Markets Intervention Manager – ASI, Zimbabwe
Markets Intervention Manager, ASI Zimbabwe
ASI is seeking a Markets Intervention Manager to serve on the Programme Management Unit (PMU) for an anticipated multi-year DFID-funded Zimbabwe livelihoods programme. The objective of the programme is to improve food security, reduce malnutrition and strengthen livelihoods amongst rural households, as well to facilitate market linkages in the agricultural sector. The programme aims to improve incomes of 100,000 vulnerable smallholders, 60 percent of whom are women.
The Markets Intervention Manager will use an M4P approach to assess and analyze agricultural commodities to identify constraints and opportunities that, when address or exploited, will improve competitiveness and maximize impact on livelihoods and food security. The Intervention Manager will select and implement a series of market interventions addressing key constraints that align with the overall strategy of the programme. He/she will contribute to effective programme implementation, with attention given to improving overall VfM (Value for Money). This position is contingent upon ASI being awarded a contract.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead the design and implementation of the project marketing strategy, using an M4P approach to strengthen the market systems of the targeted commodities.
- Conduct an initial market analysis to identify the key commodities that have potential for the greatest impact on livelihoods and food security. For each commodity, identify market opportunities, the constraints to reaching those opportunities and potential areas of intervention for the project.
- Develop a marketing strategy to address the underlying constraints to increased competitiveness defining appropriate project interventions. Develop innovative approaches to facilitate linkages between smallholder farmers and market opportunities.
- Collaborate with the program’s intervention managers to assist producers, producer groups and enterprises to improve the flow of inputs and services to producers in the project area and to increase the market opportunities for the sale, distribution or processing of farm output. Establish relationships with key private sector actors in selected markets and build their capacity in engaging with smallholder farmers, strengthen relationships among actors to contribute to competitiveness, identify actual and potential sources of learning and innovation, and increase transparency in the distribution of benefits.
- Liaise between agribusiness organizations and smallholder farmers to introduce new technologies that improve agricultural commodities.
- Facilitate workshops, events (e.g., trade fairs) and meetings that establish dialog and activity between key stakeholders in the selected value chains.
- Develop intervention tools and capacity building strategies that can be delivered through a tiered training structure to key stakeholders in the market.
- Contribute to monitoring and evaluation framework, reports and project outputs related to the livestock sector.
Qualifications:
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (business administration, business management, agribusiness, etc.). Master’s degree strongly preferred.
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in marketing, market development or trade with an emphasis on the agricultural sector.
- Demonstrated success in implementing programs aimed at increasing the competitiveness and inclusiveness (i.e., inclusion of women and/or of the poor) of markets, including agricultural commodities.
- Demonstrated creativity, willingness to innovate, think systematically and design catalytic approaches to intervening in markets.
- Experience working with and establishing relationships between smallholder farmers and formal and informal markets essential.
- Experience working with and establishing relationships between smallholder farmers and formal and informal financial institutions preferred.
- Experience with M4P programs and value chain experience essential.
- Strong experience with market systems approach and private sector development essential.
- M4P and value chains experience essential.
- Understanding political and economic context of Zimbabwe essential.
No phone calls please. Only finalists contacted. Women and minorities encouraged to apply. EOE
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