Market Systems Specialist

Overview

We are looking for a dynamic market systems specialist, with strong grounding in market systems development, private sector engagement, and/or collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) concepts to join the Market and Food Systems team within ACDI/VOCA’s Technical Learning and Application Department. The ideal candidate will have a passion for applying systems thinking and adaptive management approaches to complex development problems, experience with facilitation and stakeholder-led methodologies to implementation, a curiosity for learning and exploration, and a strong self-initiative and desire to collaborate across teams. Duties and responsibilities will fall under three operational categories: project-level technical support, services and advisory (approximately 40%), new business development and design (approximately 40%), and organization-wide learning, resource and tool development, and other related initiatives (approximately 20%).

Responsibilities

Champion A/V’s Inclusive Market Systems Development Approach: Ensure technical quality and provide support to project teams. Provide ongoing, responsive technical support and guidance to projects. Lead and/or oversee discrete and ongoing technical services collaboratively with project and teams, including conducting in-country and remote training on ACDI/VOCA’s inclusive market systems and/or CLA approaches, supporting market systems analyses, and strategy, designing private sector partnership opportunities, annual work planning, and informing appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches. Support project CLA plans, learning agendas, and adaptive management systems. Facilitate integration of other ACDI/VOCA practice areas into market systems development projects.

Internal Collaboration, Learning, and Tool/Resource Development: Promote and cultivate opportunities for learning and collaboration across the organization and with field offices. Provide leadership in promoting and enhancing analytical approaches to ACDI/VOCA’s inclusive market systems approach. Organize and facilitate working groups and/or Communities of Practice around market systems, CLA and other relevant technical topics. Develop data collection and analytical tools. Gather information and learning from field offices and share across the organization.

New Business: Provide technical guidance and leadership to new business teams, develop proposal strategy and content. Serve as technical or contributing writer or subject matter expert. Conduct desk and field market systems research. Support proposal management activities such as: identifying key personnel, overseeing external consultants, collaborating with partner organizations, and contributing to management plans.

External Outreach: Engage with donors, implementers, and other stakeholders to document, share, promote, and exchange learning, best practice, and experience from ACDI/VOCA’s portfolio. Participate in networking events, conferences, and donor outreach events. Engage in technically relevant communities of practice and/or working groups. Identify partners and build effective professional partnerships to help ACDI/VOCA achieve its goals. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum of 7 to 10 years of relevant experience, including overseas work, in international development or related field. Master’s degree in economics, Political Economy, Public Policy, Agricultural Economics, International Development, Applied Mathematics, or related field. Demonstrated strategic thinker supporting the design and management of market systems development and adaptive management and learning strategies on projects and proposals. Experience leading and facilitating learning agendas, stakeholder meetings and/or capturing and disseminating learning for external audiences. Demonstrated familiarity with current trends in market systems development- such as designing for systemic change, complexity-aware monitoring, analytical tools or consultation processes for getting to root causes, and CLA. Experience with quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis desired. Excellent technical writing and communication skills in English for writing proposals, reports, and papers. Strong interpersonal and team skills, with ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Fluency in French or Spanish preferred. International travel required (approximately 25%).

While the requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required; reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.