Consultant - Training for Ginger Women Farmers Leadership Capacity Development and Negotiation Skills at Mercy Corps Nigeria (4 Openings)

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Mercy Corps with support from Ekaterra Foundation aims to support the resilient ginger farmers in Kaduna state, through the Empowering Resilient Ginger Farmers (ERGF) Program. ERGF works in Kachia, Sang, Jema’a, Jaba LGAs. Mercy Corps wishes to invite interested partner/s through this expression of interest to support the training on business management, savings and lending groups formation/strengthening, and/or support to women’s leadership and capacity building as market actors.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant - Training for Ginger Women Farmers Leadership Capacity Development and Negotiation Skills

Locations: Kachia, Jaba, Sanga and Jema, Kaduna
Employment Type: Contract
The Consultant will report to: Director of Programs
The Consultant will work closely with: Program Manager

Purpose / Project Description

• Mercy Corps is seeking suitable firms or service providers with requirement and experience to provide technical assistance to participants to achieve program goals in the following areas.
• The technical assistance can be provided through a range of mechanisms, including but not limited to:
  • Training of Women on Leadership Capacity Building and Negotiation Skills.

Target Audience:

• The target audience for this training are Ginger women farmers in Sanga, Jaba, Jema’a and Kachia LGAs.

Training Objective:

• Enhance the leadership skills of Ginger women farmers, enabling them to effectively manage their farms and advocate for their interests within their communities.
• Develop strong market negotiation skills, allowing them to secure fair prices for their ginger harvest.
• Increase confidence and communication skills to effectively interact with buyers, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among Ginger women farmers.

Areas of evaluation include but are not limited to:

• Scale - innovative approach which has been tried at a minimum scale of reaching thousands of farmers in terms of outreach and impact,
• Impact data and evidence- innovations which have data and evidence of impact on productivity, Inclusion-inclusive innovation with a focus on ginger smallholders and women farmers.
• Demonstrated experience in delivering training programs on leadership and market negotiation skills for agricultural producers.
• Expertise in working with women farmers and understanding their specific challenges.
• Ability to develop and deliver culturally appropriate training materials.
• A team of qualified trainers with experience in adult education methodologies.
• A strong track record of successful program implementation and positive participant feedback.

Consultant Activities:
Invitation for the Selection of Institutions/Consulting Services for services associated with:

• Improving the Leadership Capacity Building, and Negotiation Skills of 1800 ginger farmers.

Consultant Deliverables
The contractor is responsible for the following deliverables:

• Develop acomprehensive training curriculum, manual including training materials.
• Conduct the training, including group exercises according to cluster groups with refreshments (1800 Ginger Women Farmers).
• Issue certificates of attendance at the end of the training.
• Develop a complete training evaluation/report of the training, including participant feedback and recommendations for future training programs.
• Conduct post-training mentoring and coaching to participants.

Program Content
The training program will consist of interactive modules covering the following key areas:
Leadership Development:

• Defining leadership styles and identifying personal strengths.
• Effective communication skills.
• Conflict resolution and problem-solving techniques.
• Building self-confidence and public speaking skills.

Market Negotiation Skills:

• Understanding market dynamics and pricing strategies for ginger.
• Negotiation techniques for securing fair prices.
• Cost analysis and value proposition development.
• Understanding contracts and legal aspects of selling ginger.

Training Methodology
The training will utilize a participatory approach that combines:

• Lectures and presentations by experienced trainers.
• Interactive group discussions and case studies.
• Role-playing exercises to simulate market negotiation scenarios.
• Group activities and peer learning opportunities.

Timeframe / Schedule:

• The consultancy is for a maximum of 45 days from the commencement date.
• A detailed project timeline will be developed by the training provider, outlining key events and deadlines for each stage of the program.

Budget:

• A detailed budget outlining the costs associated with the training program will be developed and submitted as a financial proposal.
• This may include the costs for trainer fees, training materials, venue rental, and participant refreshments.

Reporting:
The training provider will submit a comprehensive report upon program completion. The report will include:

• A summary of the training activities and content delivered.
• Participant demographics and attendance records.
• Feedback from participants through surveys or focus groups.
• An evaluation of the program's effectiveness in achieving its objectives.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• A monitoring and evaluation plan will be included to track the progress of the training and assess its impact on the participants.
• This may include pre- and post-training surveys, focus group discussions, and monitoring of changes in leadership behaviours and market negotiation outcomes.

