MS4G Fertilizer Programming Lead 60 views

Company Overview:

About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value.  We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at [email protected] and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Project Overview and Role:

Palladium International, LLC is implementing the $250 Million, 8-year USAID CATALYZE contract which offers a facilitated partnership model that will craft solutions to crowd in $2 Billion in blended finance (i.e., blended concessional and commercial finance) to USAID partner countries; it can work in any development sector or region. Launched in October 2019, CATALYZE is a buy-in mechanism that allows USAID Bureaus and Missions to efficiently deploy investment facilitation solutions that respond to the needs of specific sectors, issues, and geographies.
USAID CATALYZE Ethiopia – Market Systems for Growth (MS4G): MS4G is designed to benefit the Ethiopian people, build community resilience, and strengthen rural-urban linkages in the areas of food security, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). MS4G invests in developing relationships with private sector players, co-investing in inclusive business models, advisory services, digital solutions, and market-based initiatives that increase the resilience and sustainability of Ethiopian enterprises and employment for women and youth. The project supports activities in Addis Ababa and secondary cities.
To strengthen the private sector in the food security and WASH sectors, MS4G uses a market-based approach to deliver business development and financial advisory services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The project leverages Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) and Pay-for-Results (P4R) awards and co-creates and co-funds partnerships to enhance enterprises’ performance, product/service delivery, and inclusion. The activities are designed to build institutional capacity, enhance knowledge and skill transfers through workforce development initiatives, advance the business enabling environment, accelerate digital transformations and scale best practices to increase productivity and quality.

As it enters its third project year, MS4G is expecting to receive supplemental funding to respond to challenges resulting from the Ukraine conflict – specifically, these challenges are related to the supply disruptions and increasing cost of agricultural production and fertilizer. The supplemental funds will 1) increase smallholder farmers’ access to fertilizer; and 2) enhance the resilience of the Ethiopian fertilizer market and supply chain. enhancing farmers’ access to financing  for fertilizer, supporting access to finance for enterprises engaged in the fertilizer supply chain, attracting investment in Ethiopia’s agro-industries, promoting strategic partnerships to strengthen the fertilizer market and supply chain, supporting the development of enterprises and cooperative unions to improve the prove production (blending), distribution, and processing of fertilizer, its components, and other significant inputs, promote the advancement of biofertilizers, strengthen farmer demand and capacity to use fertilizer, and strengthen the business enabling environment for enterprises operating in the fertilizer market supply chain.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• The MS4G Fertilizer Programming Lead is intended to provide technical and implementation leadership to this new Fertilizer sector-oriented activities. The CATALYZE: MS4G Fertilizer Programming Lead will report to the CATALYZE: MS4G Country Director.  S/he will provide technical direction and management to MS4G Supplemental Funding for Fertilizer – particularly supervising program activities in the regions and ensuring they are carried out in alignment with the workplan.
  The MS4G Fertilizer Programming Lead will provide technical leadership and direction to MS4G in line with client expectations. S/he is based in Addis Ababa to enhance the opportunities to link more closely with other USAID/Ethiopia Mission-sponsored projects, oth.er USG-sponsored cross-sector activities, private sector players and Government of Ethiopia (GoE) agencies and ministries on the urgent actions and partnerships needed to achieve the expected results.
  Specific responsibilities of MS4G’s Fertilizer Programming Lead include, but are not limited to:
• Advise Country Director (CD), Deputy Country Director – Technical (DCD) and technical staff on the technical approach, manage and serve as technical lead of the fertilizer component.
• Serve as part of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in country, working under the DCD to provide project leadership to ensure fertilizer program objectives are met in a compliant and timely manner.
• Lead a team staff dedicated to the fertilizer programming, while providing technical oversight to MS4G broader technical leads (access to finance, enterprise development, youth programming, digital solutions and BEE) in the design of fertilizer sector-oriented activities involving enhancing farmers’ access to financing  for fertilizer, supporting access to finance for enterprises engaged in the fertilizer supply chain,
• Attracting investment in Ethiopia’s agro-industries,
• promoting strategic partnerships to strengthen the fertilizer market and supply chain,
• supporting the development of enterprises and cooperative unions to improve the prove production (blending), distribution, and processing of fertilizer, its components, and other significant inputs, promote the advancement of biofertilizers, strengthen farmer demand and capacity to use fertilizer, and strengthen the business enabling environment for enterprises operating gin the fertilizer market supply chain.
• Provide oversight to the implementation of fertilizer activities in Ethiopia in line with the project’s approved Performance Work Statement (PWS) and Year 3 Work Plan. This includes providing technical support, supporting monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities.
• Engage, negotiate, and design project activities with the private sector and support the development of strategic partnerships in the fertilizer sector and broader agriculture sector to mobilize capital, enhance private enterprise growth and job creation, improve workforce development, and enact improved policies that increase farmers’ access to fertilizer and the resilience of the Ethiopian fertilizer market and supply chain.
• Liaise with project counterparts as requested by the CD and DCD and supports the development of strategic partnerships designed to deliver impact at scale and transform market systems within the fertilizer sector and relevant agriculture value chains.
• Work with MS4G in-country and home office compliance, procurement, and technical staff to develop innovative grants and performance-based subcontracting platforms that leverage local ecosystem actors to deliver services that produce impact at the firm, sector, and market system level at scale.
• Provide technical guidance in the rapid development, packaging, release, and evaluation of ongoing grants/sub-awards and other procurement related to fertilizer programming.
• Ensure fertilizer project activities conform to project requirements, including cost, schedule, and quality.
• Monitor fertilizer-related subcontractors/grantees for timely delivery and impact
• Ensure agile program implementation in line with monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) findings.
• Lead and/or contribute to critical program technical deliverables and reports and ensure they reflect requirements of the PWS and fertilizer program requirements.
• Serve as a technical liaison as part of the MS4G team, across private sector partners, GOE USAID, and other key stakeholders.
• Other duties as required.

Qualifications:

• Extensive USAID project management experience preferred in fields related to the successful implementation of this project such as agriculture value chain development, agricultural economics, agriculture finance and investment, agriculture input sector development (with a focus on the fertilizer sector) and climate smart agriculture.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging, negotiating, and designing program activities with private sector actors. Specific experience with fertilizer focused private sector actors highly preferred.
• A demonstrated understanding of GoE policies and programming within the fertilizer sector.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of Ethiopian finance, private enterprise, investment, business environment and trade issues relevant to the agriculture and specifically fertilizer sector; with a sound understanding of specific challenges and barriers facing women and youth entrepreneurs, business owners, and job seekers.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting in-depth market analyses for the fertilizer sector or other agriculture-based sectors and designing results-based programming based on opportunities that have arisen from these studies/assessments.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage and deal with diverse stakeholders.
• Evidence of strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written with professional fluency in English required.
• Experience supervising teams
• Knowledge of USAID programming, approaches, and policy.
• Advanced computer skills including fluency with Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree or post-graduate degree in Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Finance, Business Administration, Economic Policy, Enterprise Development, or other related fields is preferred.
• Seven or more years of professional experience successfully playing technical leadership and management roles in complex projects (or components therein) focused on agriculture that also focus on financial services and investment, agribusiness development, digital solutions, workforce development and youth programming, and public and private sector engagement.
• Five years the international development field including experience in a management role for a USAID-funded contract of similar scale ($40M+ / 5 years) highly desirable.
• Amharic written and verbal fluency.