Team Leader
Malawi Value Chain Development Assignment
CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY
** This position is subject to approval of funding through a competitive request for proposal process. The selected candidate will ideally be in a position to contribute to the anticipated proposal. **
Job Title: Team Leader, MALAWI
Location: Lilongwe, Malawi and home country
Timeframe: Long term contract (18 months over 30 month period) between Oct 2014 and Mar 2017, with an anticipated minimum of 75% of time in Malawi.
Salary: Commensurate with experience and in-line with consortium partners’ standards.
General Description: Leads and manages the implementation of multi-year consulting assignment supporting agricultural value-chain development in Malawi, as a client of and in partnership with the Government of Malawi.
Works with the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and its consortium partners to meet the assignment’s deliverables, including specific research outputs, providing technical assistance, and overseeing disbursements of small grants.
Responsible to: CCA Africa Region Director
Oversight responsibility: At least part-time 3 technical experts
Detailed Responsibilities:
On behalf of the consortium, the Team Leader will:
A. Manage relationships:
Ø Develop, manage and negotiate key relationships with client representatives, other Government of Malawi officials, multilateral intuitions, private sector actors, and other key stakeholders
Ø Maintain effective communication with the Partners Steering Committee, and individual consortium partners
Ø Provide regular, proactive and effective liaison with the consortium partners to ensure currency of information with respect to the implementation of the assignment
B. Manage assignment delivery:
Ø Ensures the timely implementation of assignment activities
Ø Ensure accurate narrative and financial reporting to the client
Ø Oversee the work of at least 3 high-capacity part-time technical experts working on the assignment.
Ø Administrative management of local resources (e.g. vehicle, telephones, office space)
Ø Provide structured feedback at the end of the assignment on the assignment, functioning of the consortium, and work experience
C. Assignment Delivery
Ø Facilitate and provide technical assistance on development of agricultural value chains
Ø Advise on policy level issues that affect targeted value-chains
Ø Promote dialogue between key actors working on targeted value-chains, including through the organisation of formal stakeholder consultation meetings
Ø Broker business partnerships between value chain stakeholders
Ø Oversee research and demonstration activities of specific value-chains
Ø Oversee the roll-out, dispersal, and implementation of a matching grant scheme to develop target value-chains
Qualifications:
(I) Education/Experience
Ø Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics or Agribusiness or Development Economics or Business Administration or another related field
Ø Mid to senior level experience managing large, complex consulting assignments in developing countries
Ø Minimum 10 years of experience working with one or more of the following stakeholders in developing countries: governments, private sector actors, small-holder agricultural producers, co-operatives
Ø Minimum of 10 years of experience working on agricultural value chain development and/or agriculture SME development projects, in particular with pulses and/or edible oil crops
(II) Skills/Knowledge
Ø Knowledge of national and international policy environment regarding agricultural value-chains and trade
Ø Knowledge of various forms of MSME agricultural development, including cooperative enterprises
Ø High level financial and risk management, negotiation and partnering skills, in particular working as part of a consortium and with foreign governments as well as multilateral institutions.
Ø Proven analytical skills and ability to think strategically
(III) Assets
- Direct experience living and/or working in sub-Saharan African, in particular Malawi
- Experience living and working in high-risk environments
- Fluency in both written and spoken English, with preference shown for candidates familiar with Chechewa
Working Conditions:
Based in home country with frequent long-term travel to Malawi, with local travel.
Please submit your expression of interest and CV to CCA.Apply@coopscanada.coop by July 15, 2014. Please include “Team Leader, MALAWI” in the subject line of your email. Due to volume of responses, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.