TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. The Access to Markets Associate provides technical advisory services to drive end-to-end market access and sales outcomes for youth-led enterprises by working with local organizations.
Duties & Responsibilities
Links to Markets & Sales Conversion
- Provide technical advisory services to drive end-to-end market access and sales outcomes.
- Develop, maintain, and continuously update a reliable production database capturing quantities, product types, seasonal availability, and production capacity.
- Map participant (young people) positions within value chains and identify high-value market opportunities with the greatest income potential.
- Use production and market data to inform buyer targeting, aggregation planning, and supply-demand alignment.
- Identify, engage, and secure commercial agreements with off-takers and buyers across priority value chains.
- Build and manage a live pipeline of buyers, segmented by value chain and absorption capacity.
- Support aggregation models to meet buyer requirements on volume, consistency, and quality.
- Facilitate direct transactions between youth enterprises and buyers, including support for deal structuring (pricing, delivery schedules, and quality specifications).
- Build partnerships with off-takers, aggregators/distributors, and platforms (digital and physical marketplaces).
- Troubleshoot last-mile barriers to closing sales (e.g., logistics, cold storage, coordination, quality issues).
- Track and drive key performance outcomes, including sales revenue growth, volumes sold, repeat orders, and contract stability.
Local Organization Support
- Support local organizations to design and implement structured market access activities within their work plans.
- Ensure technical and business training is directly linked to market demand so that capacity building results in market-ready products.
Product Quality & Market Readiness
- Ensure youth enterprises meet buyer specifications and regulatory standards, including attaining necessary certifications.
- Address quality gaps impacting sales and strengthen consistency and reliability.
- Support introduction of market-driven product improvements.
Data Tracking & Performance Management
- Monitor performance against key outcomes such as % of participants accessing structured markets, increase in sales revenue, and revenue consistency.
- Maintain a real-time market linkage tracker/dashboard.
Cross-Pillar Collaboration
- Access to Finance: Align financing mechanisms to invest in productivity and scale production in response to buyers.
- Enhanced Leadership & Agency: Strengthen the agency of young entrepreneurs for effective negotiation and decision-making.
- Communications: Showcase successful enterprises and market linkages to attract partners and strengthen program visibility.
- Digital & Technology Integration: Promote the use of digital tools (e.g., AI) to improve market penetration and sales tracking.
Required Skills & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Agribusiness, Economics, or related field.
- 2+ years experience in sales, market linkages, or business development.
- Proven ability to close deals and manage B2B relationships.
- Strong understanding of value chains and market systems.
- Experience working with SMEs, youth enterprises, or producer groups.
