DAI Value Chain Competitiveness Specialist Job Vacancy in Lilongwe, Malawi

Value
Chain Competitiveness Specialist ? Lilongwe, Malawi

DAI
is an employee-owned global development company. For 40 years, we have worked
on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and
economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective
governments, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter
in some 60 countries. Our integrated development solutions turn ideas into
impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation
across multiple disciplines? crisis mitigation and stability operations,
democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and
agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and
trade, HIV/AIDS and disease control, water and natural resources management,
and energy and climate change. Our clients include international development
agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and
philanthropies, and national governments.

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.

DAI
is seeking a long-term, resident Value Chain Competitiveness Specialist to play
a lead role on the INVC project. The Specialist will design and lead activities
with INVC partners to build the competitiveness of staple food value chains to
increase household production of nutritious crops and milk and improve the
nutritional status of mothers and children under five years of age. The
position is available immediately, and runs through April 2014.

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.
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.