Technology Deployment Specialist

ABOUT LEADERS INTERNATIONAL 

Leaders International is an international network of local organizations that plans, manages, and monitors innovation and economic development interventions in the region. Through its offices in Brussels, Amman, and Ramallah, Leaders International provides complete project-management services with a focus on private-sector development, enterprise development, job creation, entrepreneurship, D4D, economic policy dialogue, and tourism value chain

BACKGROUND 

UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) is implementing the Project Support to Industrial and Agricultural Economy through JAIP ICT and Incubation Center Development in the occupied Palestinian territory. The project focus at the establishment of a Palestinian Industrial Capacity Development Center (PICDEC) at Jericho Agro-Industrial Park (JAIP) aiming at supporting Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and selected entrepreneurs with growth potential in their business development and market opportunities in Palestine and abroad. 

The project is funded by the Government of Japan under the Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative and the project shall be seen as a part of a larger programme aiming at enhancing JAIP’s position as a sustainable economic development model in Palestine by supporting and expanding Palestine's agricultural value chain and ensure high-leveled technology for environmental protection, conservation of energy and efficient management.

The operation of PICDEC will be the responsible of a management team, who will start operating from the first quarter of 2021. Leaders International (LI) have been assigned to take on this task and have so far recruited the Team Leader. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

The Technology Deployment Specialist is an essential member of the Management Team, as s/he will overall be responsible for the business analysis and diagnosis and the identification of applicable technologies to operations bottlenecks. The Technology Deployment Specialist will service the Centre’s costumers such as SMEs, farmers and agricultural cooperatives as well as provide internal support. As for the latter this includes being responsible for managing and updating the JAIP Portal as well as the Centre’s website as soon as it has been developed.

The Technology Deployment Specialist will be a part of PICDEC’s Management Team. S/he will work under the guidance of LI and UNDP and under direct supervision of the Team Leader, who is overall responsible for the finalization of the institutional and operational set-up of the Centre on the ground. 

The duration of the contract is until December 2021 with the possibility of extension based on performance and available funding, whereas the location of the job is Jericho, Palestine.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Technology Deployment Specialist will in the Management Team undertaker the following roles and responsibilities: 

• Perform deep technical and business diagnosis for SMEs as well as targeted farms and agricultural cooperatives to identify needs, business potentials, and possible technologies enabling business improvement/upgrading, which will increase efficiency, and profitability; 
• Research on existing and new technologies that can be deployed at customer site, and promote its use among target SMEs, farms and/or agricultural cooperatives;
• Provide technical assistance, responding to customer technology-related queries; 
• Improve smallholder farmers access to new agricultural technologies;
• Create linkages between supported SMEs with farmers and/or agricultural cooperatives when/if suitable and beneficial for both parties; 
• Deploy a private sector development approach to effectively partner with technology providers to implement solutions for improved business and agricultural practices; 
• Identify and promote a wide range of improved technologies for farmers and businesses, and specify adaptations that better meet their needs;
• Develop market and cost-benefit analyses to identify profitable solutions and related technologies for farmers and businesses; 
• Work closely with the Business Development Unit at the Business Service Center (i.e. PICDEC) to conceptualize, design, and successfully implement technology solutions and interventions;
• Design and review RFP’s of potential service and technology providers, and participate in the selection of finalists, and provide technical contributions to scopes of work, implementation plans, and training plans; Responsible for the management and continuous updating of the JAIP Portal and the Centre’s own website when developed. This includes update service and event information, continuously update JAIP tenants’ product site, advise/support the implementation of online purchase links for tenants.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Required Qualifications

The Technology Deployment Specialist is expected to meet the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in technology-related discipline, or another relevant field, additional educational background within the field of agriculture and/or agribusiness is an asset;
• Previous private sector experience for at least five years; 
• At least 3 years of private sector application of agricultural and food processing technologies or similar experience preferred;
• Strong communication and organizational skills;
• Demonstrated experience in website management is a strong advantage;
• Excellent written and verbal Arabic and English languages communication skills.

Please submit your CV to: [email protected], no later than February 6th, 2021 mentioning the Job title in the email subject.

Disclaimer: This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended at any time as the needs of the organization require.