Value Chain Specialist

Value Chain Specialist - USAID Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong Delta

Company Description

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation. Founded in the Netherlands in 1965, we have built a long-term country presence in over 24 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors works with local partners to equip communities, businesses, and organizations with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services - empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own development.

SNV has been working in Vietnam since 1995, and currently has over 50 national and international staff. SNV Vietnam’s team works hand-in-hand with communities, government agencies, and businesses in more than 40 provinces, including the remotest and poorest areas of the country. We operate from a country office in Hanoi as well as project offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Tra Vinh, Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot. Our work focuses on three sectors – Agri-Food, Water and Renewable Energy.

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 (WI) with a consortium of Vietnamese and international partners, including Netherlands Development Organization (SNV).  GVN counterparts are the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Management Board of Forest Projects (MBFPs).

Job Description

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Value Chain Specialist (VCS) supports transformation of low-emissions rice and alternative value chains. They will be responsible for the programs overall approach to value chain strengthening work, including lead company selection, systemic barrier identification and the development of approaches and strategies to strengthen selected VCs in the Mekong Delta.  The specialist will lead on chain platform dialogues and efforts to engage companies throughout the supply chain. 

VCS will provide technical assistance to the activities related to planning, organizing, training/implementing, monitoring, and reporting of value chain development. The VCS will provide technical assistance to the design and the implementation of impactful value chain interventions for smallholder farmers, as well as documenting their outcomes and possible impacts. The incumbent will work with multiple value chain stakeholders, including private companies value chain stakeholders such as farmers’ cooperatives, input providers and collectors. S/he will also work closely with other CRM members in five project provinces. It is expected that these will include, but is not limited to, working with the existing CRM and SNV team members on scaling up viable value chain/business models.

VCS is part of Objective 3 - Reduce methane emissions through low-emission and sustainable agriculture practices. This position will coordinate with the other project staff, including provincial teams and local government partners to monitor on-the-ground performance, and contribute to the achievement of the key results under Objective 3.

The VC Specialist is expected to be based in Can Tho city, with frequent travel to the project’s target provinces and other places as required for project activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist the Team Leader of Objective 3 and CRM’s team members to design appropriate interventions, explore sustainable value chain development opportunities as well as climate resilient, low-emission solutions, prepare workplans, and accelerate approved workplans/activities in the project sites.
• Review the list of initially selected value chain commodities and analyze/exam the cost-effectiveness of potentially increased income and GHG emissions reductions before implementing in the field.
• Explore marginal abatement cost curves and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of existing innovative technologies and practices (“transition solutions”) that support GHG emissions reduction, climate resilience, and market responsive production and processing.
• Work closely with different value chain actors (e.g. input suppliers, farmers/producers, traders, processors, exporters, wholesale/retailers, extension workers, researchers, and public agriculture officials) of the selected commodities to review/identify gaps/barriers and propose practically appropriate measures for filling the gaps to add more win-win values to different value chain actors.
• Develop/revise technical contents for training materials on sustainable/low emissions/resilient value chain and provide capacity building events for related value chain actors.
• Work as a proactive team member to ensure collaboration and to support integrated implementation and management for cross-sectoral/Objective integration approaches (including policies, gender equity and social inclusion (GESI), environmental mitigation and monitoring plan, and communications-knowledge products).
• Gather field data, prepare records of all relevant rice-related low emissions/ resilient operations and activities of CRM to contribute to producing required technical progress reports, especially report on four key indicators: (i) # metric tons of CO2 equivalent reduced, avoided, sequestered; (ii) # ha of land transitioned to low-emission sustainable crop production; (iii) # people applying low-emission, climate resilient agricultural practices; and (iv) # % increase in value of annual sales of climate resilient, low-emission products;
• Review project experiences and through reflective practices, identify lessons learned on and refine/improve SNV’s inclusive value chain development approaches and tools and develop knowledge products as appropriate for internal and external learning, knowledge management and communications.
• As a senior staff member proactively develop and maintain relationships with development and private sector partners, donors, local organisations (e.g. microfinance institutions, agri/rural finance institutions) and relevant government agencies.
• Other duties required by the line manager.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in business administration, agribusiness, sustainable development studies, natural resource management, or related field.
• Minimum five years of professional experience implementing value chain development projects in rural resilient livelihood developments and/or agribusiness.
• Understanding context for sustainable livelihoods, economic inclusion, and climate resilience.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, and strengthening the capacity of value chain actors.
• Experience with 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 GHG emissions is a plus.
• Experience in project design, organizing, monitoring, and evaluation skills, including designing pathways to sustainable impact at scale; and
• Good written and oral communication skills in English and Vietnamese required.

SUPERVISOR

CRM applies a “One Team” approach, where staff hired by different consortium members are fully embedded within the CRM’s Office and staffing structure. Within this arrangement, the VCS will follow a parallel management structure:

• As an SNV employee, for contractual and administrative matters, the VCS will work under the overall management of the Project Manager.
• For CRM activities and day-to-day work, the VCS directly reports to the CRM Team Leader of Objective 3-Low Emissions Agriculture Practices.

Additional Information

Application Deadline: Until 5PM, March 28th, 2024
Contract Duration: 1 year contract with the option of extension based on performance and budget availability.
Duty Stations: Can Tho City.
Desired Start Date: ASAP

How to apply?

Join our team by applying today! If you are passionate about making a difference in people's lives and possess the required qualifications, we encourage you to submit your application to this LINK until 5PM, March 28th, 2024. At SNV, we value your privacy, and rest assured that all your information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

Applicants will be requested to provide us with the contact details of three people who are willing to act as a reference. We will only contact these references after your explicit permission.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should SNV wish to proceed with your application, two interviews with a Selection Committee will take place. 

Applicants will be reviewed and interviews conducted on a rolling basis to identify appropriate candidates as soon as possible.

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Working at SNV:

SNV offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. We offer a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit from, and contribute to, an internal global network of experts. For more information, please visit our website: www.snv.org/careers.

SNV strives to be an inclusive employer, thriving on the diversity of its people and does not discriminate on the base of disability status, religion, ethnic origin, gender and sexual orientation, etc.

At SNV we prioritise safety and security for all employees. We conduct thorough background and reference checks concerning possible safeguarding incidents for all candidates applying for International determined positions. As SNV participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a request to past employers to fill in a questionnaire regarding Misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment), the “Statement of Conduct". This Statement of Conduct adopts the definitions used in the Scheme.? 

We do not appreciate third-party mediation based on this advertisement.