Technical Advisor for Economic Development & Market Engagement

Position Location: Kenya, Tanzania, Mali Or Ghana

Description

CARE is seeking an experienced Technical Advisor - Economic Development and Market Engagement to work within CARE USA’s Food and Livelihoods Justice unit - in the Program, Partnership, Learning and Advocacy (PPLA) Division - towards the PPLA mandate, to generate, harvest, cross fertilize and promote the application of knowledge and learning throughout CARE for programming, advocacy, partnerships and fundraising.

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting poverty and social injustice with a special emphasis on human rights, gender equality and women and girls.

The Economic Development Unit (EDU) has developed a 7-year strategy aiming at empowering women and girls in agriculture and other high value chain to walk their way out of poverty and achieve their food and nutrition security.

Launched in November 2011 and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATHWAYS is a multi-country program which represents one of the flagship initiatives under the leadership of the EDU.

Pathways seek to empower poor women small-holder farmers and to increase their productivity and income through more equitable agricultural systems at scale. Countries involved in PATHWAYS are Bangladesh, India, Malawi, Tanzania, Mali and Ghana.

It is CARE’s intent to grow PATHWAYS as a critical and strategic programming platform for CARE’s work related to women’s empowerment, agriculture and food and livelihoods justice globally.

The EDU provides support to other flagship initiatives such as the Dairy Value Chain initiative in Bangladesh, the Cargill funded cocoa value chain in Ghana and Brazil, and has a number of other priorities such as a resource hub development, learning and knowledge sharing, positioning and influencing, etc.

Approximately, 75% of the Technical Advisor time will be devoted to the PATHWAYS Program in Africa and the remaining will be devoted to other EDU and FU priorities and projects.

The Technical Advisor will work very closely with the Economic Development Unit Team, the PATWAYS Program Team Leader and other key internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the PATHWAYS multi-country program is able to effectively implement all aspects of economic development, market engagement and value chain development and to the highest quality possible.

In support of that vision the TA Economic Development and Market Engagement will regularly and intensively support to the PATHWAYS African country-level implementation teams in a number of key areas including but not limited to:

• Conducting training, mentoring and capacity building of country-level implementation team on value chain development and market engagement in a way that contributes to achieving the overall goal of Pathways and its learning agenda
• Coordinating market research and analysis for identified value chains
• Supporting input products and services development and output market linkages
• Supporting development of appropriate value chain I supply chain finance products & farm level P&Ls
• Supporting development of partnerships, innovative tools and approaches for replication /Scale-up
• Intensive technical assistance, ensuring integration of activities, review of progress reports, Learning

The remaining 25% of the time of the Technical Advisor will be spent on key other priorities of the EDU and FU such as the technical resource hub, documentation of learning and knowledge sharing, research and development, as well as fundraising and direct technical support to a number of discrete projects and initiatives.

Responsibilities:

• Conducting Training, Mentoring and Capacity Building of Relevant Staff in the PATHWAYS Country-Level Implementation Teams
• Supporting PATHWAYS Country-Level Implementation Teams to Develop Input Products and Services and Output Market Linkages.
• Supporting PATHWAYS Country-Level Implementation Teams to Develop Appropriate Value Chain/Supply Chain Finance Products & Farm-Level P&Ls for Women Small-holder Farmers & Women-Owned Agri-Businesses
• Supporting PATHWAYS Country-Level Implementation Teams to Establish Partnerships within and outside CARE
• Providing Regular and Effective Technical Assistance to PATHWAYS Country-Level Implementation Teams
• Support other on-going EDU projects and initiatives on and ad-hoc basis

Required:

• 5+ years experience in economic and agriculture value chain development in an emerging economy context,
• 5+ years experience working with an INGO or other large complex development-oriented organizations.
• 5+ years experience providing technical assistance to and/or managing development projects, donor initiatives.
• Training design and implementation experience for adult learners and mid-level professionals
• Demonstrated experience in analytical research methods - both quantitative and qualitative
• Overseas work experience in Africa
• Experience building collaboration across and working with multi-sectoral and multi-cultural teams to drive results
• Excellent partnership brokering, coordination and facilitation experience
• Strong and demonstrated technical experience and expertise in agriculture value chain development, economic development and agriculture/agri-business
• Strong and demonstrated experience in training and mentoring of adult learners and midlevel professionals
• Strong experience in Gender Equity and Diversity and working with diverse and geographically separated team
• Excellent facilitation and partnership brokering and stewardship skills
• Project Planning and Management
• Strategic Planning
• Strong Analytical skills - both quantitative and qualitative
• Strong interpersonal and motivation skills
• Process- and systems-oriented
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities (multi-tasking) and drive results in a timely manner
• Strong analytical, processes- and systems-orientation.
• Critical thinking and logical reasoning skills
• Problem-solving and lateral thinking skills
• Appreciates and comfortable with complexity and complex tasks
• Excellent verbal and written English skills, particularly communication and presentation skill for diverse audiences including conducting training events for adults and professional
• Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet software, and some data processing

Desired:

• Some experience in microfinance and /or value chain finance
• Overseas work experience in South Asia
• French language proficiency

Mode of Application

• Applications must be received by CARE by May 25,2012.
• Only a letter of application and CV without supporting documents such as certificates should be sent by email to The Human Resources Manager recruit@som.care.org