Agricultural Economy and Climate-Smart Agriculture Value Chains Senior Associate

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

CONTEXT

There is urgent need for identifying, demonstrating, and disseminating sustainable agricultural systems that enhance productive potential and address the interconnected drivers of poverty and climate vulnerability in El Salvador. Opportunities to address this situation include dissemination of best practices and technical capacity building in Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA), strengthening value chain integration, availing and training on the use of and capacity building for the use of IT technologies with application in the agriculture sector. Cooperative/associative arrangements are an effective means to build capacity and enhancing the preparedness and resilience of women and youth in the agriculture sector, providing them with decent livelihoods and improved employability in the sector.

The project aims to strengthening the technical and entrepreneurial capacities and provide financial support to vulnerable farmers under associative arrangements to improve sustainability of farming practices and value chain integration that contribute to the climate adaptation and resilience goals of El Salvador and net-zero goals of Republic of Korea (ROK).

The expected long-term impact of the program is to create a transformational change that will improve climate resilience, build socio-economic opportunities for vulnerable local communities, and protect the ecosystem services on which they rely. The program aims at increasing local people’s ability to cope with climate change and other external shocks in the medium and long term through ecosystem-based adaptation that is based on climate smart agriculture (CSA) techniques.

Sustainable CSA models (agroforestry and silvopasture systems) promoted, demonstrated, and disseminated with this project will generate short – medium - and long-term employment to strengthen post COVID-19 economic recovery from the bottom up: CSA management systems generate local employment, which in turn stimulates consumption and production, unlocking a positive feedback loop to create more jobs and support a transition towards green growth.

The approach proposed is human-centric, focusing on strengthening climate-vulnerable farmers, especially women and youth, to be integrated with CSA value chains, focusing on agriculture, agroforestry, and silvopastoral products:

• Raising awareness of ICT tools to improve access to market information and climate adaptation of resource constrained and marginalized sector of the Salvadorian population.
• Providing technical training on CSA, entrepreneurship, business management and financial literacy, that will be delivered utilizing proven methods to reach final beneficiaries on the ground.
• Supporting Government of El Salvador in making ICT tools (early warning systems) available to a larger number of unserved farmers nationwide, to facilitate access to information that will allow them to prepare for climate-related hazards.
• Technical assistance on preparation of CSA project business plan will be delivered, focusing on de incubation of bankable associative business models with potential to aggregate and leverage additional funding from the private sector.
• Acceleration of bankable business models will be supported through provision of seed capital and matchmaking with private sector investors.

GGGI is seeking a highly experienced Agriculture Economy and Climate-Smart Agriculture Value Chains professional to support the implementation of the project “Strengthening Capacities of Women and Youth for Implementation of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in El Salvador”.

Reporting directly to Project Manager, based in El Salvador, with a secondary reporting line to GGGI Regional Director, based in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Office, the Agricultural Economy and CSA Value Chains Senior Associate will support the execution and implementation field operations undertaken by the project.

The Agricultural Economy and CSA Value Chains Senior Associate will be  responsible for the identification of promising CSA value chains and the development of CSA business plans as well as will also support the Project Manager with ensuring that project operations align with GGGI's policies and rules, donor requirements and national legal frameworks and sectoral strategies.

PURPOSE

• Analyzes local context and identifies opportunities for implementation of silvopastoral and agroforestry systems and integrates them into the design of the project implementation plans and activities.
• Leads and develops commodity, trade, market and risk analyses, as well as detailed value chain analyses in support of green climate positive and inclusive project
• Leads and develops bankable business plans to support social and economic inclusion of farmers and farmer organizations in El Salvador.
• Provides technical knowledge and capacity building to farmer organizations and their members to support the development of entrepreneurial capacities that support successful implementation of agroforestry and silvopastoral systems on the ground.
• Assesses delivery issues and works with Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) to identify practical solutions to support project implementation by leveraging their own skills and networks.

ENGAGEMENT

• Collaborate with GGGI colleagues in El Salvador and HQ on project related matters to enable the delivery of high-quality outputs and outcomes in accordance with GGGI Standards and contractual conditions of the project.
• Support the Project Manager in ensuring timely delivery of field operations linked to project outcomes and outputs.
• Build and maintain, relationships with central government agencies (MAG, MARN), Regional and local governments, donor, NGOs, development partners and local stakeholders.
• Support the Project Manager in ensuring successful delivery of outputs by applying technical knowledge and stakeholder engagement skills and networks.
• Stay informed on technical knowledge and expertise in CSA, climate plans, government of El Salvador’s strategic plans, policies and legal framework, among others.
• Keep abreast of technologies, trade information and potential market opportunities which address green value chain development, ecosystem restoration, and agriculture and coastal landscapes development relevant to NDC and SDG implementation;
• Engages with international trade organizations, private sector, MSMEs and community enterprises engaged in economic activities in forested and agricultural landscapes.

DELIVERY

• Oversee and manage implementation of activities by supervised staff and third-party contracts, ensuring adherence to GGGI policies, rules and regulations and donor requirements
• Research, analyze and lead the analysis of value chains and development of bankable business models, in collaboration with the Project Manager and Forestry Senior Associate
• Assist in evaluating program risk factors and project issues, and developing solutions to address such issues.
• Develop action plans for project implementation in coordination with MAG and MARN, where applicable
• Gather information to assess and design bio-economy and CSA value chains, articulating common objectives as well as the risks, value and benefits of sustainable climate positive management and investment
• Take a proactive approach to develop and disseminate knowledge sharing and communication products for replication and scaling;
• Support efforts to identify opportunities for resource mobilization that contributes to expand project impact and sustainability in alignment with GGGI policies and procedures.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• Post-graduate education in economics and green finance and/or related fields of economy, trade and sustainable finance;
• A minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience, including experience in CSA and bio-economy value chains assessment and development, addressing national and international markets.
• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrable professional experience in leading value chains assessment and business plans development

• In-depth knowledge of international commerce, harmonized tariff system and international markets for CSA products; in the delivery of capacity building activities targeting local farmer organizations.
• Experience in the delivery of capacity building activities targeting local farmer organizations is desirable
• Must be a citizen of El Salvador or have valid work permit in El Salvador.
• Fluency in Spanish and English, and excellent report writing skills are essential.

 FUNCTIONAL

• Experience within sustainability and climate change adaptation in the land use sector
• Experience in engaging with public sector, and civil society in capacity building activities.
• Project delivery experience, including managing the work and deliverables of supervisees and consultants within planned time and on budget.
• Experience designing and implementing value chain analysis and business plans, as well as experience in community-based and participatory development projects.
• Ability to manage data and present it in a comprehensive way utilizing statistical tools;

 CORPORATE

• Understands and actively supports GGGI's mission, vision and values.
• Processes and share information easily.
• Is able to lead where needed and provide solutions to project-level challenges.
• Manages emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Promotes the optimum use of public resources.
• Promotes an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Promotes creativity and innovation among staff.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Senior Associate is an X7 grade level in GGGI's El Salvador salary scale. Determination of base salary is subject to candidate's experience, academic background and internal equity. GGGI provides 15% of base salary towards retirement plan/long-term savings, 27 days of annual leave, and private health insurance that covers dental and vision.

GGGI is committed to providing a work environment that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate diverse life-cycle challenges and assist Staff members to achieve a better balance between work and personal/family commitments, thus ensuring high performance, long-term productivity, and well-being of Staff members.