Background
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are core principles at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Office/Unit/Project Description
Agriculture is the backbone of Malawi's economy, employing over 70% of the population and contributing significantly to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (24.7%). Whilst subsistence farming has been the predominant practice, there has been a growing emphasis on commercialization to unlock the sector's full potential. Commercialization entails transitioning from traditional, subsistence-oriented farming to more market-oriented, profit-driven agricultural activities in line with the Government’s Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) growth strategy In Malawi, this transition is crucial for enhancing food security, increasing farmers' incomes, promoting rural development, and achieving broader economic growth objectives. However, achieving meaningful commercialization requires targeted interventions, supportive policies and a strong anchorage to private sector. Since 2014, UNDP has actively supported the private sector in advancing sustainable development through diverse initiatives and partnerships in the agricultural space in close collaboration with mainstream Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Through close collaboration with private sector entities building on relevant past experiences, the UCHI Strengthening Agricultural Commercialization Project will provide the technical expertise, resources, and networks required to effectively tackle challenges related to agricultural commercialization and generate market opportunities for Farmer Organizations (FOs) and Micro, Small Enterprise (MSEs) advocating for market-oriented business practices and stimulating market and financial opportunities within priority value chains (banana, rice, honey, aquaculture, and soy sectors)
The District Coordinator will serve as the backbone of the UCHI Project's implementation at the district level, working across clusters in one of four regional offices. As the key focal point for the UCHI project at district level, the Coordinator will play a critical role in fostering strong collaboration among various stakeholders and devising technical expertise at district level. This will involve close engagement with FOs/MSMEs, district councils, agricultural committees, and other relevant entities to ensure that the project operates efficiently and effectively. With managerial, programmatic, and administrative responsibilities, the Coordinator will take the lead in organizing and implementing project activities while maintaining regular communication with UNDP’s management and the UCHI team.
Through consistent communication, thoughtful leadership, and professionalism, the District Coordinator will ensure that UCHI Project activities are delivered successfully, creating lasting benefits for the communities and stakeholders involved. The Coordinator will report directly to the UCHI Project Manager, and indirectly to the Programme Coordinator Inclusive/Green Business.
Summary of Key Function:
Effective and Efficient Project management:
Lead the development of district-specific project implementation plans, ensuring alignment with the UCHI Project Document (ProDoc) and national strategies; Offer strategic direction to district stakeholders to ensure that project outputs meet national and district-level policy objectives related to market access, financial inclusion, and value addition; Facilitate and oversee the implementation of project activities at the district level in collaboration with local councils, ensuring outputs related to market access, value addition, and financial inclusion are achieved; Coordinate technical assistance delivery to Farmer Organizations (FOs) and SMEs to enhance productivity, profitability, and sustainability; Liaise with private sector partners, financial institutions, off-takers, and other key actors to ensure alignment and timely delivery of project activities; Serve as the main district contact point for technical experts, government agencies, and project beneficiaries; Identify potential risks and challenges during project implementation, propose mitigation strategies, and ensure that project activities remain on track and relevant; Conduct regular monitoring of project activities, including field visits, to ensure adherence to agreed work plans; Prepare and submit comprehensive reports, including technical and progress updates, to the UCHI Project Manager; Support the design and execution of Value Chain Accelerators tailored to each value chain, enhancing market integration and growth potential; Support the design and implement targeted activities to foster agribusiness skills and entrepreneurial practices among farmers; Strengthen the capacity of farmer organizations (FOs) and micro, small- to medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in sustainable agricultural practices, climate resilience, and productivity-enhancing methods across the value chain; Collaborate with the Business Specialist to identify and establish partnerships with key stakeholders, including off-takers, financial institutions, and relevant industry actors; Work with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to conduct market research, gathering insights on market needs, and enterprise selection to guide business-related activities of the UCHI Project; Work with the District Trade Officers to identify market bottlenecks, assess risks, and devise solutions that address challenges and leverage opportunities within project interventions; In coordination with other specialists, ensure timely preparation and submission of quarterly, annual, and other required project reports; Ensure timely production and submission of of financial reports; Ensure project spot checks and audits implemented an ensure implementation of spot checks and audit recommendations.Provide Policy Support on UCHI Project:
Lead inclusive, evidence-based discussions to build a shared understanding of UCHI’s agricultural commercialization goals within local contexts, and explore priority policy intervention areas; Assist the Ministry of Agriculture in developing and reviewing policies and strategies related to agriculture, food security, and commercialization to align with national priorities; Work closely with the UCHI implementation team and Government of Malawi counterparts including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Trade, and local entities to define a policy agenda aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity, agribusiness growth, and private investment; Collaborate proactively with district council counterparts to identify operational bottlenecks within the five value chains. Consolidate findings and elevate them to the national level for comprehensive assessment, in-depth research, and informed policy recommendations.Strengthens partnerships with government and other partners across the 10 Districts of UCHI:
