Job title: Traceability Support Officer for TRACE Project
Company: Corus International
Job description: Traceability Support Officer for TRACE ProjectDescription of the assignment:The TRACE project is seeking to recruit a national staff member to continue the efforts towards formulating, establishing and scaling a cocoa sector traceability system.Type: Open to Nigerian nationals only
Contracting agency: Lutheran World Relief
Place of assignment: Ondo, Cross River and Ekiti States, Nigeria
Expected start date: July 1, 2025
Expected end date: September 1, 2027
Deadline for submission: June 1, 2025Background to the project:Traceability and Resilience in Agriculture and Cocoa Ecosystem Project (hereinafter referred to as “TRACE’), implemented by Lutheran World Relief (LWR), is a United State Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Project funded with the objective to support Nigeria to increase cacao productivity using climate smart agriculture and to develop an effective and cost-efficient traceability process aimed at addressing current and future challenges in the cacao value chain across Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states-benefitting approximately 68,000 farmers. TRACE program collaborates with over 15 industry partners in Nigeria.Scope of work:As part of the project’s vision to obtain a fair, traceable, sustainable cocoa sector in Nigeria, a national traceability system is expected to be established to enable industry actors complying with both external (EU Deforestation Regulation) and internal sustainability requirements. The system will consist of a data collection tool, a cocoa data warehouse, and public risk analysis provider. Over the last year, a needs assessment was conducted, stakeholder engagements were initiated, and a concept was developed in response to the identified needs and opportunities. Towards the future, there is a need for more intensive coordination with private and public stakeholders on the detailed design of this system, its operationalization and piloting with practitioners.His/her tasks will be as follows:
- Engage with stakeholders through in-person interviews and group-based workshops to further document the expectations and preferences towards the national cocoa traceability system.
- Engage with public authorities to understand applicable regulations on data privacy, data protection, statistical needs, and other relevant compliance requirements.
- Identify best practices for compliance, interoperability and user friendliness of digital tools to be developed from related data management settings (possibly in other sectors) in the Nigerian context.
- Create awareness and build capacity of informal intermediaries in the cocoa sector (in collaboration with exporters) to use the data collection tool and risks analysis tool.
- Contribute to the recruitment and supervision of the tech firm that will build the public digital infrastructure of the cocoa data warehouse and test its functionality.
- Document best practices and lessons learned along the process.
Remuneration: This is subject to negotiation.ReportingThe Traceability Support Officer will report to the Deputy Chief of Party and collaborate closely with the Program management & Coordinator. Technical oversight will be provided by C-lever.org, which offers technical assistance to the TRACE program.Requirements:The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications and experience:
- Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Procurement, or a related field.
- At least 3 years of practical experience managing direct supply chains and due diligence processes, preferably in agricultural commodities.
- At least 3 years of experience in developing and/or navigating sustainability standards, chain of custody models, and regulatory frameworks (e.g., EU Deforestation Regulation, CS3D).
- At least 1 year of experience facilitating stakeholder discussions and working in public-private settings.
- At least 1 year of experience working with or supporting tech firms in the design, testing, and deployment of digital platforms.
- Strong analytical and process-thinking skills, with a sound understanding of data management principles.
- Existing networks in relevant public institutions and prior exposure to the cocoa industry are considered a plus.
- Strong project management skills to be able to ensure completion of tasks on time with minimal supervision, and proactive in communicating challenges and barriers to job completion.
- Fluency in spoken and written English, and proficiency in at least one local language relevant to the cocoa-producing states.
- Strong report writing and documentation skills in English.
- Well organized with good attention to detail
- Nigerian nationals only.
Expected deliverables:
- Independent intermediaries have been trained to use a public data collection tool to register farmers and plot.
- The national cocoa data warehouse is defined, established and operational.
- Cocoa exporters have been trained to use the national cocoa data warehouse.
Response:Please send your CV and Cover Letter outlining how you meet the requirements of this ToR to and copy toPlease include examples of previous similar projects you have worked on and the names and contact information of at least two references.The deadline for submitting applications is June 1, 2025
Expected salary:
Location: Nigeria
Job date: Wed, 21 May 2025 02:00:46 GMT