Position:                                          Marketing and Cooperative Development Officer (1)

Reports to:                                      Project Coordinator

Supervision of:                               N/A

Duty station:                                  Aweil East

Project number:                             SSFM2531/ 3702502/ 5295

All NRC employees are expected to work following the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity, and accountability. These attitudes and beliefs shall guide our actions and relationships.

1. Role and responsibilities

The Marketing and Business Development Officer will lead efforts to develop market linkages, enhance value chains, support entrepreneurship, and drive agribusiness growth for smallholder farmers and rural enterprises. The officer will work closely with market actors, cooperatives, agribusinesses, and financial institutions to create inclusive and profitable market systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Market Development & Linkages
• Identify and establish sustainable market linkages for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and Agro enterprises.
• Develop partnerships with buyers, processors, traders, and financial institutions to enhance farmers’ access to markets, finance, and value addition opportunities.
• Conduct market research and value chain analysis to identify market trends, gaps, and opportunities.
• Strengthen market systems by facilitating B2B networking, trade fairs, and farmer-buyer negotiations.
• Business Development & Value Addition
• Support the development of business models and strategies that enhance farmer incomes and agribusiness growth.
• Assist smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs in product development, branding, and packaging for competitive market positioning.
• Facilitate value addition processes by linking producers to processing facilities, quality standards, and certification bodies.
• Provide business development services (BDS) to producer groups, cooperatives, and MSMEs to improve their financial and operational sustainability.
• Livelihoods & Asset Creation
• Support the implementation of livelihoods and resilience programs, ensuring beneficiaries gain access to productive assets, inputs, and financial services.
• Promote inclusive business models that empower youth, women, and vulnerable groups in agribusiness.
• Collaborate with financial service providers to develop tailored financial products for smallholder farmers and micro-enterprises.
• Capacity Building & Stakeholder Engagement
• Train farmers, cooperatives, and market actors on market-oriented production, financial literacy, and agribusiness management.
• Provide mentorship and coaching to entrepreneurs, producer groups, and small-scale agro-processors.
• Engage with government agencies, NGOs, and private sector actors to influence policies supporting smallholder market participation.
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL)
• Track progress of market linkages, business growth, and farmer income improvements using key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Collect and analyse data on market access, value chain efficiency, and business development impact.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and success stories to inform program improvement

4. Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in business administration, Agribusiness, Economics, Rural Development, or a related field
• 3-5 years of experience in market development, agribusiness, livelihoods, or rural economic development.
• Strong knowledge of market systems, value chains, and agricultural trade.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement, partnership development, and private sector linkages.
• Proficiency in business development, financial modelling, and marketing strategies.
• Ability to conduct market research, analyse data, and develop business solutions.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and facilitation skills.

5. Deliverables & Performance Metrics

• Establishment of market linkages for farmer groups/cooperatives.
• Increase in farmer incomes through improved value chain participation.
• Capacity building of producer groups on business and financial literacy.
• Skills in VSLA principles and new concept/methodology in VSLA monitoring and mentorship
• Report on market trends, business opportunities, and policy recommendations.
• Partnerships with private sector actors for enhanced market access.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Project planning: CC Specialists
• Area operations: Support Coordinators (field office coordinators)
• Staff capacity building:  CC Specialists, HR
• Implementation: CC Specialists

Scale and scope of position

Behavioural competencies (max 6)

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their jobs. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioral competencies, and the following are essential for this position:

• Handling insecure environments
• Managing resources to optimize results.
• Empowering and building trust
• Managing performance and development
• Planning and delivering results.

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for responsibilities and competencies, following the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• The individual Work- and Professional Development Plan
• The End-term Performance Review Template
• The Competency Framework