State Team Lead

Job title : State Team Lead

Background

• An international development company is preparing to implement a multi-year agricultural development programme designed to strengthen the ginger and sesame value chains through improved productivity, climate-smart agriculture, enterprise development, market systems strengthening, and last-mile service delivery across selected states in Nigeria.
• To ensure operational readiness, we are identifying qualified professionals for potential deployment, subject to project award and funding approval.

Position Summary

• The State Team Lead will provide overall leadership and coordination for programme implementation within the assigned state.
• The role is responsible for translating programme strategies into high-quality field implementation by coordinating technical teams, managing stakeholder relationships, strengthening private sector engagement, and ensuring programme activities achieve agreed performance target.

Key Responsibilities
Programme Leadership and Delivery:

• Lead the planning, coordination, and implementation of all programme activities within the assigned state in line with approved workplans, budgets, and implementation schedules.
• Develop state implementation plans and ensure programme milestones and performance targets are achieved.
• Coordinate the work of technical specialists, field officers, consultants, and support teams to ensure integrated programme delivery.
• Monitor implementation progress, identify operational bottlenecks, and implement practical solutions to improve programme performance.
• Ensure programme resources are effectively managed to support timely and high-quality implementation.
• Provide regular implementation updates and strategic advice to programme management on

Stakeholder Engagement and Market Systems Development:

• Build and maintain productive relationships with state government institutions, local authorities, private sector companies, producer organisations, financial institutions, research organisations, and development partners.
• Facilitate partnerships that strengthen agricultural service delivery, improve access to quality inputs, finance, extension services, aggregation, processing, and markets.
• Promote collaboration among market actors to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the ginger and sesame value chains.
• Represent the programme at state-level meetings, technical working groups, stakeholder forums, and coordination platforms.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen private sector investment and expand commercially sustainable business opportunities within the programme.

Performance Management and Quality Assurance:

• Supervise state implementation teams and ensure activities meet agreed technical, operational, and quality standards.
• Monitor programme performance against agreed targets and support timely implementation of corrective actions where required.
• Work closely with the MERL team to ensure timely collection of quality programme data and evidence for reporting and learning.
• Promote adaptive management by reviewing implementation progress, lessons learned, and stakeholder feedback to improve programme delivery.
• Support technical teams to ensure interventions remain practical, market-driven, and responsive to beneficiary needs.

Compliance, Risk Management and Reporting:

• Ensure compliance with organisational policies, donor requirements, safeguarding standards, financial procedures, and programme operating guidelines.
• Identify implementation risks and develop appropriate mitigation measures to minimise disruption to programme activities.
• Review and approve state-level reports, workplans, activity documentation, and implementation updates before submission.
• Ensure accurate documentation of programme activities, stakeholder engagements, and implementation results.
• Support donor missions, programme reviews, audits, and monitoring visits by coordinating state-level preparations and documentation.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential:

• Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Project Management, Business Administration, Development Studies, or a related discipline. A Master's degree will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience managing agricultural development, enterprise development, market systems, or donor-funded programmes.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating multi-stakeholder programmes at state or regional level.
• Strong understanding of agricultural value chains, private sector engagement, enterprise development, and market systems approaches.
• Proven experience working with government institutions, development partners, financial institutions, private sector actors, and farmer organisations.
• Experience managing programme workplans, budgets, implementation schedules, and operational resources.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and programme reporting tools.

Preferred:

• Experience leading multi-state agricultural development programmes.
• Experience working on donor-funded market systems or private sector development initiatives.
• Professional certification in Project Management or related disciplines will be an added advantage.

Remuneration
Competitive consultancy package