Emergency or Resilience Informal Seed Systems Advisor – Seed Systems Support Activity

DAI is an international development company. For more than 45 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 120 countries. Our development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

DAI seeks qualified Emergency or Resilience Informal Seed Systems Advisor candidates for the anticipated Seed Systems Support Activity (S3A) funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The global Seed Systems Support Activity focuses on inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, and strengthened resilience among people and systems through the identification and deployment of improvements to seed systems, with a focus on the faster and more reliable delivery of improved and quality seed, largely through informal seed systems.

The Emergency or Resilience Informal Seed Systems Advisor will be part of the management team and is expected to complement the Project Director (Chief of Party) in knowledge and experience of informal seed systems, responsible for developing and managing activities to leverage and link emergency and development seed programs to support vulnerable smallholder farmers; develop shock responsive seed systems for greater resilience; assess and advocate policy and regulatory change needed to support the availability, access, and quality of seed in informal and semi-formal seed system; support monitoring of donor and NGO seed supply programs; and address major capacity constraints as they are identified. He/he should be a senior manager with the following level of experience and qualifications:

Qualifications:

• An advanced degree (MS, MA or Ph.D.) in agriculture, socio-ecology, food security, agricultural economics or a related field

• At least 10 years of experience in food security and seed programming and can include value chain

• At least 3-5 years of experience in programs in informal seed systems

• Professional experience interacting with U.S. Government agencies in relation to the duties of this position

• Professional experience with humanitarian response and the seed system security assessment framework

Interested candidates should express interest with a CV to: DAISeed@dai.com with a reference to the Emergency or Resilience Informal Seed Systems Advisor position in the subject line.