Full Time
Iringa Tanzania
Posted 1 week ago

Forest and Wood Industries Training Centre (FWITC)

Exciting Career Opportunity: Value Chain, Business Development & Marketing Expert at FORLAND (March 2025)

Are you an experienced professional in value chain development, business strategy, and marketing? Do you have a passion for forestry, sustainable land use, and empowering local communities? FORLAND, a four-year bilateral project between Finland and Tanzania (2025-2029), is seeking a Value Chain, Business Development, and Marketing Expert to contribute to sustainable forestry and economic growth in Tanzania.

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This position is based at the Forest and Wood Industries Training Centre (FWITC) in Mafinga and focuses on enhancing business opportunities in forestry across the Iringa, Njombe, Ruvuma, and Lindi regions.

About FORLAND

FORLAND builds on the success of previous programs such as the Participatory Plantation Forestry Programme (PFP 2) and the Forest and Value Chain Development Programme (FORVAC). The project supports small woodlot owners, promotes sustainable management of Miombo Village Land Forest Reserves, and strengthens the forestry value chain. By working closely with tree producers, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and local communities, FORLAND aims to create jobs, alleviate poverty, and improve climate resilience.

Role Overview

As the Value Chain, Business Development & Marketing Expert, you will play a key role in:

Enhancing income and profitability for forest-based enterprises.
Improving the sustainability and quality of training and extension services at FWITC.
Ensuring effective monitoring and evaluation of value chain initiatives.

This is a temporary full-time role for 34 months, starting in April 2025.

Key Responsibilities

1. Boosting Income & Profitability for Forest Enterprises

Conduct a market system evaluation and value chain analysis for natural and plantation forestry products.
Identify structural challenges and develop strategies to improve market accessibility for local producers.
Assess existing and new forest-based businesses to determine their feasibility for project support.
Develop and implement business development plans, including financial and business literacy training for business owners.
Promote women’s participation and income opportunities in forestry through collaboration with gender specialists.
Work with local institutions, government agencies, and private sector stakeholders to improve the value chain.
Train FWITC staff and District Forest Extension Officers in value chain development and business strategies.

2. Strengthening FWITC’s Financial & Training Capabilities

Conduct a stakeholder analysis to identify FWITC’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Develop an action plan for FWITC’s growth and financial sustainability.
Improve the quality and impact of extension services delivered by FWITC.
Support initiatives to enhance the employment rate of FWITC graduates in the forestry sector.

3. Monitoring & Reporting for Effective Decision-Making

Work with the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Officer to develop tools for tracking the impact of value chain initiatives.
Establish a socio-economic baseline to measure the impact of forestry-related business development.
Contribute to progress reports, fact sheets, case studies, and project assessments.
Support training and capacity-building activities for project stakeholders.
Ensure gender equality, human rights-based approaches, and environmental sustainability are integrated into all activities.
Identify opportunities for carbon credit projects linked to sustainable forestry.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Education:

A Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Economics, Agriculture or Forest Economics, Marketing, or a related field.

Professional Experience:

7+ years of management-level experience in marketing, value chain development, and business strategy.
Strong background in business development in the forestry or agriculture sectors.
Proven experience in facilitating innovative projects and working with MSMEs.
Familiarity with market system analysis and value chain improvements.

Key Skills & Competencies:

Excellent networking and collaboration skills.
Fluent in English and Kiswahili.
Ability to work effectively in multi-sector teams across diverse cultural and gender backgrounds.
Strong facilitation, communication, and leadership skills.