Description

Job Title:                         Senior Program Officer - Agriculture 

Position Number:                    TBD

New or Refill:                         New

Core position:                         Yes   No

Salary Grade:                          3

Division/Dept.:                       Programs/Asia

Dept. #/Subproject WO:         NP0/ NP3175HINP00

Reports to:                              Program Manager

Supervisor POSNO:                TBD

Supervisor RESNO/Name:     TBD

Supervision:                            Employees  Yes   No | Volunteers   Yes   No

Location:                                 Field

Relocation Funds:                   Non-negotiable

Travel Required:                     Minimum 75% Annually 

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with some form of specially-abled.

FUNCTION:

The Senior Program Officer-Agriculture will serve in accordance with HPIN’s vision, mission, goal, objectives, policies, and procedures. S/he will coordinate with thematic leads to accelerate farmer-led food system transformation by strengthening regenerative practices, farmers' collectives, inclusive markets, private-sector engagement, social capital, and creating an enabling environment. S/he plays a pivotal role in translating Heifer’s Program Model and C4E strategy into implementation by engaging partners, government, private sector, and farmer institutions on designing, implementing, learning, and scaling innovative food system interventions and ensuring optimum results. The SPO facilitates systemic change that improves productivity, profitability, environmental sustainability and social inclusion, and overall resilience of the food system.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES: (including approximate percentage effort)

Lead the design, implementation, and delivery of project outcomes (45%)

• Lead the design, planning, and implementation of agriculture and food system interventions in the assigned project areas that respond to farmers' needs, priorities and local realities towards strengthening sustainable livelihoods, resilient production systems, inclusive markets, and farmer-owned enterprises.
• Integrate farmer-led food system transformation, regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, care for earth, one health and inclusive market systems into project design and implementation.
• Facilitate the adoption of appropriate strategies and actions towards regenerative agriculture and climate by farmers, producer organizations, SMEs, Local government and local service providers.
• Develop and periodically update the project implementation guidelines (PIG), detailed implementation plan (DIP), implementation milestones, budgets and implementation narratives.
• Provide technical oversight and strengthen the technical and institutional capacity of local implementing partners, frontline staff, extension staff, and program colleagues on effective implementation of project interventions including regenerative agriculture, agroecology, climate-smart agriculture, upgrading local value chains, market linkage, branding and marketing, access to finance, and digitalization at the community and local levels to meet the goal and targets of the project.
• Facilitate smallholder commercialization, value addition, postharvest management, quality assurance and market competitiveness of priority value chains through facilitating business-to-business (B2B) meetings, multi-stakeholder platform meetings (MSP), access to finance, social capital development, and private sector engagement for program effectiveness.
• Strengthen farmers' access to agricultural technologies, quality inputs, business development services, agri-advisory and market information, and affordable financial services through engaging public and private entities, cooperatives and SMEs.
• Prepare and disseminate appropriate knowledge products and resources for increased adoption of innovative technologies and practices in regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, enterprise development and market systems.
• Promote inclusive participation and leadership of women, youth, and marginalized communities in agriculture and food systems
• Provide strategic leadership, technical guidance and management support to ensure technical quality, innovation, transparency, accountability, compliance and effective utilization of project resources throughout project implementation.
• Support project proposal development, review, and strategic planning process

• Strengthen coordination and collaboration with government entities, private sector (market actors, BFIs, BDS providers, insurance companies, input suppliers etc.), research institutions, agriculture universities, and facilitate effective service delivery.
• Collaborate and establish productive partnerships with local and provincial governments and other stakeholders for co-creation on project design, smooth implementation, monitoring, and feedback mechanisms.
• Organize periodic review and planning meetings, multi-stakeholder platforms, joint learning visits with the local government and other stakeholders for effective project implementation and outcomes.
• Track and update the progress on adoption of regenerative agriculture, enterprise performance, market participation, climate resilience and food system outcomes.
• Monitor implementation progress of approved work plans, budgets, milestones and performance indicators.
• Conduct regular field monitoring, technical supervision, mentoring, coaching and quality assurance visits to project sites, SHGs, SHG networks, and cooperatives.
• Utilize monitoring findings and evidence to improve implementation quality and inform adaptive management.
• Prepare timely technical reports, progress reports, case studies, success stories, policy briefs, and documentation of lessons learned.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements, organizational policies, safeguarding standards, environmental stewardship, and quality assurance mechanisms are consistently met.
• Support project evaluations, impact assessment, research activities and organizational learning initiatives.
• Contribute to organizational learning, innovation and continuous improvement initiatives

 Collaboration, Partnership, technical support and capacity building (20%)

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with local, provincial and federal governments, research institutions, universities, development partners, civil society organizations, private sectors, community organizations and other professional entities.
• Convene and facilitate multi-stakeholder platforms that support collaboration, innovation, policy influence, system change, and collective actions for farmer-led food system transformation.
• Strengthen the capacity building of project partners, including training, coaching, mentoring, and backstopping on the project and program priority areas.
• Provide technical assistance to local governments in respective project areas on devising, revising, and effectively implementing agricultural development programs, policy, strategy, and plans to address local needs, opportunities, and priorities.
• Facilitate the promotion of access to finance, agricultural insurance, embedded business services, market system facilitation, enterprise planning, and agriculture digitalization.
• Foster innovation, knowledge exchange, peer learning, and dissemination of best practices across projects and partners.
• Support farmer institutions, agri-entrepreneurs, cooperatives and SMEs to leverage resources and technical assistance from government and other opportunities.
• Represent Heifer in technical working groups, coordination forums and professional conferences and networks.
• Promote Heifer’s values, principles and practices in all aspects of work.

May perform other job-related duties as assigned (5%)

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• A bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences, or a related discipline with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in agriculture, food systems, and rural development is required. 
• Experience working with local governments under Nepal’s federal system.
• Demonstrated experience in regenerative and climate-resilient agriculture practices, market system development and value chain strengthening.
• Strong leadership qualities
• Strong collaboration and relationship management skills.
• Ability to lead, coach and mentor diverse teams to foster an inclusive and collaborative work environment.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative while also having strong team-building skills
• Time management and ability to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and virtual collaboration tools.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES:

•  Demonstrate the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with professionalism while promoting transparency, ethical decision making, and accountability in all aspects of work.
• The ability to work effectively and respectfully with people from diverse cultural, social, and professional backgrounds.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Willingness to work flexibly and ability to travel extensively to rural and project locations to strengthen the relationship to support partners and ensure effective implementation.
• Demonstrated commitment to Heifer International's mission, values, and regenerative, locally led program approach.
• Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and gender equity.