EWB Fellowship with BDSA Zambia – Agricultural Innovation Hub

Growing
Business Sector, including incubators, agri-businesses, start-ups and
investors. Our mandate is to leverage capital and innovative ideas to
develop a self-reliant and sustainable form of poverty reduction in
Sub-Saharan Africa for smallholder farmers and their communities.

BDSA offers a variety of services to our clients, tailored to their
size and immediate requirements. Examples of these services include
engineering and technical assistance, market assessments, monitoring
and evaluation, project/intervention design, staff development and
coaching, and organizational data-based decision-making. BDSA supports
all clients in adopting and assuming ownership of each initiative,
ensuring that projects continue to produce a positive impact long
after our team has left.

The Agricultural Innovation Hub

BDSA Zambia has formed a partnership with a local not-for-profit in
order to deliver “shared value” consulting services to medium- and
large-scale agribusinesses; the concept is called the “Agricultural
Innovation Hub” (the Hub).

The concept of “shared value” can be defined as policies and operating
practices that enhance the competitiveness of a company while
simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions of the
communities in which it operates.

There are two primary objectives of the Hub:
• Provision of Agribusiness-specific support in the form of embedded
BDSA consultant(s) in order test new business models and interventions
that benefit both the smallholder farmer community and the
agribusiness backed by vigorous monitoring and evaluation. Then to
assist agribusinesses to develop the internal capacity to innovate and
measure the results of that innovation on an on-going basis.
• Industry-wide support through dissemination of “shared value”
models, where BDSA would be capturing the experience and learning
generated by working with the individual agribusinesses to synthesize
and disseminate ‘best practices’ in terms of ‘shared value’ business
models, innovation and information management.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking to expand our team of high-performing consultants.
These individuals are excellent critical thinkers, tackle problems
through a systems-lens, see gaps and faults as opportunities for
improvement, and push for sustainability in their work. We are looking
for people with confidence and conviction, but also humility,
curiosity, and the ability to learn and grow. We want people who are
keen to join a start-up on a growth path with a multidisciplinary and
passionate team. We need people who are frustrated with the status quo
and want to see changes in the way we do business today.

BDSA Zambia’s Work

Our Theory of Change is that through the provision of technical
assistance and advisory services to large agricultural businesses,
they are better able to design and scale “shared value” business
models that improve business conditions for the smallholder farmers
who are their customers and suppliers. By developing the processes
alongside client organization staff and management to adopt
evidentiary business innovation processes, we aim to improve the
business’ fiscal bottom line while increasing smallholder access to
agricultural inputs, markets and support services. With this access,
smallholder farmers can improve their performance, which in turn
result in increased productivity (yield per hectare), production
(overall yield), and income.

To complement this work we are aiming to partner with key stakeholders
in the agricultural sector to disseminate collective learning around
business models that generate shared value to agribusinesses and
smallholders. Our theory is that by increasing sector knowledge of
best practices concerning shared value business development there will
be a shift in the way “business is done” today – to encourage business
resiliency strategies to include smallholder empowerment. Poverty
reduction is our ultimate goal and these are our approaches.

Through our work, BDSA has been able to identify some of the key
challenges faced by social enterprises and have developed a portfolio
of services to address them. Those services include:
• Shared Value Consulting and Impact Evaluations. Providing assistance
in developing “shared value” business models, which are intended to
improve the fiscal sustainability of the company while contributing to
poverty alleviation of their smallholder farmers who are their
customers, suppliers and consumers. We complement this with impact
assessment services, using rigorous monitoring and evaluation and
reporting practices to inform future business decision-making.
• Pre and Post-Investment Business Development. Due diligence,
financial analysis and projections, business model analysis,
organizational analysis, product development, business modelling, and
expansion strategy. All with objective, third-party feedback.
• Market Research. Assisting a business to understand farmer or
customer needs, improving decision-making through market intelligence.

As a BDSA Consultant, you:
• Are able to diagnose business issues and gaps in operations and
propose tailored solutions through a combination of observation,
research and analysis.
• Work independently, creating and driving change with your specific
client organization, while contributing to the larger picture and
BDSA’s overall mission and goals.
• Have a proven ability to refine and execute a strategy that builds
on existing capacities, identifies key leverage points, and
effectively engages diverse stakeholders in a large and complex
problem.
• Have strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly and
concisely articulate complex issues to various groups of stakeholders
including smallholder farmers, partners, funders and the international
business development community.
• Are open to feedback and are looking for professional and personal
development opportunities.
• Adopt a global mindset in your work, understanding the on-the-ground
realities while being able to think about and explore the dynamics of
a broader system that encompasses the issues you are trying to solve.

