Independent Contractor – Digital Business Intelligence (DBI) Advisor

This is a call for applications for independent contracting on a periodic basis.  This is not a call for an open position of employment with Root Capital.

Organizational background

Root Capital invests in the growth of agricultural businesses so they can transform rural communities. These companies buy crops such as coffee, cocoa, or beans from small farmers. With growth, they become impact drivers that can increase incomes, create jobs, empower women and youth, maintain peace and preserve vulnerable ecosystems.

We provide these companies with vital resources: access to capital, business and technical partners, financial training and conservation practices. We work in geographies that are difficult to serve, where others do not. To date, we have distributed $1.5 billion to improve the lives of more than ten million people in farming communities.

With twenty years of experience providing financing to small agricultural businesses, Root Capital has learned that sometimes credit alone does not help them grow and strengthen. Therefore, in addition to access to capital, it offers financial, agronomic, business intelligence, climate resilience, and gender and youth training and advice in difficult-to-serve geographies. Companies that receive our advisory services learn how to implement the best business and financial practices for smart growth and continued success. We use a practical and participatory learning methodology, since our objective is for the company’s staff to acquire new knowledge and skills and be able to implement them in the short term.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, Root Capital currently has partner offices in Costa Rica, Kenya and Mexico with partner offices in Nicaragua and Peru. Root Capital’s clients are located in more than XX countries: Mexico and Central America, South America, East and West Africa, as well as Southeast Asia.

Proud winner of the 2024 SCA Sustainability Award for Non-Profits. Learn more here.

Main goal

Train and advise agricultural companies digitization, management, transformation, visualization and data analysis to create a comprehensive view of the business so they can make better and more viable decisions.

Main Consultancy Deliverables

• Perform diagnostics for agribusiness clients, which include measuring business performance in various management areas and identifying strengths, weaknesses, and potential development opportunities. Diagnostics assess the client’s readiness (operational and human capacity) to incorporate DBI into their regular business operations.
• Prepare reports and write recommendations based on diagnostic results, and develop/co-create a personalized work and training plan with clients.
• Design digital surveys or other data collection tools for use in the field in collaboration with the client.
• Provide advisory and training services to clients [in line with Root Capital methodology] on topics including, but not limited to: mobile digital tools (usage and development), field data collection, dashboard use, data management, visualization, and data analysis for decision-making.
• Perform routine monitoring of customer data collection and dashboard synchronization, as well as technical issue resolution.
• Recording activities carried out with clients (using digital data collection tools and Excel) and preparing monthly activity reports.
• Report key impact information, including results, challenges, lessons learned and photographs.
• Promote innovation through contributions to the development and piloting of new instruments, methodologies, and training tools.
• Understand and effectively integrate gender-inclusive approaches and gender mainstreaming best practices to ensure that women equitably participate in and benefit from Counseling Services and, more broadly, promote gender equity within our clients.

Note: You must be willing to conduct consulting services (individually with a single client or multi-client workshops) online/remotely and in person.

Required Qualifications

• University degree, preferably in studies related to Business Administration, Information Management or Information Technologies.// experience or professional training in Analytics, Business Management, Agrarian Economics or related studies and/or careers.
• Experience in managing, manipulating, visualizing and analyzing statistical and financial data.
• 3-4+ years of experience training and/or working with business development in rural agricultural areas and/or with agribusiness and/or cooperatives.
• Knowledge and application of participatory training, adult learning and facilitation methodologies
• Knowledge of MS Office Suite, Google Apps and Zoom.
• Advanced or intermediate Excel skills (formulas, math functions, logic, lookup and reference, pivot table design, drop-down lists, pivot charts, Excel add-in power query, pivot, view, maps)
• High organizational planning and management skills, ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong writing skills and ability to prepare reports or other documents as needed
• Extroverted and performance-oriented individual
• Interest and commitment to gender equality
• Ability to travel and work in different parts of the country.
• Ability to manage your work independently with a high degree of responsibility

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of digital data collection tools such as iFormbuilder and SurveyCTO or data visualization tools such as Tableau and Power BI is a plus.
• Knowledge and experience in building BI models, indicator modeling is valued.

 Duration

The independent consulting contract will be for a duration of anywhere between 3 and 12-month periods, dependent upon the needs of Root Capital and the unique professional skills of the applicant,. Each month it takes an average of 10-15 days to complete assignments and deliverables work, with 15 being the maximum number of consulting days per month.

Application Instructions

• If interested in the role, please submit a curriculum vitae/resume and compelling cover letter to afradvisoryrecruitments@rootcapital.org.
• The subject of your email should follow this convention: “DBI Advisor-Country Name – Applicant First Name & Last Name”.
• CV and cover letter must be uploaded in English.
• The cover letter should explain why you are a fit for Root Capital, your experience working with agri-SMEs and your expertise in digital business solutions. Specific examples of your impact and achievements should be included.
• Inquires that do not follow this convention will not be reviewed.

Application Process

• 1^st Stage: Review of resume and cover letter
• 2^nd Stage: First Interview
• 3^rd Stage: Technical Assessment
• 4^th Stage: Final interview

Application deadline: June 30, 2024

Root Capital offers equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees, consultants and/or collaborative opportunity applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military status or veteran, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, identity gender, gender expression, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that respects our leadership principles: empowerment, equity, integrity, service and transparency.