Description

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with some form of specially abled.

• Provide technical support and capacity development support on good agricultural practices (GAP) for value chain strengthening among staff and partner organizations.
• Promote GAP, reduce cost of production and promote climate smart agriculture (CSA) by increasing visibility, networking and partnership with buyers, traders, buyers’ associations, and market committees.
• Provide technical oversight and guidance on the value chain component of the entire project cycle to ensure project initiatives, implementation and phasing out in line with Heifer International and donors’ quality standards and requirements and demonstrate the organizational best practices.
• Lead market research and Rapid Market Assessment (RMA) to introduce new variety in the areas of agricultural value chain and development with appropriate tools and approaches.
• Proactively support the project team, ensuring supply chain to establish strong linkages with national and international buyers.
• Proactively identify market opportunities, facilitate producer organizations to set marketing goals, connect producer organizations/unions with the market to sell their products.
• Organize and facilitate demonstration plots to capture learning and share with stakeholders.
• Ensure support as technical lead to technical write up of quality project proposals on market and value chain as per the standard of high value donors.
• Provide technical support in fulfilling all program and government requirements for project implementation.

• Establish functional partnerships for producer organizations with relevant stakeholders (private sector, government agencies, other cross-cutting providers, etc.) for sustainable product marketing.
• Facilitate market linkage partnerships for cooperatives and ensure all deliverables in relation to product marketing strategy in a sustainable manner.
• Establish functional relationships between producers’ organizations and business development services.
• Maintain networks with appropriate counterparts (private sector, government departments and official, universities and other relevant organizations) for smooth project implementation.
• Link project participants with public and private sector extension service providers, market actors, food processors, financial institutions, and follow up the establish required linkages.
• Understand national and local government priorities and analyze how the project and Heifer’s Values Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) model can play a catalytic role with technical resources.
• Partnering and developing technical and financial proposals for partnership with private sector and government departments to mobilize financial resource and other.
• Provide support and guidance for organizing regular meetings with Project Implementation and Monitoring Committee (PIMC) at the upazila and union level.
• Engage in continuous discussion with the line department and develop a common understanding on how the partnership can be strengthened with support from the local government authority.

• Communicate and negotiate with the market actors in agriculture value chains at national and regional markets; jointly develop MoUs and operational guidelines.
• Coordinate with other thematic leads (Cooperative and Market Development, Access to Finance, Social Capital Development, Livestock Technology and One Health, MELS, etc.) to ensure timely and quality project service delivery and to ensure that the thematic are integrated in the programs.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with all project stakeholders – government, private sector, NGO/INGOs and civil society organizations, research and academic institutions.
• Bring all related stakeholders and value chain actors to a common platform. Analyze gaps, opportunities, and solutions in the context of smallholder friendly practices.
• Coordinate with related private sector (market actors, BFIs, insurance companies, agri companies, etc.) and ensure required services are available in an efficient manner.

• A Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in Agriculture, Horticulture, or other related field and a minimum of seven (7) years of experience with an international organization in a similar context is required.
• Clear understanding of the vegetable value chain. Innovative, analytical, and solutions oriented.
• Knowledge of enterprise development and linkages to poverty alleviation. Strong interpersonal/people management skills and excellent oral and written communication skills a must.
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills.
• Proficient knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, presentation tools, electronic mail (Microsoft Office preferred) and Internet.
• Demonstrated proficiency in English and other local languages, both oral and written.
• Significant experience in building public/private partnerships.
• Experience working with farmer group programs.
• Experience in the commercial sector with skills to develop and evaluate investment opportunities and promote such opportunities to financial institutions. Strong consumer marketing, financial analysis and management skills.
• Excellent command of report writing, analysis and presentation skills using Word, Excel and Power Point.
• Experience in supporting and monitoring field-based programs in the country. Proven experience in building the capacity of partner institutions to document and disseminate industry information, manage knowledge, measure progress and plan and advocate within the industry.
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships. Ability to generate innovative solutions in work situations.

• Demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity.
• Willingness to work flexibly outside normal working hours.
• Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork and cooperation.
• Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues, potential donors, and the public.
• Constant sitting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may work at a computer for extended periods of time
• Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision.
• Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
• Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and to gender equity.