Communication and Marketing Officer for Rural Development

Call for a communication and marketing officer for rural development

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Agrisud International

For 27 years, Agrisud International, a non-profit association under French law, has been supporting the most vulnerable populations to rise from a state of precariousness to economic and social autonomy.

Agrisud International promotes economic growth through the creation of very small family businesses, especially in the agricultural sector. These businesses are viable and sustainable, because they are economic and agro-ecological, because they are well anchored in the local market, and because the entrepreneur was able to be accompanied throughout a professionalization process.

Agrisud pursues its objective in developing countries.

IDEAS project in Vietnam

The Hoang Lien National Park (HLNP) is made up of six communes populated mainly by Hmong, Day and Dao ethnic minorities living from agriculture, forestry and traditional handicrafts. To date, farming families face many challenges in agriculture and poverty rates remain high (53.3% on average), the main causes of poverty are: the lack of agricultural land due to the increase in demography and the classification of the territory as a protected natural park (since 2002) leading to the prohibition of opening new fields of cultivation; vulnerability of crops and livestock to climate risks; low diversification of income-generating activities and heavy reliance on cardamom cultivation.

In this context, the project IDEAS (Income Development for Ethnic Minorities Based on Agriculture Sustainability) supports families from ethnic minorities living in the park and its periphery, with the objectives of improving and diversifying agricultural activities for food security and sustainable income generation, and on the other, poverty reduction to reduce the pressure on natural resources and help preserve the local biodiversity of the HLNP.

General objective: To sustainably improve the living conditions of farming families in villages in the HLNP and its buffer zone by improving and diversifying their farming systems while preserving productive natural resources.

Specific objectives:

Improving and securing farming systems.
Introduction of new productions for commercialization.
Establishment of producer organizations around a specific label.

Roles and responsibilities of the communication and marketing officer for rural development

After 3 years supporting the development of various new value-chains for the local farming communities of the target villages (porcupine, orchid, jiaogulan, honey, fruit tree), the production process is now well-ongoing and the quantity of products available at the farms will allow to develop marketing contracts with various types of customers.

The roles and responsibilities of the communication and marketing officer for rural development will be to support the launch and strengthening of this marketing phase. He/she will also support the set-up of the communication strategy and tools for the farmer cooperative products. The work of the officer will be monitored by IDEAS coordination team with the additional supervision of Agrisud’s regional supervisor and the technical assistance of Agrisud HQ communication officer.

The communication and marketing officer for rural development will have the responsibilities to:

Take charge of the overall communication of IDEAS Project to all shareholders and public figures (including press release, conference organization, posts on official Facebook page, films, flyers, etc.)

Implement and coordinate with technical teams to fulfil the marketing objectives set by IDEAS Project, including:
- Coordinate with Agrisud HQ communication officer for the design of all communication tools for the farmer cooperative, as well as the package designs for products to launch the sales of products;
- Coordinate with the suppliers (printer, etc.) to produce the communication tools;
- Manage the promotion of the products with prospects, media, etc. Set up a clear communication plan for the cooperative: train members to manage their own communication tools autonomously, support the establishment of an active working environment for each producers group.
- Support the creation and the design of the display for the sale of the products in partner shops, farmer markets and the cooperative processing unit;
- Prepare and organize trainings for the members of the cooperative on farmer organization, basic accountabilities, sale skill, and contract preparation to ensure their autonomy;
- Build the marketing strategy for the cooperative and the set-up of a business plan for them: obtain
- necessary certificates for the products and the cooperative, set objectives for the promotion and the sale of the cooperative products, make contracts with professional buyers (supermarket, eco-friendly/agri-product shops in Lao Cai...), join local and agricultural fairs, collect feedback from different buyers (individuals, shop owners, distributors...), analyze customers preference and propose changes for the products;
- Set-up the internal quality control system for the products (particularly honey and jiaogulan);

Set-up an agro-tourist tour in the affiliated producers’ farms;

Identify new local products to be supported by the project for the production and marketing activities of farmer groups and cooperative;

Support the development of the concept of “excellent farmers of the Project” with the monitoring officer;

Plan, monitor and report monthly with the project management team.

Qualifications and experience

Relevant university degree in agro-business, support to agricultural value-chain development, livelihood development, agriculture rural development.
At least one year of relevant experience in the field of development in Vietnam, supporting farmer organizations in value-chain development is a plus.
Taste for team capacity building and field work, capable of driving in bad road conditions.
Autonomous, good team player, good critical thinking, eager to learn.
Good understanding of agricultural development issues in developing countries. In-depth knowledge of the agrarian context of northern Vietnam is a plus.
Mastery of communication and reporting tools: Microsoft Pack Office; Social network, Design software is a plus.
Excellent communication and writing skills in English and Vietnamese.

Contractual conditions

Local contract for a Vietnamese national
Contract of the first 5 months from August – December 31st, 2020, with the basis of 2 months trial. Possibility of contract renewal at the end of the first phase (31st December 2020).
Net monthly salary according to experience and salary grid of Agrisud
Position based in the project office in Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam.

How to apply?

Applications should be sent by e-mail to:

ckieffer@agrisud.org, to Ms Claire Kieffer, Project officer Laos-Vietnam-Indonesia ;
clehuy@agrisud.org, to Mr. Huy Cong Le, IDEAS project coordinator.

Applications must include the following documents:

CV and cover letter in English
The name of 2-3 referents with contact information
Copies of diplomas and certificates of work

Applications must be complete and marked "Recruitment of the communication and marketing officer for rural development - IDEAS Project - Vietnam " as the subject of the e-mail.

Deadline for applications: open until suitable candidate is identified.

Only the selected candidates for interviews will be contacted.

Timetable for interviews and selection: The interviews will be organised when suitable applicant is identified (options of interview will be discussed with shortlisted candidates). Final selected candidates will be informed shortly after.

Start of the contract: As soon as possible.

Tags: Agrisud