Consultant

CONSULTANT – AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIST AND BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT

The Organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

Location: Hanoi

UN Environment Programme, UN REDD

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

Since 2008 the UN-REDD Programme (UNEP, FAO and UNDP) has been supporting 65 partner countries in their nationally led efforts to become “REDD+ ready” and qualify for results-based payments. Within the UN-REDD Programme, UNEP leads on private sector engagement, safeguards, knowledge management and communications.

About the position

The Alliance Asia Climate Action program and UN Environment are looking for a motivated and high performing Agricultural Economist to support a project in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in delivering economically viable and sustainable agriculture models for investment by agribusinesses. You will be able to develop innovative and high-quality decision-making solutions to help unlock investments in sustainable agriculture and land use. We consider the Alliance and UNE work on sustainable finance as strategic to contribute to reducing poverty, improving food and nutrition security, and scaling sustainable agriculture and land use.

As a result of the diverse nature of our work, you will have the opportunity to work within a multicultural and multidisciplinary team, and a range of stakeholders in Vietnam including national and local governments, agricultural value chain actors, development partners, financial institutions, and impact investors. The consultant will work under the supervision of project coordinators from the Alliance and UNEP.

Key Responsibilities

Support the implementation and coordination of one project with a focus on agricultural finance, agribusiness development and agricultural insurance. Past experience working on at least two of the above is a plus;
Work closely with project partners and local stakeholders to mainstream investment considerations, through the conceptualization of innovative models to assess investment needs;
Use analytical skills to conduct economic assessments of different climate-smart investment models. Design and conduct data collection activities, cleaning, processing and analysing quantitative data, and drawing recommendations from the outputs;
Assess business viability of sustainable models and investment gaps in terms of financial instruments and potential for scaling up targeted commodities across the value chain and supply chain levels;
Provide technical support to business entities involved in targeted supply chains in aligning their business strategies and formulate robust financial cases targeted at mobilizing the financial and insurance sector that fulfil criteria of financing institutions;
Engage national and international financial institutions, and other potential partners for blended finance and de-risking instruments and advocate for demonstrated opportunities;
Organize and help moderate workshops and key informant interviews with a variety of stakeholders at national and regional levels (Central Highlands region); and
Lead the writing of high-quality analytical materials to support investment planning in line with project objectives.

Required qualification and experience

Master’s degree in finance, environmental/agricultural economics, business studies, or development studies, with an understanding of climate related risks in agriculture;
At least five (5) years of relevant experience in the field of agricultural economics, agribusiness engagement and support;
Strong quantitative background;
Excellent/proven English and Vietnamese writing skills;
Past experience conducting participatory research and/or in finance would be a plus;
Experience working on collaborative projects as part of an international team would be beneficial;
Past experience working in agricultural supply chains in the Central Highlands would be a plus;
Willingness to travel in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

Terms of appointment

The position is nationally recruited and will be based at Alliance Office in Hanoi, Vietnam. The contract duration will be for one year with possibility of extension. The Alliance and UNEP offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with a competitive compensation.

Applications

Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability for the above position against the listed qualifications, competencies, skills together with a detailed curriculum vitae, including names and addresses of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. All correspondence should be addressed to Ms. Nguyen Minh Hanh (H.M.Nguyen@cgiar.org) with cc to Mary Otieno (Mary.Otieno@cgiar.org) and George Scott (George.scott@un.org) with the subject: Application – Consultant-Agricultural Economist & Business Engagement – Candidate’s full name.

Only qualified applicants with relevant skills and experience will be contacted. Applications should be submitted no later than 30/08/2021.

We invite you to learn more about us at: https://alliancebioversityciat.org/ ; https://annualreport2019.alliancebioversityciat.org/