Context
Along with the economic reform, agricultural sector contributed greatly to exports and economic growth in Vietnam. However, the intensive agricultural development brought also considerable environmental challenges. Issues such as deforestation, groundwater depletion, overuse of agrochemicalsand etc will need to be addressed at a landscape scale to sustain high sustainable production and trade into the future and to allow for future economic prosperity in the region. There seems to be a compelling business case for private sector, government and local farmers to tackle these challenges collectively.
Aiming to address these and similar challenges elsewhere in the world, IDH, TheSustainable Trade Initiative established Sustainable Coffee Program (SCP), Initiative for Sustainable Landscape (ISLA) in Central Highland and Aquaculture Program in Dong Thap province. These key programs are institutionally coordinated by the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Introduction about IPSARD
Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) is a policy research institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Established in 2005, IPSARD is well known in Vietnam as the think-tank for MARD, the Government, National Assembly, Party, international organizations in policy and strategy for agriculture and rural development sector. IPSARD has 4 research divisions and 4 independent centers with around 150 staff. The Institute works in the field of sectoral policies and strategies, agricultural market and commodity, environment and natural resources management and rural institutions. It is now expanding its operation to public-private partnership and investment promotion. Since 2011, IPSARD has been successfully involving, as an institutional coordinator, in a number of PPP programs supported by IDH and private sector, including coffee, tea, aquaculture and sustainable landscape.
Introduction about IDH
The IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative helps to accelerate and upscale sustainability within mainstream international commodity markets, driving sustainability from niche to norm. We build ambitious public private coalitions of companies, civil society organizations and governments and high-impact programs in order to benefit people, planet and profit. With co-funding from the Dutch, Swiss and Danish Governments, and from business partners, IDH organizes scoping, development and implementation of public private partnerships in 18 sectors such as coffee, tea, cotton, electronics. IDH is a dynamic organization of about 45 staff members based in Utrecht, The Netherlands, with hubs in Vietnam and Indonesia. In the last year IDH has expanded its activities and now runs around 100 projects through 18 commodity programs in 50 countries, together with a wide range of private and public partners.
IPSARD would like to strengthen the coordination of IDH programs at national and local level with one: PPP Coordinator
Job purpose
The National Coordinator for PPP Programs will lead the institutional coordination for implementaiton of key PPP sustainable programs supported by IDH. This includes convening local private (especially domestic) and public sector partners, as well as other stakeholders.
The candidate will report directly to IPSARD and will carry the overall responsibility for the implementation coordination of key PPP programs, especiallyin the Central Highlands(and possibly Mekong provinces).
The candidate is in charge of convening and managing stakeholders including the Vietnamese national and local government; international organizations; the relevant companies active in the region; representatives of local farmers, communities; civil society and knowledge institutions. Furthermore, the candidate will overlook the implementation and where relevant design of the programs including contracting implementers, M&E and communication related to the IDH programs in which IPSARD is involved. In addition, the candidate will support to improve the access to finance of programs’ stakeholders through linking with state banks of Vietnam, commercial banks and funds.Finally, the PPP coordinator will ensure that effective and practical policy dialogue, learning on best practices in added value generation through a PPP approach of local government and business engagement is generated and disseminated.
Key responsibilities
- Program management:Coordinate and manage progress report, annual report and annual plan and other program specific reports for the implementation of the IDH PPP programs in Vietnam, supported by programs’s officers in IPSARD. Work as contact point between IPSARD and IDH in implementation of these programs.
- Stakeholder management: Create awareness and drive the adoption of more sustainable practices in the particular industry and institutionalization of sector wide cooperation by convening key stakeholders (international and local).
- Coordination work: Coordinate with other organizations/individuals in implementing the workplan. Link and align with other PPP activities implemented by MARD, MONRE, MOIT, MPI, civil society, international organizations.
- Technical knowledge: Identify technical expertise to the development of the program, including testing the feasibility of proposed interventions.
- Opportunities for co-funding: seeking and coordinating co-funding opportunities with international programs, NGOs and etc..
- Monitoring & evaluation: Identify expertise for the monitoring and evaluation of project activities and finance in conjunction with the implementing partners and private sector players, as well as monitoring of implementers, organizations or any third party needed to deliver project objectives.
- Communication: Along with the program team, to be in charged of structuring and drafting of communication and other materials adjusted to local context. Keep relevant stakeholders informed on plans and progress. Support the policy dialogues between private sector and the government under the collaboration between IPSARD and IDH.
- Learning: identify of knowledge gap through multistakeholder, organize expertise to fill the gap, communicate and apply additional knowledge to the program.
Personnel structure:
The PPP coordinator will work as coordinator for two programs of ISLA and SCP which IPSARD is instutional coordinator and possibly PPP program in Dong Thap province. The coordinator will be supported by 1 full time program officer and possibly 1 part-time administrator (if necessary) from each program. Specific TOR of those positions will be developed jointly by IPSARD and the coordinator.
Requirements
- Based in Hanoi, but good knowledge of the Central Highlands and Mekong River Delta
- Holding at least master degree, preferably in business, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, or a comparable field of knowledge
- At least 10 years of working experience in program development and implementation in the area of agriculture and rural development or relevant development practices
- Experience in developing joint agendas with private sector and engage with other stakeholders (e.g. Vietnamese Government, Private Companies, NGO) and in implementing multi-stakeholder programs
- Excellent convening, facilitation and negotiation skills
- Comfortable with working in a team as well as independently developing new programs.
- Desirable experience in fundraising
- Proactive, and desirable entrepreneurial.
- Willingness to travel extensively, mainly within Vietnam
- Fluency in spoken and written English and Vietnamese
- Desirable experience in working with and for private sectors
For more information about IDH, please visit www.idhsustainabletrade.com [1].
For more information about IPSARD, please visit:
For questions about this position, please contact:
Interested candidates should send their CV and application letter (in English) to:
Ms. Do Thi Thanh Huyen, email: [email protected] [2]
We encourage applicants to respond as soon as possible, latest by 22nd December 2015