Technical Advisor – Agricultural Markets & Nutrition

Musike is a Zambian non-profit company, supported by the Swedish Embassy in Zambia, Norwegian Government’s NORAD and IRISH AID which stimulates private investment in the agricultural market, with a particular focus on the smallholder and emerging farmer sectors.

Musikc’s operations are national in scope and stretch across the agricultural industry, working primarily with those corporate in the sector that are committed to engaging the rural poor as their clients, suppliers and consumers. Musika provides its clients with high quality, commercially focused technical advice and business Support to catalyse and strengthen mutually beneficial commercial relationships between the corporate and smallholder markets- Musike’s approach to reducing poverty and creating wealth in rural Zambia involves stimulating the development of a supportive market environment that provides long term and sustainable opportunities for farmers to invest in their own businesses and to graduate out of poverty.

Musika invites applications from suitably qualified, experienced Zambian Nationals to fill the following position:

TECHNICAL ADVISOR – AGRICULTURAL MARKETS AND NUTRITION – LUSAKA X1

Key responsibilities:

i. STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND GUIDANCE TO OPERATIONS

• To provide technical leadership to the project and technical support to the staff, consultants, and project partners including but not limited to:
• Enhancing the existing project document, in line with Musika’s principles and methodology and with the expectations of Irish Aid, to improve its technical strength and direction
• Translating the project document into project strategies and implementation plans
• Providing technical guidance to the implementation cf project strategies, implementation plans and individual interventions
• Building the capacity of project staff and the technical staff involved in the implementation of the project in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and nutrition-sensitive agri-food market development
• Providing guidance to the project’s consultants and partners to ensure adherence to best practice in terms of Musika’s methodology and nutrition-sensitive agri-food market system development
• Building the capacity of private market actors in the agri-food market system to integrate nutrition outcomes and objectives into their engagement with the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ including the suppliers of commodities and consumers of food products
• Supporting private market actors to identify and obtain the commercial benefits of integrating nutrition outcomes and objectives into their engagement with the ‘bottom or the pyramid’
• Building the capacity of the wider Musika Technical Team to mainstream nutrition-sensitive agriculture into the wider work of Musika

ii. PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

• To provide support to the Project Manager to assist in the implementation of the “Making Agricultural Markets Work for Nutrition” Project, funded by Irish Aid, including but not limited to:
• Supporting the development of work plans and budgets
• Establishing, nurturing and coordinating meaningful partnerships with private sector actors that operate in the nutrition-sensitive agriculture space and the food-processing Sector that can contribute to the outcomes of the project and Musika’s overall objectives
• Developing strong and synergistic relationships with relevant public bodies, donor initiatives and other stakeholders that work in the nutrition-sensitive agriculture and nutrition spaces
• Monitoring progress or all project activities and ensuring adherence project deliverables and reporting requirements
• Coordinating and synergising the activities of the project with Musika’s wider objectives and activities across all relevant practice areas

iii. MUSIKA REPRESENTATION

• To represent Musika in all aspects 0t its work
• To develop and maintain professional and institutional relationships with all key stakeholders (public, private and non-governmental) in the agriculture and nutrition markets and in doing so, create a platform for sharing information for the betterment of the market in general.
• To ensure, through teamwork, close collaboration and outward messaeing, an organisational coherence whereby all of Muslka’s actlvltles, regardless of project positioning or funding stream, are, and are seen to be part of a single operational strategy implemented by Musika

iv. TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT

• Undertaking and coordinating the collection, collation, managerment and dissemination of all market assessment work related to agriculture and nutrition markets.
• Exploring and identifying new and high potential commercial clients and opportunities for Musika  intervention in line with its M4P approach within the agriculture and nutrition markets
• Conducting continuous learning through market surveys/assessments to broaden the understanding of the agriculture and nutrition markets and the changing behaviour of the various actors within them, in conformity with the M4P approach.
• In close collaboration with Musika technical staff managing relevant practice areas and the Project Manager, leading in the ideation and innovation, opportunity identification and intervention generation process for investments and interventions that will lead to the meeting of the objectives of the project
• Contributing to the cornpilation of timely and comprehensive reports, assessments and feedback as required by the Knowledge Management Team and as required by the Irish Aid agreement.
• To support an information system that tracks progress relating to Musika’s indicators as specified by the Knowledge Management Team and as required by the Irish Aid agreement

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum Of a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant subject such as Agricultural Sciences, Food Sciences, Agricultural Economics, etc.
• A strong understanding of the Zambian agricultural sector
• At least four years working with in the agricultural sector, with a proven track record in nutrition sensitive agriculture and/or the nutrition-sensitive agri-food sector
• Proven experience in delivering relevant capacity building, training and/or advisory support
• Ideally some experience working in the private sector
• Highly self-motivated with good data collection and data analysis
• Good verbal communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to function as part of a team
• An ability to write clearly and coherently and articulate complex issues
• Willingness to travel to rural areas
• Clean driving license
• Good computer literacy

Only qualifying candidates sh0uld apply, enclosing their detailed curriculum vitae, which should include three referees, contact address and daytime phone/mobile numbers.

.