Background
In Malawi, DAI is leading a three-year, USAID Supporting Food Security in East and Southern Africa task order to advance food security and nutrition and reduce rural poverty through an agriculture-led, integrated economic growth, nutrition and natural resource management strategy. Entitled Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains (INVC), this new project is expected to:
- Invest in the competitiveness of soybean, peanut, and dairy value chains in which large numbers of smallholders ? participate. The range of value chains may increase in Year 2 of the project, but will not include maize;
- Link increased market-oriented production, processing, and distribution of staple food crops and milk to household consumption and improved nutritional status; and
- Strengthen Malawian agriculture-related organizations so that indigenous institutions (public, private and non- governmental) have the capacity to implement one or more components of INVC.
Responsibilities:
- Manage INVC's development and implementation of upgrading plans in soybean, peanut and dairy value chains with a focus on improving smallholder crop and livestock productivity and net revenues using market-led approaches;
- Supervise the work of three (3) value chain specialists and associated staff;
- Facilitate market driven linkages between smallholder farmers, input/output dealers, wholesalers, processors, and marketers within Malawi;
- Oversee INVC's agricultural production activities, focused on 'best bet' agricultural technologies with national-level working groups to spur sector-wide innovation with project partners;
- Lead value chain training and ensure the diffusion of value chain diagnostics, mapping, action planning, and business-to-business matching capacities;
- Facilitate implementation of INVC approved workplan activities through implementing partners to improve the competitiveness of staple food value chains;
- Provide technical guidance and capacity building services to INVC grantees/implementing partners;
- Provide technical input to initial environmental assessments and relevant environmental risk management and mitigation plans for project-supplied grants;
- Monitor and report progress towards achievement of established targets and objectives utilizing indicators agreed in the INVC Monitoring &Evaluation plan.
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- Qualifications:
- At least ten (10) years of professional work experience in value chain development, with a minimum of 5 years in the private sector. This experience should include capacity building with community-based organizations (e.g. outgrower operations, co-ops, producer associations, marketing associations), improving market linkages with value chain actors, and improving value chain actors' access to financial and business development services;
- Experience working in Malawi and in Eastern or Southern Africa is required;
- Past experience leading and building the capacity of agricultural value chain teams to meet program deliverables and due dates;
- Good knowledge of financial analysis for farm management, non-farm rural enterprise, agribusiness and/or food marketing companies;
- Demonstrated experience with gender mainstreaming in agriculture projects;
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills (writing samples are required), and strong facilitation skills;
- Must be a team player ;
- Previous experience on USAID-, DFID-, GIZ-, or EC-funded agricultural/agribusiness development programs, including contributing to M&E, quarterly and annual reporting, and designing and leading program activities; and
- Master's degree in agriculture, agribusiness, agricultural economics, or other related field is required.
- This is an immediate opening. The ideal candidate will be able to mobilize in November/December 2012, or January 2013 at the latest.
How to apply:
Interested candidates should apply to DAI directly at: http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH13/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=DAINC&cws=1&rid=593
Closing Date: Thursday, 01 November 2012
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