Market Systems Development Specialist (Winrock International)

Job Description

Title: Market Systems Development Specialist
Project: USAID Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong Delta
Report to: the Team Leader of Objective 3-Low Emissions Agriculture Practices
Deadline for CV submission: 7 February, 2024

Introduction

The United States Agency for International Development Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong Delta Project (CRM) works with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to enhance the resilience of the Mekong Delta’s communities, ecosystems, and livelihoods. The overall goal of CRM is to advance low-emissions, climate-resilient, agricultural livelihoods combined with biodiversity conservation to support carbon sequestration, healthy ecosystems, and resilience of vulnerable communities in the Mekong Delta.

CRM works across five provinces of Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, and Tra Vinh and focus on three interconnected objectives and one cross-cutting theme:

Objective 1: Strengthen climate change resilience of the most vulnerable populations. CRM will engage stakeholders to assess and address vulnerability through enhanced climate information services, resilient livelihood and safety net models, improved provincial plans, and increased access to finance.
Objective 2: Strengthen management and restoration of natural ecosystems to provide ecosystem goods and services. CRM will take an inclusive participatory approach to identify entry points to support evidence-based transformation of legal and governance frameworks, improve management capacity, and incentivize natural resource conservation.
Objective 3: Reduce methane emissions through low-emission and sustainable agriculture practices. CRM will work with GVN and stakeholders across value chains to assess gaps and opportunities and harness payment for environmental services schemes and other results-based finance mechanisms to reduce intensive rice farming and GHG emissions and drive transformation through a market systems approach.
Cross-cutting focus: Develop and implement policies to advance climate actions and biodiversity conservation. CRM will also work with GVN and stakeholders to enhance development, harmonization, and implementation of policies, as well as to strengthen national and sub-national coordination. CRM will engage key stakeholders to influence and incentivize policy, practice, and behavior in favor of transformation.

CRM will be implemented during the period of 2023-2028 by Winrock International with a consortium of Vietnamese and international partners. GVN counterparts are the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Management Board of Forest Projects.

Position Description

As part of its initial scoping efforts, CRM will conduct a value chain and market analysis to assess the feasibility of transitioning from a system of intensive rice cultivation and other potential cropsto a system of low-emissions rice diversified with high potential alternative value chains in sectors such as horticulture, aquaculture, and ecotourism. The project will use this analysis to identify priority sub-sector value chains for targeted interventions during the life of the project. The Market Systems Development (MSD) Specialist will be responsible planning and coordinating the implementation of the systemic interventions in the selected sector/sub-sectors and value chains in the framework of promoting economic, environmental, and social inclusion for vulnerable groups in five project’s provinces.

Responsibilities

Assist the Team Leader of Objective 3 to design appropriate interventions, explore sustainable business development opportunities as well as climate resilient, low-emission solutions, prepare workplans, and accelerate approved workplans/activities in the project sites.
Lead design of interventions and identify target value chains (including rice and other appropriate horticulture, aquaculture, and/or other targeted commodities and related sectors such as ecotourism) that contribute to achieving Objective 3 outcomes, especially promote people in applying low-emission, climate resilient agricultural practices and increase in value of annual sales of local products in close cooperation with other private, public and community partners.
Work closely with Objective 3 technical members to apply an MSD approach for investigating effective partnership mechanisms to support local livelihoods in a sustainably, economically viable manner.
Work as a proactive team member to ensure collaboration and to support integrated implementation and management for cross-sectoral/Objective approaches.
Facilitate enterprise development and provide technical support for business plan development for the selected enterprises; strengthen the capacity of value chain actors, including service providers.
Collaborate with the private sector such as value chain actors, market players, business communities, the chamber of commerce, etc., to improve domestic and international market linkages and increase demand for certified rice and other climate resilient, low-emission products.
Coordinate inclusive MSD interventions; focus on building the capacities of rice, horticulture, and aquaculture value chain actors and marginalized groups(including women, ethnic minority, and youth) to ensure their active market participation and fair benefit sharing in sustainable value chain development.
Identify and prioritize systemic barriers/constraints and promote value addition activities through private-public-community consultations; engage key market players and other actors in designing and implementing strategic interventions to address these emerged bottlenecks; and
Assist the Team Leader of Objective 3 and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team to monitor outputs and report milestones to ensure Objective 3 targets and indicators are being met.

Required qualifications and experience

Advanced degree in business administration, sustainable development studies, agribusiness, marketing, circular economy, natural resource management, or related field.
Minimum five years of professional experience managing and/or implementing market-oriented development projects in economic/green growth, market systems development, private sector engagement, rural resilient livelihood developments, agribusiness, financial services.
Experience in market systems and entrepreneurship development approach in the international development context for sustainable livelihoods, economic inclusion, and climate resilience.
Ability to analyze local economies and diagnose appropriate and practical solutions to facilitate inclusive, green growth in different value chains and market systems development.
Experience coaching, mentoring, and strengthening the capacity of private sector entities to identify market opportunities, produce high-quality services and/or manage the growth and development of their businesses.
Experience with climate/carbon finance and/or resource mobilization, private sector engagement for climate adaptation/mitigation.
Experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion related to gender and vulnerable populations and communities.
Agricultural knowledge of sustainable rice, horticulture, and aquaculture value chains and approaches to reduce methane emissions in rice production is a plus.
Experience in project design, organizing, monitoring, and evaluation skills, including designing pathways to sustainable impact at scale; and
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Vietnamese required.

How to apply

For more details, please see the vacancy announcement attached.

Interested candidates with the required qualifications and experience are invited to send a letter of interest and a full CV in English to vietnamjobs@winrock.org with subject line of “Your full name – Market Systems Development Specialist” no later than 7 February 2024.