Technical Product Development and Management Consultant

Focus of the Role

A hybrid role of remote/office will be considered for the successful candidate.

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is looking for a qualified and experienced consultant to lead on the technical product development and management for a Farmer Management Information System (FMIS) to be deployed in Rwanda.

The Technical Product Development and Management Consultant will lead the technical aspects of strategy, design and delivery of an FMIS and sector insights platform that will have a positive impact on smallholder farmers and wider agricultural stakeholders, while informing the Government of Rwanda and sector stakeholders towards better decision making, planning, monitoring, accountability and reporting.

Working closely with TBI Rwanda’s Agtech Advisor, the consultant will identify gaps and opportunities, confirm requirements, develop technology strategies and implementation plans, and design a cutting-edge technology solution that meets the identified needs for the FMIS.

Successful applicants will have a background in Agtech and will have demonstrated experience and expertise on the following key competencies at the minimum:

• Needs analysis, technology strategy evaluation and requirements gathering
• Technical designs, programming and software development, managing product development
• Project and product management, multi-stakeholder engagement and negotiation

Preferred candidates will be able to showcase previous successes in complex and highly technical product development and management for a government, a non-profit or a private sector organisation in the Eastern Africa region.

The successful candidate will work with a growing TBI team in Rwanda focused on “technology for transformation”, while working closely with TBI’s central Tech for Development team, relevant counterparts in the Government of Rwanda, and relevant private sector actors in Rwanda.

This is a six-month term-limited contract and follow-on work will be subject to the availability of funding at TBI. The role starts immediately on the identification of a suitable candidate.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities are as follows:

• Working with TBI Rwanda’s AgTech Advisor and relevant counterparts in the Government of Rwanda, relevant stakeholders and relevant technology vendors, the consultant will lead on the following 4 responsibilities:

  Responsibility 1: Undertake an in-depth assessment of gaps and opportunities in current and future Agtech initiatives and plans by the Government of Rwanda with a view of identifying priorities for the implementation of the FMIS, considering small-holder farmers as the main target beneficiaries.

  Responsibility 2: Based on the findings of the assessment above, develop detailed technical requirements, technical designs and technology options, delivery budget estimates, roadmaps and project implementation plans, and a change management plan for the FMIS product implementation.

  Responsibility 3: Using the outputs above, lead on the technical direction, development and deployment of a robust, reliable, secure and scalable farmer-facing agricultural data and information system (FMIS) and a stakeholder insights platform that interfaces with wider ag-system actors (government, agribusinesses, banks, donors, NGOs, etc.).

  Responsibility 4: Stakeholder engagement, quality assurance, impact measurement and reporting.

Person Specification

We are looking for a consultant who has the following:

Experience:

• A minimum of 5-years of technical product delivery and management on complex, impact-driven Agtech solutions in Eastern Africa. Experience with farmer management information systems is an advantage
• Experience or familiarity with advanced Agridata analytics e.g. diagnostic, predictive, prescriptive and/or cognitive analysis of weather, climate, agronomic, farm and farmer data preferred

Knowledge:

• A Computer Science and Engineering or Information Systems undergraduate degree, or equivalent, that covers substantive knowledge of system architecture and data architecture design, management information system, distributed systems, and system integration/application programming interfaces (API)
• Knowledge of Rwanda’s technology policy and related regulatory landscape is an advantage
• Proven experience and delivery in needs analysis, technology strategy evaluation and requirements gathering, Technical designs, programming and software development, managing product development, Project and product management, multi-stakeholder engagement and negotiation

Skills:

• Ability to extract, analyse, and to present complex datasets in ways that tell a concise and understandable story about solution performance and the case for future improvements
• Ability to work independently under pressure, flexible and adaptable to changing contexts while remaining focused on the outcomes of the consultancy
• Ability to work with and to coordinate with multi-disciplinary teams and multi-disciplinary advisors, and the discretion and judgment to navigate a complex environment
• Fluency in English with strong written and spoken communication skills

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Advisory Practice works directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. We are currently in a rapid expansion phase from c. 18 countries at present, to 30 by December 2022.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.