Food Processing Trainer / Cooperative Quality Controller

IECD (Institut Européen de Coopération et Développement), is a French development organization operating in the field of international solidarity. Since 1988, it fosters economic and social development in 15 countries. Thirty years of experience have enabled IECD to develop a strong know-how in technical and vocational training, support to small businesses and access to education and health for the most vulnerable. IECD is operating in the Palestinian Territories since 2007. In a context both economically and socially constrained, IECD has focused its action on the East-Jerusalem region.

Since 2013, IECD and its partners operate a project supporting micro and small enterprises (MSEs). The MSE project is set-up to respond to the individual needs of entrepreneurs by strengthening their entrepreneurial skills and changing their mindset towards their business. The goal is to empower them and increase their capacity to sustain their economic activities, settle their own goals, and in the end strengthen the economic resilience of their households and impacting their community at large.  

The project encompasses a food-processing component, which consists in:

• Providing technical trainings on food-processing to women entrepreneurs and members of cooperatives in the Jerusalem region at large (“Women Economic Empowerment Program”-WEEJ). This activity consists in providing extensive trainings in a range of food products, with regards to production techniques, quality standards, hygiene, laws and regulations. The trainings enable to settle goals together with beneficiaries that are later implemented through regular field visits, to monitor the progress of beneficiaries and the impact on their activity. Along with the trainings, the WEEJ program intends to build-up a network between cooperative members, through a club of cooperatives, whose goal is to enable cooperatives to elaborate on each other’s best practices, and to provide advanced trainings in food-processing.

1. Backing a cooperative active in the field of food processing in Al Aizarieh. The Cooperative for rural development of Al Aizarieh (“Jerusalem Hills”) was established in 2010. As of today, it counts 5 board members, whereas 12 people are part of its general assembly. Its staff includes a director, a salesman, an accountant and 5 permanent workers. It is a for-profit cooperative, working as a social business for the benefit of the women of Al Aizarieh and its surroundings. The cooperative produces a range of quality jam and labaneh that are distributed in about 70 salespoints in the West Bank. The goal of IECD is to provide technical expertise to the cooperative to allow its growth, which includes the reinforcement of its internal quality control system, and the improvement of its procurements processes of raw-material and goods.

MISSION

Under the supervision of the MSE project manager and of the cooperative director, the trainer/quality controller, will be responsible for:

• The implementation of the WEEJ program (50% of his time / supervision of the MSE project manager)
• The production management and quality control of the Jerusalem Hills cooperative (50% of his time / supervision of the cooperative director)
• Quality controller– Jerusalem Hills Cooperative

Under the supervision of the Cooperative Director, the trainer/quality controller will carry out the following tasks and actions:

• Production planning
• Define an annual production plan, enabling to build-up a concrete planning to buy raw material and goods, with monthly objectives
• Organize, reinforce and monitor on a daily basis the production process
• Manage cooperative stocks by anticipating needs and ensuring regular supply of cooperative products
• Conduct regular inventories of the cooperative’s stocks
• Quality management
• Strengthen, develop and formalize the production chain and processes, including quality, hygiene and safety procedures, through the implementation and improvement of procedures, design of follow-up tools for daily, weekly, monthly control (of temperatures, spoilage, production incidents, etc.), preparation of information signs to be spread in the cooperative, organization of training of workers, and creation of a mini laboratory
• Report production incidents to Cooperative Director
• Ensure the annual renewal of Hygiene certificate delivered by the Ministry of Public Health
• Team management
• Manage and ensure the continuous capacity-building of cooperative workers; identify needs, develop training material, train one or two cooperative workers who will be responsible of implementing daily monitoring of production processes during production seasons
• Research and Development
• Participate to cooperative assessments and/or evaluations, to be conducted by food processing and marketing experts, such as evaluation of the production chain, market studies and value chain analysis
• In close collaboration and coordination with the Director, identify needs and opportunities (“niche”) for the development of new products and recipes
• Reinforce the coordination between the cooperative and IECD: the trainer/quality controller will work under the umbrella of the MSE project team, which includes to:
• Inform IECD and more specifically the MSE team on the status of the cooperative through weekly and monthly meetings, as well as meetings set-up upon needs, and deliverables (reports)
• Coordinate with the MSE Project Manager
• Communicate difficulties, as well as identified needs and risks to the MSE Project Manager

• Food-processing trainer- IECD

Under the supervision of MSE Project Manager, the trainer/quality controller will carry out the following tasks and actions:

• Implementation of food processing trainings
• Prospect potential women beneficiaries for training based on IECD predefined criteria
• Identify, establish and follow-up operational partnerships with potential women organizations
• Design, update and formalize training material; develop new training material on new potential products for cooperatives
• Provide technical training sessions based on participant demands
• Identify needs for external trainer at certain of-topic circumstances
• In collaboration with MSE senior trainer, organize short business trainings adapted to WEEJ beneficiary needs
• Implementation of the Club of Cooperatives program
• Strengthen and increase the network of food processing cooperatives in the East Jerusalem area
• Organize quarterly events with the participation of at least 5 cooperatives per event
• Design an annual plan of Club activities and communication strategy targeting potential partners
• Prospect potential beneficiary cooperatives and ensure effective communication on future events
• Search, identify, establish and follow-up on potential institutional and operational partnership
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management
• Together with the project manager design beneficiaries’ follow-up tools and the M&E system to be implemented during the action
• Implement the M&E system on regular basis including the collection and registration of socioeconomic data associated with the beneficiaries
• Capitalize on WEEJ experience by documenting activities: writing of training material and guidelines, pictures, portraits of beneficiaries, success stories, satisfaction surveys, etc.
• Implementation of IECD procedures and requirements
• Provide monthly accurate data to IECD Project Manager
• Vouch for the good implementation of accounting, administrative and financial procedures
• Participate in the visibility and communication activities of the WEEJ project
• Represent IECD during local and regional events, meetings and workshops
• Participate actively in the life of the IECD Delegation in general

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EXPECTED PROFILE

• Education: Degree in Food Production, or another relevant sector. Remark: rather than the degree, IECD is looking for a hands-on personality with real practical knowledge of the food-production sector.
• Experience: Strong experience in the food-processing sector / cooperatives
• Interests: Strong interest for local economic development and social business
• Skills and Qualities expected:
  • Excellent knowledge of the food processing and cooperative sectors
  • Excellent interpersonal and teaching skills
  • Strong motivation to work in the field with various profiles of beneficiaries and partners
  • Adaptability and excellent listening skills
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  • Strong commitment
  • Proficiency in English language
  • Driving license compulsory
  • Excellent organizational and planning skills
  • Motivated by challenges, transparent, creative and flexible
  • Ability to anticipate problems and find solutions
  • Team player

CONDITIONS

Conract: Fixed term contract under Palestinian Labor Law

Location: Al Aizarieh, with frequent travel in the West Bank and Jerusalem

Starting date: asap, for one year

Under the responsibility of: the director of the cooperative and the MSE project manager

Package:

• Salary according to profile
• Participation to health insurance
• Home to work transportation covered
• Paid leaves according to Palestinian Labor Law

Send a resume and cover letter with the reference (COOP QUALITY MANAGER) to