Value Chain and Food System Expert Roster

 

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles

 

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance

 

 

Job Title: Value Chain and Food System Expert

 

Type of Contract: Consultant

 

Division: PRO-F / Food System and Smallholder Support Unit

 

Duty Station (City, Country): Various locations

 

Duration: up to 11 months

 

Closure date: January 31st 2022

 

 

This vacancy announcement is for a roster of consultants with expertise in Value Chain and Food System

INCLUSION IN THE ROSTER DOES NOT GUARANTEE ANY FUTURE CONTRACTUAL RELATION WITH THE WFP.

THE ROSTER WILL HAVE A VALIDITY OF TWO YEARS

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

 

WFP’s demand for food and food system services can be a direct and indirect driving force towards the achievement of zero hunger, contributing to inclusive agricultural growth and sustainable social and economic transformation. Over the years, WFP has steadily increased the share of food procurement that it carries out locally. In 2020, WFP’s total food purchases were of 3.33 million MT, of which 20% were bought locally with an increased percentage of commodities purchased in developing countries and in the country where they were grown. By injecting cash into local economies, local and regional food procurement, including pro-smallholder procurement, can significantly strengthen smallholders’ livelihoods and the sustainability and resilience of food systems, particularly when it is associated with activities that support value chain actors. WFP’s new Local and Regional Food Procurement Policy (LRFPP) offers a framework for addressing bottlenecks in value chains, in particular detecting inefficiencies and imbalances that may prevent actors along the chain from benefiting from food procurement.  

 

This Policy pushes for an increased integration across WFP programmes and aims at boosting WFP’s local, regional and pro-smallholder procurement by complementing the cost-efficiency considerations that guide its procurement decisions and introducing additional principles and parameters, including programme objectives and analysis of local value chains. This will contribute to improving the participation of smallholders in existing and new food and agriculture value chains. As part of the implementation of the LRFPP, a Value Chain Analysis (VCA) methodology has been developed. This methodology can also be used in other contexts where the objectives might go beyond procurement activities and are related to other specific development goals. It can be applied as starting point for Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS) projects, and to inform other WFP initiatives, such as Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSF), Cash Based Transfers (CBT), Food Assistance for Assets (FFA), and other initiatives that promote value chain development and foster lasting and resilient food systems beyond aid operations, while helping crisis affected populations.

 

The approach used for WFP´s VCA methodology is called Rapid Market Appraisal (RMA). This approach was chosen for its simplicity, flexibility of use, and its capacity to address multiple and diverse issues, such as those related with the distribution and analysis of margins and profits along the chain. Such an appraisal is a valuable means to understanding the value chain through participants’ eyes, to provide insights into and explanations behind marketing decisions, as well as to comprehend factors responsible for any potential unfair distribution of margins. This approach also allows to identify constraints hampering the value chain as well as opportunities to leverage existing potentials and concrete solutions to upgrade target chains. The RMA approach relies on a combination of secondary information and primary data collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. These tools will provide detailed qualitative information in a timely and cost-effective manner. Based on the results obtained from the RMA, the analyst can develop appropriate programs and policies to promote production and marketing interventions for current and potential products, as well as to assist value chain actors in developing their market strategies and improving their access to support services.

In this context, WFP is building up a roster of experts to work on short-term activities and projects as consultants or at various levels of experience. The experts will provide technical support, in coordination with staff from the PRO-F team, on smallholders and food systems work supporting the implementation of different value chain assessments and key interventions related to value chain development. Assignments are likely to happen in the countries where WFP operates in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where we are aiming at building up a roster of experts with different language skills to ensure effective deployment in different environments. Selected applicants will be enrolled in the roster, and contracts will be issued either by HQ, Regional Bureaus and Country Offices who will have access to the roster database 

• The assignments may involve full-time or part-time functions, with duration ranging from less than one month up to 11 months. The possibility of extension is subject to satisfactory performance and dependent on the availability of resources and the needs of WFP.
• Assignments can require travel, mission and/or appointment to field locations.

 

Individuals who meet or exceed the requirements of the Call determined through an interview process will be included in the WFP roster, which will be used to resource future vacancies within the technical requirements covered by the Call. The roster will have a validity of 2 years.

 

 

 

MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES (not all-inclusive):

 

• Lead/Contribute to the development of value chain studies and initiatives for a range of food commodities, acting as link between Procurement and Programme
• In accordance with WFP’s VCA methodology, design and implement value chain analyses of target food commodities, work on stakeholder engagement and provide detailed recommendations on how and what can be done (potential interventions) to address key value chain bottlenecks and imbalances. This might include performing different activities related to agribusiness, market access, nutrition, gender, climate, social protection/social safety, food value chain and food system development, such as:

• Developing and reviewing information materials, technical papers and guidelines on topics, such as market and policy analysis, business enabling environment, institutional strengthening; inclusive business models, entrepreneurship; contract farming, digital solutions/technologies, marketing, value chain finance, business support services; public-private platforms and partnerships.
• Identifying capacity building needs, developing training materials and training courses and activities
• Contributing to the collection, dissemination and exchange of relevant data and information
• Contributing to the organization of and/or participating in meetings, conferences, workshops, consultations and field visits as needed

 

• Contribute to the design and implementation of programmes and projects related to agribusiness, value chain development, and agricultural and rural development in line with WFP’s LRFPP and SAMS+ frameworks

• Within the specific area of responsibility, prepare reports and data analysis and make recommendations to supervisors
• Liaise with internal counterparts to enable effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring of ongoing activities related to value chain analysis/development and related ongoing project activities
• Identify, establish and foster operational local partnerships to implement collaborative initiatives that will contribute to address some of the inefficiencies identified in the target value chains
• As requested, provide technical support and/or backstopping to field activities, including building collaborations and partnerships
• Other duties as required

 

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

 

Education: University degree in one of the following disciplines: agriculture, agricultural economics, economics, agronomy, food systems, development studies, marketing or other related fields     Experience:   Postgraduate professional relevant experience in the subject area, specifically field experience in food value chain analysis, agribusiness, marketing, digital technologies for value chain development, rural development, nutrition, gender, and/or development projects in the field of smallholder agricultural market support:   Consultant level I: 3 to 5 years of experience Consultant level II: 6 to 10 years of experience Consultant level III: Specialized education, 12 years of experience Consultant level IV: Very specialized education, more than 12 years of experience   Technical/Functional Skills:   Knowledge of food value chains analysis and development, food systems, nutrition, gender, climate, social protection/social safety, smallholder agricultural support and/or efficiency/marketing initiatives in developing/transition countries Capacity to develop and implement complex value chains initiatives in developing countries, which includes skills in working with governments Extent of experience in conducting value chain assessments and providing technical support in value chain development in terms of successful interventions Excellent analystical skills with ability to compile, analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data, prepare reports and draw conclusions and recommentations Strong interpersonal skills and ability for perform well in cross-disciplinary teams Very good oral and written communication skills to engage experts and liaising with external and internal stakeholders as appropriate Ability to estasblish prioritites and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan, and deliver results and meet deadlines Ability to write clear and concise technical documents A good command of MS Office Ability and willingness to take on assignments that require travel and/or appointment to field locations in remote regions, if necessary, on short notice

Languages:

 

Excellent written and spoken English. Knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, or Portuguese and any other UN languages would be considered as additional asset

 

Terms and Conditions

 

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

 

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

 

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

 

Deadline for applications: 31 December 2021

 

Ref.: VA No. 153952

 

 

 

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

 

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status

 

 

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil

Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations

system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.