About EWB

In short, we identify and unlock the potential of smart people, smart
ventures and smart ideas.
• Smart people: EWBers – our members, staff and fellows – take
advantage of unprecedented opportunities to develop their
critical-thinking skills, gain unrivaled leadership experience and
stake an active role in systemic change initiatives. They populate our
office, our ventures, our chapters, our teams and drive change over a
lifetime.
• Smart ventures: We accelerate the development and growth of ventures
that have the potential the change systems of development. These might
be social enterprises, like Rent-to-Own, or change ventures embedded
within local government, like our Water and Sanitation venture in
Malawi. Or they might be organizations that mobilize Canadians to
create change, like the Canadian Fair Trade Network. We support the
growth of these ventures – with talent, advice, management training,
back-office support and funding – through a period of testing and
iterating and proving, until they are able to scale and ultimately
exit EWB.
• Smart ideas: EWB helps turn good ideas into good ideas that have
significant influence. Often, this involves our advocacy work, which
involves finding ways to have these ideas adopted by decision-makers
in government or other institutions. But it also involves educating
Canadians and simply role modeling the ideas we hope will have
influence – for example, with our annual Failure Report.

Learn more about EWB by visiting our website: http://www.ewb.ca

How We Prepare You For An EWB Fellowship

All selected Fellows participate in a three-to-four week preparation
program prior to departure and about 40 hours of homework between
selection and beginning the job. This training uses case studies,
workshops and simulations to create a curriculum that provides a
holistic understanding of living and working in Africa as an EWB
Fellow – and it is built to be challenging. Upon arrival overseas
there are a few days of orientation led by Engineers Without Borders
Canada staff followed by several weeks of learning from other staff
and experiencing life and work in rural communities.

Ongoing Support from EWB

EWB will have ultimate responsibility to ensure the success of your
Fellowship, including your professional development, health, safety,
wellness, etc… In order to ensure this success, EWB supports the
leadership of BDSA, who will be responsible for your direct
management, coaching, and support.

As an EWB Fellow, you will participate in spring and fall EWB retreats
(in addition to venture specific retreats) and you will be eligible to
attend the EWB annual conference in your second year overseas, amongst
other benefits.

Costs and Benefits

People are attracted to Engineers Without Borders because of the
personal and professional benefits that come from working within a
learning organization, and to become part of a dynamic network you
join for life. Many of Canada’s top employers recognize Engineers
Without Borders as a source for highly skilled and motivated young
leaders. EWB alumni have gone on to be successful in many different
career paths.

Engineers Without Borders believes that deep integration into the
local culture is essential to build trust and to develop an
understanding of the challenges faced by local people. As part of this
commitment, EWB Fellows are paid a living stipend that is similar to
the amount that would be paid to one of their co-workers at their
local partner organization. There is a possibility for an additional
salary depending on experience. Upon return to Canada or other home
country, Fellows will also receive a repatriation stipend that will
assist them in re-establishing themselves.

All costs relating to the placement are either paid for directly by
Engineers Without Borders Canada (airfare, insurance, vaccinations,
training, etc.) or are paid for indirectly by Engineers Without
Borders Canada through the EWB Fellow stipend (food, living, local
travel, etc). That being said, we understand that many recent
graduates from university and college may be struggling with the
burden of student loans. We are able to support the student loan
deferral process, as well as offer other forms of financial support
and guidance to suit applicant needs. We do not want financial issues
to be a constraint.

Duration of Placements

EWB Fellows are selected for 12 month or 20 month positions in Africa,
in addition to the one-month training in Toronto. For 12 month
placements, at month 7 an extension process is launched where one can
apply for a second year. For 20 month placements, the scope and
ambition of your contribution will be significantly greater.
Typically, about 60% of EWB Fellows have remained in Africa for at
least 20 months. Some go on to join Ventures as staff, start their own
Ventures or are now Venture Leaders.

Qualifications
• Undergraduate degree mandatory, Master’s degree preferred;
• 1-3 years of experience in management consulting, agriculture,
international development, engineering, finance or other relevant
sectors;
• Strong desire to grow strengths and knowledge in systems-thinking,
business development, agribusinesses, and impact evaluations;
• Strong analytical and research experience, preferably involving
monitoring and evaluation;
• Passionate about the role of social enterprises and commerce in
development; and
• Commitment to the long-term vision and growth of BDSA.

Location

Candidates will be based in Zambia with some travel both within and
between Southern African countries.

Key Dates

We are looking for applicants who can start in February 2015. The
minimum commitment is 1 year and we are ideally looking for candidates
that can commit 2+ years.

To Apply

All applications are collected through our online application system.
To apply, register for a myEWB account at http://my.ewb.ca/.
Applications can be found at http://my.ewb.ca/apply/applications/.

Questions?

If you have questions about the work of BDSA Ghana, please feel free
to contact Diana Menzies at dianamenzies@ewb.ca.
For questions about
the nature of Fellowships with EWB, please feel free to contact Lauren
Dodds at laurendodds@ewb.ca.