The Market Transitions to Enable New Growth Opportunities (MTENGO) project is a five year, USDA-funded project implemented by Winrock International in the Northern and Central regions of Malawi. MTENGO uses a farmer-first approach grounded in market incentives to increase resource-efficient, reliable production from Malawian agriculture in the face of climate unpredictability. MTENGO’s approach will enable farmers to: Diversify and achieve stable returns from their farming portfolio through climate smart farming by responding to market demands with diversified production; Increase access to water for productive purposes through improved water management practices; Make ecosystem services work for farmers by improving farmer access to, and collective management of, water, soil, and forest products; and Increase access to markets and finance so farmers can make climate smart investments. The Technical Manager will support the technical design, implementation, and partnership strategy for the project. S/he will support the Technical Director to develop strategies to promote the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices and technologies and will contribute to project activities related to water use and management, ecosystems services and improved access to markets and finance. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Provide technical input in the project design, implementation, and partnership strategy for the project’s market systems, resilience, and capacity building interventions. Participate in joint activity design and planning, coordinated implementation, and learning activities. Manage the District Coordinator and ensure that District Field Officers are effectively and accurately implementing project activities. Co-develop strategies and approaches with the COP, Technical Director, and the GESI Advisor to reach women, youth, and historically excluded communities within project interventions. Identify and manage partnerships with private sector, government, research institutions, financial institutions, and complementary donor programs that contribute to both sustainable and inclusive benefits to agricultural stakeholders. Support evaluations and assessment of market opportunities and constraints, identifying wastes in current agricultural practices, identifying partners, and designing mutually beneficial project partnerships. Liaise closely with regional financial institutions, end-markets, and service providers to increase farming communities’ access to markets; Work closely with the MEL team and Technical Director to ensure streamlined data collection and analysis. Identify research and innovation needs, develop appropriate grants, advertise for applicants, select grantees, and oversee the completion of research and innovation activities by grantees. Understand expected project results, including evaluation of ongoing activities as part of a collaborating, learning, and adapting approach. Contribute to knowledge management and sharing activities within project, with USDA, other implementing partners, and the government. Work closely with the Technical Director and the field team to develop annual workplans aligned with annual and life of project targets. Work with the Technical Director to review inputs for and draft sections of annual work plans and semi-annual reports. Support the technical work of consultants and subcontractors fielded under the program. QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND: Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Economics, International Development, Business Administration or related field required. Experience: Minimum 6 years of professional experience managing and implementing agriculture, climate adaptation and resilience interventions for international development projects, preferably with USG funded projects in Malawi. Experience managing technical teams for agriculture sector development, climate smart agriculture, water management, ecosystem services, and economic resilience, including training, capacity building, mentorship, and day-to-day management. Experience collaborating with private sector actors in the agricultural sector. Experience in climate smart agriculture, irrigation, natural resource management, agricultural research, and/or market analysis. Familiarity with proven climate smart technologies and most impactful practices, as well as innovative new tools and approaches. Knowledge of the Lean agriculture approach preferred. Knowledge of the Malawi agriculture sector. Strong training design, training delivery, and facilitation skills. Strong personnel management skills. Excellent written and oral communication skill in English required. About Winrock International Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and value diversity and inclusiveness. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation. Winrock knows that its success comes from the hard work and steadfast dedication of its diverse workforce. Winrock remains committed to maintaining diversity, inclusion and equity across the entire organization. Learn more about our projects: https://winrock.org
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