Market Development Officer

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT 

Published Date - November 18, 2021

iDE, a global organization that advances market-based approaches in agriculture, finance, and WASH to create income and livelihood opportunities for low-income rural households, is recruiting a Market Development Officer for its Nepal Country Office. Qualified candidates are requested to submit their application along with a recent CV and photograph mentioning the expected monthly gross salary.

Please find below a detailed TOR for the position. Interested and qualified candidates are required to fill out the google form at this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhId78fCCAzYgHw_JrUrxVB6fn176frcIYp4r0NwSXKQn1rQ/viewform

The deadline for submission of the application is 5 PM, November 30, 2021. As per the gender and workforce diversity policy of iDE, female candidates and/or candidates from disadvantaged communities are highly encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for further process. No telephone inquiries will be entertained.

Position Title: Market Development Officer

Duty Station: Kathmandu, with frequent field travel

Job Summary: 

The purpose of this role is to provide innovative and strategic expertise in the field of market system development throughout multiple iDE projects for sustainable agriculture development, private sector strengthening. S/he will be responsible for the analysis of systemic constraints and opportunities in selected sub-sectors/ cross-sectors, and agriculture market systems, as well as for the design and implementation of interventions in the selected sub-sectors/ cross-sectors.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for the design and implementation of activities using a market systems development approach to drive and deliver the outcomes of multiple iDE projects. 
• Lead diagnostics and assessments to evaluate market opportunities, identify partners, and design project partnerships and activities.
• Identify, develop, and nurture the network of private sector actors within the agriculture value chain, enhancing their capacity, interest, and/or potential to expand business operations, emphasizing end-market dynamics. 
• Identify capacity gaps across private sector actors (i.e. in the supply chain, business operations, finance, etc.), and facilitate capacity building plans and access to training services.
• Liaise closely with financial institutions and identify the bank and non-bank finance solutions and products (including digital banking services and products) for the smallholder farmers and small and medium agribusinesses to expand their output/services and networks. 
• Work with the farmers’ groups (mainly women) to assess entrepreneurial opportunity within the agri-value chain, engage them to establish agri-based enterprises based on the market assessment and demand. 
• Support micro and small enterprises to forge productive alliances with other actors in the value chain; facilitate market integration.
• Build capacity of technical and other project staff, partners, and stakeholders to foster market system upgrading.
• Integrate gender, climate, and digital technologies as cross-cutting areas across the work.

Required qualification, competencies, and attributes: 

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, business management, socio-economic development, development planning, financial management, or other related fields with 5 years’ professional work experience in the field of market system development and private sector engagement in the agriculture sector or Master’s degree with 3 years of experience.
• Proven ability to formulate bankable business plans, with strong financial analysis skills.
• Good coaching, mentoring skills, and a track record in designing and rolling out training programs for business development services. 
• Strong communicator with the ability to influence diverse stakeholder groups.
• Proficiency to use standard software at an advanced level; knowledge of common ICTs and their use in agricultural extension systems.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Stakeholders’ management – able to manage a wide range of stakeholders, partners, and private sectors to ensure their cooperation and commitment.