Operations Assistant

Company: Grassland Cameroon Ltd.

Reports to: Operations Supervisor

Location: Yaounde, Cameroon—with significant time in other rural village communities in the Centre Region

Compensation: 150 000 frs net

About the Role

We are looking for a young dynamic, hard-working graduate who will support our outgrower program and general operations at our facility. The job will involve maintaining field operations, working with procurement and extension agents, tracking credit disbursement, as well as  maize production. The Operations Assistant will receive supervision and guidance from our Operations Supervisor and Operations Associate. It is a field-oriented position, with a consistent blend of field work, administrative work, data tracking & data analysis. The successful candidate will be willing to get their hands dirty and work closely with farmers, agents, logistics team and machine operators. We are looking for someone who is a fast learner can work in a non scripted, start-up environment and looking to grow with the company. This role would require significant travel within the  Center Region. 70 percent is spent in rural areas. 

Who We Are

We are a food storage, drying, and distribution company that sources products from smallholder farmers, whom we support during the season with input loans and training, so that they can be more productive. We transform the farmers’ produce into standardized, graded products that we sell across the country, to buyers who can be sure of the quality they receive. 

What We Do

We provide agricultural financial solutions and services to smallholder farmers. Our asset-based credit is in the form of fertilizer, seeds and crop protection products, enabling farmers to be more productive. We transform the farmers’ produce into standardized, graded products that we sell across multiple market segments in Cameroon. 

Your responsibilities will include:

Program operations: 

• Communicate to farmers production schedule such that farmers are aware of days they are needed on the farm and when they will be receiving inputs;

• Distribute inputs to farmers in a timely manner; 

• Track input distribution per farmer for monitoring and repayment;

• Support Outgrower Program Manager with logistics necessary for inputs arrival to facility & distribution from facility;

• Be the point of contact for all farmers in the program and recruit seasonal workers who will oversee production;  

General operations 

• Work with operations and finance to ensure maintenance of equipment and machinery needed for successful program implementation 

• Coordinate with Procurement Officer for purchases and logistics to bring grain into facility

Administration 

• Maintain meticulous notes on credit disbursement, repayment and late payments;

• Prepare routine data analytics and reports for Outgrower Program Associate and Operations Supervisor;

• Coordinate and manage all external visitors and staff field visits, extension agent farm visits;

• Organize training sessions and farmer recruitment campaigns;

• Maintain calendars, schedule meetings and/or appointments for field staff;

Farmer visits & sensitization campaigns

• Maintain close relationship with existing farmers while recruiting new farmers to join program;

• Coordinate weekly field visits by field agents to each farm;

• Seasonal visits to each farm;

• Attend biweekly farmer group meetings to understand their issues and complaints and to ensure the growth and development of these groups;

• Work with Outgrower Program Associate to organize training sessions for farmer groups;

Qualifications

• One to two years of work experience (experience in farm management & rural fieldwork is a plus);

• A demonstrated ability to work on a variety of tasks at the same time, and keep track of a variety of work-streams; 

• Passionate about rural development and social enterprise, with demonstrated commitment to working with rural communities

• Experience traveling, living and/or working in West or Central Africa

• Fluency (or advanced business proficiency) in English (Pidgin & French is a plus)

• Analytical, problem solver with excellent attention to detail, commitment to excellence, and outstanding work ethic

• Flexible and adaptable to changing environments; thrives in a bootstrapped culture

• Strong technology skills (knowledge of Word, Excel, Google Docs, and Dropbox)

• College or technical degree in crop production or related field.

If you think this is for you, we are excited to hear from you. Please fill out this form or send your CV to careers@grassland-africa.com by August 31st 2024. In your cover letter, please state what excites you the most about this role, and what you think will be most challenging about it.