Role overview
What you'll be stepping into
MARKET ACCESS OFFICER
Organization: Bulimi
Number of Positions: 1
Duty Station: Kyenjojo District, with frequent travel to cocoa-producing communities
Reports to: Chief Operations Officer
Supervises: Store Assistants, Fermentation Workers, and other assigned operational staff
Works Closely With: Extension Workers, Agronomist, Finance and Administration Team, farmers, and transport service providers
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Market Access Officer will coordinate the purchasing, collection, transportation, receipt, fermentation, storage, and quality control of wet and dry cocoa beans purchased from farmers. The role will ensure that farmers receive fair and competitive prices, cocoa is efficiently transported from farms and collection points to Bulimi stores, and cocoa beans meet required quality standards.
The position will also provide farmers with practical technical guidance on harvesting, fermentation, drying, storage, and other post-harvest practices necessary to preserve cocoa quality.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Cocoa Purchasing and Farmer Coordination
Coordinate the purchase of wet and properly dried cocoa beans from registered farmers and farmer groups.
Develop cocoa purchasing schedules with Field Officers, farmers, and community-level farmer groups.
Verify the source, quantity, and quality of cocoa presented for sale before purchase.
Ensure accurate weighing using verified and properly calibrated equipment.
Maintain accurate records of farmers, quantities purchased, prices paid, purchase dates, and collection locations.
Clearly communicate purchasing procedures, quality requirements, and payment arrangements to farmers.
Coordinate with Finance and Administration to facilitate accurate and timely farmer payments.
Market Research and Cocoa Pricing
Monitor local, national, and relevant international cocoa market prices.
Collect market intelligence from farmers, buyers, exporters, processors, and other reliable sources.
Analyse farm-gate prices, transportation costs, quality premiums, and market trends.
Recommend fair and competitive purchasing prices for wet and dry cocoa beans.
Advise management on cocoa price movements, supply trends, and potential purchasing risks.
Maintain historical price records and prepare market-price reports.
Cocoa Collection and Transportation
Plan and coordinate cocoa collection from farms, farmer groups, and designated collection points.
Work with Field Officers to identify cocoa ready for collection and estimate expected volumes.
Develop practical collection routes and transportation schedules.
Coordinate vehicles, motorcycles, collection containers, and other logistical requirements.
Ensure timely transportation of wet cocoa to fermentation facilities.
Monitor transportation costs, delivery timelines, and losses.
Investigate discrepancies between quantities collected and quantities received at stores.
Fermentation and Post-Harvest Management
Supervise receipt, sorting, and preparation of wet cocoa beans for fermentation.
Oversee loading and management of fermentation boxes or approved fermentation systems.
Monitor fermentation periods, temperatures, turning schedules, and other critical quality parameters.
Maintain complete fermentation batch records.
Supervise appropriate drying processes and moisture management.
Protect cocoa from rain, smoke, foreign matter, animals, and other contamination sources.
Identify and separate defective cocoa beans.
Continuously improve fermentation and drying procedures based on quality results and market feedback.
Cocoa Quality Assurance and Control
Inspect cocoa at farms, collection points, reception areas, fermentation facilities, drying areas, and stores.
Establish and enforce cocoa quality standards and inspection procedures.
Assess fermentation levels, moisture content, bean size, mould, foreign matter, smoke contamination, insect damage, and other defects.
Conduct or coordinate quality tests, including cut tests and moisture-content checks.
Ensure purchasing decisions and prices reflect cocoa quality.
Ensure approved cocoa is graded, bagged, labelled, and stored correctly.
Maintain batch identification and traceability throughout the cocoa value chain.
Investigate quality complaints and recommend corrective and preventive actions.
Farmer Training and Technical Support
Train farmers on harvesting and post-harvest management.
Guide farmers on mature pod identification, pod opening, and hygienic handling of wet cocoa beans.
Train farmers on fermentation, drying, moisture management, sorting, packaging, and storage.
Educate farmers on practices that can cause quality deterioration.
Conduct practical demonstrations at farms, farmer-group meetings, and collection points.
Provide feedback to farmers on cocoa quality and areas for improvement.
Promote quality-based production and purchasing systems.
Stores and Inventory Management
Supervise receipt, weighing, grading, bagging, labelling, and storage of cocoa beans.
Maintain accurate stock records at different processing stages.
Maintain batch records based on source, quality grade, and processing stage.
Conduct physical stock counts and reconciliations.
Investigate and report stock losses, weight differences, damage, contamination, and other discrepancies.
Ensure stores are clean, dry, secure, properly ventilated, and pest-free.
Maintain accountability for weighing scales, moisture meters, fermentation equipment, tarpaulins, pallets, bags, and other operational materials.
Team Supervision and Coordination
Supervise staff involved in cocoa collection, transportation, fermentation, drying, grading, and storage.
Allocate daily responsibilities and monitor operational targets.
Train staff on cocoa handling, hygiene, quality standards, recordkeeping, and workplace safety.
Coordinate with Field Officers, Agronomist, Finance and Administration Team, and transport providers.
Promote teamwork, integrity, accountability, and respect for farmers.
Reporting and Compliance
Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly reports covering cocoa purchases, prices, quantities, transportation, fermentation, quality, and stock balances.
Maintain accurate purchasing, farmer, payment, batch, quality, and inventory records.
Monitor performance against purchasing and aggregation targets.
Ensure compliance with Bulimi's procurement, financial, stores, quality, and operational procedures.
Support stock reviews, reconciliations, audits, and quality inspections.
Report suspected fraud, weighing manipulation, unauthorised purchases, stock losses, or other irregularities.
Ensure compliance with applicable food-safety, workplace-safety, and environmental requirements.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree or diploma in Agribusiness, Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Procurement and Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Food Science and Technology, Post-Harvest Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.
At least three years of relevant experience in cocoa procurement, agricultural commodity buying, produce aggregation, post-harvest management, warehouse operations, or quality assurance.
Practical knowledge of cocoa harvesting, fermentation, drying, grading, storage, and quality control is highly desirable.
Experience working with smallholder farmers, farmer groups, and field-based agricultural teams.
Experience coordinating transportation and aggregation of agricultural commodities.
Knowledge of commodity pricing, market research, and purchasing procedures.
Experience using weighing equipment, moisture meters, and basic quality-control tools.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and digital inventory or procurement systems.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly to farms and community collection points.
Ability to ride a motorcycle and possession of a valid riding permit will be an added advantage.
REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
Strong knowledge of cocoa post-harvest handling and quality requirements.
Strong purchasing, negotiation, and supplier-relationship management skills.
Ability to analyse market information and recommend competitive farmer prices.
Excellent planning, logistics, and coordination abilities.
High level of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
Strong inventory control and recordkeeping skills.
Ability to identify quality defects and recommend corrective actions.
Strong farmer-training, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to supervise operational staff and manage multiple activities.
Strong numerical, analytical, and report-writing skills.
Commitment to fair treatment of farmers and responsible sourcing.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates should submit their application following this link https://forms.gle/HVefq5dtbhBgfkmn6
A 2-paged and updated curriculum vitae.
A one-page application or cover letter clearly indicating the position applied for.
Copies of relevant academic and professional qualifications attached to the CV.
Contact details for at least three professional referees.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Bulimi is an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. Applications from qualified women, young professionals, persons with disabilities and candidates from the programme communities are strongly encouraged.
Bulimi does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants should not make any payment to any person claiming to represent Bulimi in exchange for employment or preferential consideration.
How to apply