Market Systems and Livelihoods Technical Lead

Job Title: Market Systems and Livelihoods Technical Lead – Itongo Ryanje, Itunga Ryanje, Burundi

Job Location: Ngozi, Burundi

Job Type: Regular, Full Time

Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP). You will report to the DCOP and may line manage technical or program staff members. You will also work closely with the Chief of Party (COP), Programmes Director (PD), MEL Advisor, Systems Director (SD), Desk Officer (DO) and Advisors, and consortium members.

About the role: This is a 60-month, new role with unaccompanied terms based in Ngozi, Burundi with a salary of Grade 4 €45,457 - €50,509.

*This position is contingent on upon successful agreement award and USAID approval. 

Founded in 1968, Concern Worldwide (Concern) is an international humanitarian aid organization dedicated to reducing extreme poverty and alleviating suffering through emergency relief and long-term development programs spanning livelihoods, education, nutrition, health, and WASH. Concern currently operates in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East, and works in partnership with communities, public and private service providers, local government, academic institutions, and other local and international organizations to ensure sustainable delivery of effective services. Concern Worldwide has operated in Burundi since 1997, successfully implementing programs in health, nutrition, social protection, food security, livelihoods, and youth empowerment throughout the country.   

Your purpose:

Concern Worldwide seeks a Market Systems Technical Lead for an anticipated USAID “Itongo Ryanje, Itunga Ryanje” activity in Burundi. This activity will help Burundian women secure access and rights to land, promote climate-smart agriculture, and strengthen economic empowerment. The activity will partner with local actors, including the private sector, to strengthen women farmers’ participation in market-driven enterprises and build their entrepreneurial, leadership and management skills to achieve greater economic independence.

The Market Systems and Livelihoods Technical Lead will provide support and leadership to the Activity, ensuring the consortium develops a more sustainable market system approach. The Market Systems Technical Lead will lead development and implementation of gender-focused, market system interventions across the Activity. The successful candidate should possess substantial experience working on complex, multi-year USAID or other international donor-funded Activities.

The Market Systems and Livelihood Technical Lead’s responsibilities will be to:

• Lead the Activity’s market systems technical approach, ensuring that methodologies and interventions are technically sound and relevant to the success of the program. Closely monitor the intervention’s progress, mitigating risks and adapting interventions as needed.
• In collaboration with the DCOP and MEAL Lead - and working closely with consortium partners, stakeholders, and program participants - review activities and results and develop the workplan for market systems and livelihood activities under Results 2 and 3.
• Provide technical leadership in the Activity’s analyses and assessments to ensure meaningful participation and positive market impacts for women, notably integrating approaches to mitigate intrahousehold conflict and promote community resilience.
• Facilitate the development of tools and processes that empower local entities to lead interventions and share learning. Provide technical leadership to support capacity building of target commodity market actors, financial service providers, and other relevant market actors.
• Provide technical leadership to the activity team to identify innovative and adaptable market systems, in collaboration with target actors operating in various segments of commodity markets.
• Provide technical leadership for the market systems and livelihood team to engage with private sector partners to build women’s entrepreneurship, marketing, leadership, management, and networking skills.
• Leverage partnerships and coordinate with existing donor-funded programs in Burundi. Foster strong working relationships with other agencies and individuals working on market systems issues and gender to maximize visibility and learning.
• Lead or assist to prepare any reports, as requested by USAID, Concern Worldwide and Concern US, and the Government of Burundi.
• Undertake any other tasks as assigned by the COP and DCOP to ensure that Activity objectives are met.

Requirements and Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field.  
• Minimum of 5 years of technical experience designing, implementing, and managing market systems development activities (preferably those funded by USAID), with at least 3 years management or advisory experience.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating linkages with key market system stakeholders, such as suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, cooperatives, and farmers.
• Demonstrated experience and technical knowledge in leading and designing activities related to at least 3 out of the following list: value chain development, financial management, climate-smart agriculture, pest management and disease control, water management, entrepreneurship, business management, and distribution of climate-resilient seeds.
• Demonstrated experience and technical knowledge in gender and market systems development.
• Experience working in similar contexts, with experience in Burundi and/or East Africa preferred.
• Excellent leadership, program, organizational management and oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well within a team, and to complete multiple tasks effectively and efficiently.
• Strong interpersonal skills for working with project staff, donors, partners, and program participants.
• Experience conducting continuous capacity building of activity staff in facilitation and the market systems approach.
• Flexible and adaptable approach to working in a changing environment.
• Experience working on USAID or other donor-funded programs.
• Knowledge of Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere and other international humanitarian guidelines and protocols.
• Professional level fluency in written and spoken English and French. Fluency in Kirundi is preferred.

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 20%. The position will be located in Ngozi.

To Apply:

All applications should be submitted through our website by the closing date 07^th of October 2024. CVs should be no more than 4 pages in length. 

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. 

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent - please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

Concern has an organizational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking. 

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During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation. 

For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office. 

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Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.