferred; - Prior
experience in working with USAID projects will be an added advantage. - Fluency
in English required; Knowledge of French and Kinyarwanda a plus.
Application
Process
To apply to this
position, please email your CV to careers@crownagents.com, including your name,
along with “14-23V
Airfreight Competitiveness Expert”, in the subject line. Visit
our website at www.crownagentsusa.com
for more information about our company. No phone calls, faxes or walk-ins
please. Crown Agents USA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and affords equal
opportunity to all qualified applicants for all positions without regard to
race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, veteran
status, disability or any other status protected under local, state or federal
laws.
Crown Agents USA
will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with qualified
disabilities in accordance with the ADA. If you require a reasonable
accommodation for our application process, please contact our Recruiting
department directly. Requests will be kept confidential and shared strictly on
a need-to-know basis only.