Collaborate with government agencies, NGOs, financial institutions, market actors, and other stakeholders across the UCHI project districts to foster strategic partnerships, ensuring project alignment and effective coordination; Support regional and national dialogue meetings, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions to promote collaboration, exchange ideas, and strengthen the implementation of the UCHI Program; Engage with government and key partners to deliver knowledge-based advisory services, ensuring alignment with broader development efforts and optimizing integration across initiatives; Support the creation of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), partnership agreements, and other collaborative frameworks to formalize stakeholder relationships at district level.Effective Knowledge Management:
Ensure accurate documentation, accessibility, and organization of project data, reports, and materials for stakeholders; Create high-quality briefs, reports, presentations, and other materials that support evidence-based decision-making, enhance project visibility, and promote private sector engagement in agriculture, productivity, and value chains; Oversee the development and quality of knowledge products related to district-level operations, ensuring alignment and integration with related projects led by other DPs and compatibility with broader project objectives; Identify and incorporate lessons learned to drive project outcomes and actively facilitate access to knowledge networks to inform and enhance local project delivery.Capacity Building and Monitoring:
Identify relevant training programmes, in conjunction with District Level counterparts, on modern agricultural practices directly for the delivery of the same to FOs and trainers. Identify and adapt existing training materials from previous projects, such as Kulima, to meet the needs of FOs and MSMEs; Collaborate with the MEL specialist to design and implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks, track project progress, and assess outcomes. Monitor agribusiness operations to identify improvement areas and implement risk mitigation strategies; Collect and analyze data on project activities, impact, and effectiveness to inform decision-making and improve project outcomes; Conduct field visits, missions to supervise activities and gather information for project dissemination and stakeholder engagement; Assist in preparing background materials for discussions, correspondence, and meetings with stakeholders to support effective communication and decision-making; Contribute to capacity-building efforts to ensure project activities and deliverables are well received and effectively implemented within the target communities.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangement:
The District Coordinator will be based at the District Council to lead the project coordination unit in collaboration with the District Commissioner, Director of Planning and Development, Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources and reporting directly to UNDP. The District Coordinator provides operational and technical advice to government agencies and implementing partners and is responsible for overall coordination and management of the project. The Coordinator will work closely with other responsible parties in government, the UNDP Country Office, to promote effective coordination. At UNDP the Coordinator shall work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager UCHI and in collaboration with Project Specialists and other District Coordinators.
Competencies
Core Competencies
Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact ;
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems;
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences;
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands;
Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results;
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration;
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Direction & Strategy
Strategic Thinking Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritize plans in line with UNDP's objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends: to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP. System Thinking Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.Business Management
Customer Satisfaction/Client Management Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs; Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy; Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests; Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs. Project Management Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.Partnership Management
Relationship Management Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.2030 Agenda: Prosperity
Inclusive Growth Local Economic Development; Economic Diversification.Minimum Education Requirements:
Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Agronomy, International Development, Economics, Business or related field is required. Or; A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.Minimum years of relevant work experience:
Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in Agriculture, Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness, Sustainable Agriculture, Environment Management, Climate Change, Private Sector development is required.Required skills:
Progressive and professional experience in the relevant field in programme or project management in the context of agribusiness development or agricultural and rural development is required. At least five (5) years within the national government systems at a senior level, non-governmental organizations and/or international organizations in Malawi or a similar country in the sub-Saharan Africa is required.Desired experience in addition to the competencies covered in the competencies section:
Background experience in working with UN Organization is an asset; Proven familiarity with and contributions to policy dialogues in the agricultural space, preferably in the banana, rice, honey, aquaculture, and soy value chains, and advisory functions involving government counterparts; Proven experience and knowledge in working with FOs/MSMEs in agricultural commercialization, and knowledge of value chains preferably in the banana, rice, honey, aquaculture, and soy sectors; Thorough knowledge and proven understanding of the global agriculture landscape, international trade of agricultural commodities; Strong team working skills/experience and willingness to travel; Proven ability to lead and to work with minimum supervision while ensuring work as part of a larger team; Excellent communication skills/experience with ability to express ideas clearly.Required Language(s)
Fluency in English and Chichewa (as national language) is required. Disclaimer