Q Grader at TechnoServe

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Q Grader

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Employer: TechnoServe

Employment: Full-Time | Contract

Place of Work: Dilla - Ethiopia

Posted date: 3 weeks ago

Deadline: Submission date is over

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About TechnoServe:

At TechnoServe, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better life. For over 50 years, we have given smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs the skills, connections, and confidence to lift themselves out of poverty. We leverage the power of markets and the private sector to create sustainable economic growth to benefit people and the planet. Our unique mix of business solutions, deep knowledge of local contexts, and data-driven insights is helping to fight poverty across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

TechnoServe staff are local – 95% are from the countries in which they work. We put a high premium on collaboration and entrepreneurship. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. And we focus on delivering lasting impact for our mission.

About the Coffee Practice

TechnoServe has a comprehensive approach to building a sustainable coffee industry that can lift millions of farming families out of poverty. Our approach addresses four key areas:

• Better Farming: Increasing the use of best farming and regenerative practices by providing farmers with field-based agronomy and business training using local trainers
• Better Processing: Improving the quality of farmers’ coffee at the processing level by supporting the establishment and management of processing businesses
• Better Supply Chains: Developing lasting market linkages and advancing sector growth by engaging with industry players to share learnings and align priorities
• Better Environmental & Social Standards: Pioneering simple, cost-effective solutions for an environmentally sustainable and financially transparent coffee sector

The Ethiopia coffee portfolio consists of multiple coffee projects in Ethiopia’s Oromia, Sidama, and Southern Ethiopia regions. The Senior Program Analyst will collaborate with the Ethiopia Portfolio Manager, Chief of Party (USDA Regrow Yirga project), and Program Managers in the implementation and administration of coffee projects in Oromia, Sidama, and Southern Ethiopia regions.

Regrow Yirga is a five-year, $15M+ project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, JDE, and Peet’s Coffee. The program will help farmers boost productivity and expand trade and has a focus on improving farmers' capacity to renew their trees. Specifically, the Regrow Yirga program seeks to: train more than 42,000 farmers in good agricultural practices, provide quality advisory support to over 45 coffee processing stations, and improve the enabling environment by strengthening private and public coffee service providers in Ethiopia. Lastly, the project will launch an innovative Farmer Stumping Fund which will facilitate direct incentive (tools or cash) transfers to farmers to encourage tree renewal which has the potential to be scaled up to over 1 million coffee farmers nationwide.

Nespresso AAA Program is a five-year, $5M project operating in West Guji, East Guji, and West Arsi zones of the Oromia region, Gedeo zone of SNNPR, and Sidama region funded by Nestle Nespresso. The Nespresso AAA program seeks to train over 8,800 coffee farming households in good regenerative agricultural practices, provide quality advisory support to 110 existing and 154 new coffee processing stations, and improve the enabling environment through sourcing (quality and quantity) and sustainability (social and environmental).

JCP is a five-year, $4M project in Jimma funded by HereweGrow. The program will help farmers boost productivity and raise the income potential for at least 21,000 farmers through a customized application of TechnoServe’s Coffee Farm College (CFC) model including stumping incentives to rejuvenate old trees, training on honey production to help farmers weather temporary post-stumping declines in coffee income, and a pilot for an on-farm approach to the CFC. JCP will also provide business and sustainability training to at least 14 coffee washing stations (CWS) in the same kebeles as participating farmers, which will result in higher quality washed coffee, better managed businesses, stronger market linkages, and ultimately higher incomes for coffee farmers.

Climate Resilience through Empowering Women (CREW) is an $11.5M five-year project implemented by TechnoServe with funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Nespresso. CREW aims to strengthen the climate resilience of coffee-growing communities in Southern Ethiopia while promoting the economic empowerment of marginalized women. The project is expected to catalyze changes at the farm/household, wet mill, and wider industry levels to adapt to a changing climate, with a particular focus on women, who despite playing a critical role in coffee production and processing, are economically marginalized and routinely excluded from positions of leadership, influence, and decision-making.

Job Summary: 

We are seeking a skilled and certified Coffee Q-Grader to join our quality control team in Dilla. The primary responsibility of this role is to evaluate coffee samples from various client washing stations across the Gedeo Zone, ensuring quality consistency and providing actionable feedback. The Q-Grader will conduct green coffee analysis, roast profiling, and sensory evaluation (cupping) while adhering to SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) and CQI (Coffee Quality Institute) standards. Additionally, the Q-Grader will be responsible for data management, report generation, and on-site client debriefings to drive quality improvements.

Key Responsibilities:

Sample Collection & Field Travel:

• Collect coffee samples from client washing stations across the Gedeo Zone
• Travel to field sites to assess processing conditions and deliver quality reports

Coffee Evaluation & Cupping:

• Analyze green coffee samples for defects, moisture content, and density
• Roast samples to optimal profiles for sensory evaluation
• Conduct daily cupping sessions with the cupping team, scoring coffees using SCA protocols
• Identify flavor attributes, defects, and potential quality improvements

Reporting & Documentation:

• Prepare detailed SCA and CQI-formatted reports with cupping scores, descriptors, and action plans
• Generate weekly quality reports summarizing findings, trends, and recommendations
• Maintain accurate and organized records of all evaluations

Client Engagement & Feedback:

• Travel to washing stations as needed to debrief reports with clients and producers
• Provide actionable feedback to improve processing, drying, and storage practices

Data Management & Analysis:

• Input and manage cupping data in the company’s database
• Analyze trends over time to identify quality consistency or issues
• Assist in preparing presentations and summaries for internal and external stakeholders

Team Collaboration:

• Work closely with the cupping team, agronomists, and QC managers to align on quality standards
• Support training and calibration sessions for internal staff or clients as needed

Expected Years of Experience and Educational Background:

• BSc degree in a related field such as Agriculture, Horticulture
• Requires a total of five years of experience, including up to three years as a certified Q-grader
• Must hold a Q-grader certificate

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in business, economics, BSc or a related field with 5 years of professional experience, or Master's Degree with 3 years of professional experience
• Proven analytical and financial modeling skills
• Strong command of MS PowerPoint and Excel
• Direct experience in the [enter relevant sector] sector, ideally in the international context

Required Languages:

• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills, including fluency in [Enter language] and English

Travel:

• Travel up to 30%

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional experience at a top-tier management consulting firm
• Professional work experience in a developing country

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills and a demonstrated track record of producing high-quality, well-written deliverables
• A demonstrated ability to effectively multitask and manage projects, including work plans, deliverables, timelines, and budgets
• A demonstrated ability to coordinate and communicate effectively and diplomatically with a range of external and internal colleagues, including donors, partners and senior and junior team members across diverse cultures
• An ability to value and respect voices of staff at all levels, external stakeholders, and the men and women we work with

Additional Technical Qualifications:

• Certified Q-Grader (CQI) with active certification
• Strong experience in green coffee evaluation, roasting, and cupping for at least 3 years
• Proficiency in SCA cupping protocols and scoring
• Ability to travel frequently to coffee-growing areas in the Gedeo Zone
• Strong data management skills (Excel, databases, reporting tools)
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) for client debriefs
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Knowledge of Ethiopian coffee profiles and processing methods is a plus

Working Conditions: Field-based role with frequent travel to coffee washing stations

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