Local Regional Procurement & Market Linkage Officer Full-Time

The Counterpart International is hiring a Local Regional Procurement & Market Linkage Officer.

Counterpart International helps people build better lives and more durable futures, community by community. We equip individuals, organizations and communities-our counterparts- to become solution creators in their own families, communities, regions and countries. We work with them in some of the world’s most challenging places to tackle social, economic, environmental, health and governance issues that threaten their lives and undermine their futures.

For more information on Counterpart, please visit our website at www.counterpart.org

Summary

Counterpart International is seeking a Local Regional Procurement & Market Linkage Officer for an anticipated 5-year USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program which aims to reduce hunger and improve literacy and nutrition among school-age students, especially girls. Under the supervision of the Commodities & School Feeding Manager, the LRP & Market Linkage Officer will be responsible for supporting the efficient implementation of field level commodity activities, capacity building and Market linkage of local produced products of Producer Groups and entrepreneurs. The Market Linkage Officer will play a bridge role between local producers and CPI. He /She maintains close cooperation with the targeted local communities, project technical team and local authorities and line departments, mobilize to take active part in the planning and implementation of activities as well as will take necessary steps to improve commodities when it comes to linkages, communications, joint visits and networking. This is full time position, reporting to the Commodities & School Feeding Manager of at the field office in Maputo, Mozambique. The applicant should be a Mozambique national or have the legal right to work/reside in Mozambique.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Contribute to the ongoing research, development and implementation of best practices and innovative approaches to maximize performance and sustain achievements in all targeted value chains;
• Communicate and coordinate with project staff on technical questions related to Food Security and Livelihoods, resilience building and agricultural sustainability, work planning;
• Supervise program implementation and provide technical support to developing policies, strategies and plans related to food security, local and regional procurement and livelihoods, resilience building and sustainability;
• Work closely with TACSS Program Director, other technical team members, partners and stakeholders;
• Facilitate business relationship between school management committees and organization of producers by value chain approaches;
• Propose and implement sustainable activities for transitioning food procurement to local production;
• Write reports and other public communications to promote sustainability initiatives;
• Provide technical assistance to establish school management committees (SMC) cooperative procurement groups;
• Contribute to the linkage between cooperative procurement groups and government certified processors and preselected millet and cowpea producers;
• Compose sustainable business practice proposals and plans, and work with organizational leaders and business partners to ensure their successful implementation;
• Develop and deliver sustainability educational and training materials for all stakeholders and partners;
• Maintain an up to date record of all farmers, farmer groups, aggregation centers, warehouses and stakeholders;
• Attend market linkage forums with that aim at marketing the aggregated commodity;
• Develop sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies in collaboration with other sustainability professionals;
• Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance;
• Prepare field activity reports on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis;
• Carry out any other task required by the Project Manager.

Qualifications

Required

• At least a Degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Value Chain Development/Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Business Development Services, Marketing Communication, or in relevant field;
• Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in Sustainability Policy, in Market Research/Survey work preferably in a nonprofit organization;
• Value chain development analysis, marketing rural development participatory methods and organizational capacity building skills will be a plus;
• Have a good ability to handle conflicting tasks; an ability to prioritize and deliver high quality performance on a regular basis;
• Good knowledge of partnership and fundraising environment, aid policies of government donors, humanitarian issues, resource mobilization strategies;
• Demonstrated knowledge of U.S. Government rules, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Knowledge of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Excellent organizational, analytical, oral, and written communications skills;
• Have a good ability to manage relationships with diverse people; an ability to work well alone and in a team environment;
• Fluency in Portuguese required; advanced knowledge of spoken and written English preferred;
• Must be extremely reliable, trustworthy and a good team worker;
• Flexible in working hours.

Counterpart International is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of Counterpart International to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

Interested candidates should submit their CV in PDF format. Only selected candidates will be contacted.