Sustainability:

• The training will explore opportunities for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the skills and knowledge gained by the participants.
• This might involve establishing a network or support group for the Ginger women farmers or exploring opportunities for continued training and mentorship.

Special Requirements

• Access to information is key to making an informed decision. The ERGF Program aims to empower ginger farmers with business skills, access to savings and credit, and gender empowerment to enable farmers to make informed and effective choices about money matters. In doing so, this will support cluster farmers to be financially responsive, better plan their business, and increase the inclusion of the ginger value chain, particularly entry to upstream actions, such as entrance to processing/aggregation opportunities.
• While the training will be conducted in the mentioned 4 LGAs, previous experience will be an added advantage for organizations working in these locations or rural areas. Again, priority will be given to Women negotiation and leadership centers, NGO, CSO, or consulting firm that implemented similar activities. Prior experience with the noted value chain or working with female farmers is critical, and fluency in the local language is a prerequisite.
• Proposed methodologies should be evidence-based with accompanying impact data.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges.
• We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
• We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Application Closing Date
4th August, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications, Credentials and CV to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Selection Process

• Upon deadline for submitting Proposals, a technical review panel will convene. Mercy Corps shall take steps to ensure that members of the review panel do not have any conflicts of interest or the appearance of such about the organizations whose applicants are under review.
• An individual shall be considered to have the appearance of a conflict of interest if that person, or that person's spouse, partner, child, a close friend, or relative works for or is negotiating to work for or has a financial interest (including being an unpaid member of a Board of Directors) in any organization that applied currently under the panel's review.
• Members of the panel shall neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favours, or anything of monetary value from parties to the awards.
• All Applications that meet the business skills and management training objectives requirements will be reviewed by the review panel. Any selected applicants may then be invited to a further co-creation process to ensure the design fits the ERGF program needs.

Eligibility:

• Mercy Corps is interested in partnership with institutions, research centers, NGOs, CSOs, consultant, entrepreneurship organization registered with the CAC or a Public Sector Institution and Tax Clearance certificate.

Evaluation Criteria:
Upon submission, the Mercy Corps will evaluate all applications using the following criteria:

• Feasibility of design & Technical Approach: Viability of the proposed technical approach (i.e., the proposed technical approach can reasonably be expected to produce the intended outcomes - Submission of proposal, methodology and workplan to be used to carry out this consultancy
• Previous Relevant Experience: Evidence of 3 previous or ongoing experience implementing similar training in the last 5 years for NGOs/INGOs
• Financial Proposal: Breakdown of Price with evidence of achieving the desired result. Realistic budget for best value for money.
• Certification in Negotiation and/or Women Leadership: Evidence of trainers with certification that include but not limited Certified Women Negotiation and Leadership Trainer
• Prior Experience Working in Rural Context: Evidence of 3 previous or ongoing experience in Rural/Farming context.

Training plan, methodology and proposal capturing the below information:

• Name of private company, Organization, Institution, Name and contact of focal person, office address, CAC Certificate and Number of the company and description of what the company does.
• Consultant(s) profile/CV, including details of academic and/or professional history (that have experience in negotiation and women leadership)
• Sample training plan and workshop templates used at a previous training workshop.
• Clear description of sustainability of your training and how you will achieve scale and sustainability
• What measurements you proposed to ensure your proposed action achieves the intended result
• Project activity against a timeline (workplan) - based on activity proposed.
• Evidence of 3 previous or ongoing contract or Purchase Order implementing similar training in the last 5 years for NGOs/INGOs
• Breakdown of Price with evidence of achieving the desired result. Realistic budget for best value for money.
• Evidence of Certification in Negotiation and/or Women Leadership.
• Evidence of 3 previous or ongoing experience in Rural/Farming context.

Note: The Selected Institution/Consultant is expected to develop and provide a comprehensive training curriculum and manual to the participants that are easy to understand and concise, using teaching methodologies and techniques that are engaging and interactive, monitor participants progress during the training, providing feedback and guidance as needed, and conduct an evaluation of the training at the conclusion.