BACKGROUND:

IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) runs several Regional and Country based projects. Some of these projects include provincial and district-based sub-offices and Knowledge Hubs. The project teams and the Knowledge Hubs work together with IUCN Academy and the Provincial Directorates of (1) Agriculture and Artisanal Fisheries, (2) Environment and Territorial Development, the Provincial Delegation of the Institute of E-government and They link to the central level via the respective Ministries and/or National Funds and Agencies.

To strengthen the project implementation team and the overall integration of projects into the programme and in the Hub, IUCN seeks to recruit a Project Officer, Sustainable Agriculture Value Chains to be based in Chimoio, and support the activities of the NORAD funded project, which cover the districts of Báruè and Vanduzi of Manica Province. This will be a local recruitment and the position will be located in the Chimoio PMU-Office, with travel in the intervened districts requested. This is a full-time position for one year, 2024-2025, with possible extensions within the project period, depending on good deliverables and evaluation.

The Project Officer, Sustainable Agriculture Value Chains will be integrated in the wider project regional team and IUCN Mozambique Country Office. She/he will support the teams visiting the province, the meetings to be organized, the collaboration with local implementing partners and the collection, filling, and processing of information to the project manager.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Project Officer, Sustainable Agriculture Value Chains is responsible for ensuring constant engagement with the main stakeholders in the province, district and supporting the timely implementation of daily project activities. S/He will be responsible for supporting planning, monitoring, and evaluation activities of the project, in articulation with the Senior Programme Officer, Forests. S/He will oversee the logistical organization of meetings and field visits as necessary as well as contribute technically to the progress of the activities and produce respective minutes and reports. The Project Officer, Sustainable Agriculture Value Chains reports directly to the Senior Programme Officer, Forests or others as indicated on the daily management while interfacing systematically with other project partners and members.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Lead the daily implementation, monitoring, and reporting of the SUSTAIN PRO project activities.
Help coordinate a range of project activities with relevant participants and stakeholders, such as discussions, meetings, workshops, training sessions, knowledge-sharing events, consultations, and promotional events for the project.
Assist in identifying entry points, needs, and requirements for interventions within each value chain. Facilitate meetings with business leaders and farmer organizations, applying gender-sensitive participatory methods. Identify market chain participants at each exchange point and be able to approach them to investigate their volumes handled, prices they pay for raw material, their sale prices, and interview them to determine their constraints and bottle necks.
Ensure that project activities are in line with financial, logistical, and administrative procedures of IUCN Mozambique, through coordinated work with the finance and admin team.
Organize and supervise the contents, visits, and work of the Knowledge HUB and the environmental education training-of-trainers, facilitating access to and security of the Knowledge Hub;
Facilitate discussions and negotiations between suppliers and buyers to establish connections between farmers and agribusinesses. Support the development of business cases for the project value chains.
Possess knowledge and understanding of market distribution channels.
Support the evaluation and training sessions for the project to facilitate training needs and participate in field visits as requested, for the good development of actions and successful implementation.
Collaborate closely with project partners and stakeholders at the district and community levels, offering support in implementing field activities.
Ensure effective communication among all relevant parties involved in the project, specifically within the Assistant's assigned workflow.
Assist the Project Management Team in preparing project documents and reports including event reports, case studies, fact sheets and web-stories.
Alert the project management team immediately in the face of any obstacles or constraints.
Maintain up-to-date files and records of project documentation.
Contribute to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming in all activities undertaken.
Carry out other relevant tasks assigned by and mutually agreed with the Project Manager.