Helen Keller International (HKI), an International NGO, has been working in Bangladesh since 1978. HKI implements different projects in partnership with national and international NGOs, development partners, academic and research institutions, and the private sector. HKI takes a gender-sensitive approach to improving nutrition, food security and eye health. Current program areas include Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) awarded HKI a five-year cooperative agreement to lead the Development Food Security Activity, “Sustainable Agriculture and Production Linked to Improved Nutrition Status, Resilience, and Gender Equity” (SAPLING) on September 30, 2015, with the overall goal of improving gender equitable food security, nutrition and resilience of vulnerable people within the Bandarban District. To achieve this objective, HKI is working in partnership with CRS, CARITAS Bangladesh, three local implementing partners, individuals, communities, institutions, traditional leaders and the Government of Bangladesh to affect enduring positive change in its program areas by addressing immediate needs while investing in the future.

HKI is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Manager – Markets and Value Chains for its SAPLING project. Preference will be given to qualified candidates from Bandarban Hill District and CHT in general.

Job Title : Manager – Markets and Value Chains
Job Location   Bandarban
Reporting to   The Team Leader - Livelihoods
Duration :

The project period is through September 2020; however, the initial employment offer will be for one year, with expected start date in June 2018.

Scope of Work

The Manager – Markets and Value Chains provides overall leadership and direction for the successful implementation of SAPLING’s Income Generating Activities (IGA) being implemented with 10,000 participants in five upazilas of Bandarban District. The intervention applies a pro-poor market systems strategy which emphasizes gender equality and social inclusion. The Manager – Markets and Value Chains provides guidance to and coordinate all aspects of implementation for both on and off-farm sub-sector activities including training, assets transfer and market linkages. The primary subsectors are pumpkin, ginger, turmeric, papaya, banana, coffee, weaving, livestock health, WASH and poultry, with support provided to smaller sectors on a pilot basis.

The Manager – Markets and Value Chains proactively promotes innovation and application of new and/or improved technologies, and contributes to the technical integrity of climate smart production. S/he provides strategic and technical direction within this domain, developing programmatic and operational plans that enable the upazila-based teams to carry out activities to achieve expected outcomes and targets, and enforce systematic supervision to ensure quality control. The Manager – Markets and Value Chains also develops and manages activity budgets, ensures compliance with USAID environmental and other regulations, assists in recruitment and coordination of technical staff, and plans activity-related procurements. The Manager- Markets and Value Chains provides technical and administrative support to five upazila-based Technical officers, (TO) Markets and Value chains, reviewing monthly work plans and reports, and contributes to their on-going capacity development.  The Manager – Markets and Value Chains coordinates with all other managers/team leads within SAPLING and external actors within this domain to ensure success.

Job Responsibilities

Planning and Capacity Building:

  • Lead goal setting, implementation planning and monitoring, quality control, and budgeting for all multi-sector IGA interventions.
  • Assist TOs and consortium partners to develop monthly, quarterly and annual work plans to ensure achievement of targets, tracking against progress.
  • Review monthly reports and guide discussions on application of, and follow-up on, findings.
  • Provide on-the-job and formal training, coaching and mentoring for TOs to plan, carry out, and monitor activities.
  • Develop annual detailed implementation plans (DIPs) for submission to donor and detailed action plans (DAPs) for internal use.
  • Update/develop guidelines for implementation of activities, asset transfer standard operating procedures (SOP), para-level supervision, improved production, etc.
  • Continually review training manuals, TOTs, guidelines, forms, standard operating procedures, etc., in coordination with others, to incorporate learnings and strengthen program quality.
  • Refine the exit strategy and sustainability plan for the IGA component based on lessons learned.
  • Ensure that TOs, Uupazila Coordinators, Union Supervisors and field facilitators have a clear understanding of SAPLING’s market systems approach which builds resilience of market actors and links poor producers with markets.
  • Ensure that technical staff are fully capable of identifying market constraints and applying appropriate strategies to address them. 

Monitoring and technical assistance/oversight:

  • Conduct regular monitoring visits of activities and supporting field facilitators, union supervisors, etc. to implement activities correctly and within the timeline (approx.. 40% LOE).
  • Gather information from various sources, including established M&E systems and monitoring visits, and collaborate with M&E team regularly for analysis of data to understand outcomes and achievements.
  • Track progress against the DIPs and DAPs and update as needed, coordinating with team leads, program managers, upazila coordinators, TOs, etc. to trouble shoot, make recommendations and provide proactive support to the program implementation team.
  • Coordinate with M&E team to extract key findings on IGA activities and work with TOs and others to adjust or modify activities where needed.
  • Provide written monthly and quarterly reports on programmatic achievements and lessons learned to Team Leader - Livelihoods.
  • Lead market linkage activities and stimulate private sector development through ensuring SAPLING’s market systems strategy is properly implemented.
  • Support access to market opportunity through engagement of private sector and investment promotion in on-off farm businesses.

Coordination and Networking:

  • Conduct monthly meetings with TOs, Marketing and Value Chains to discuss progress and findings.
  • Participate in union and upazila-level monthly meetings to facilitate program planning, tracking of results and findings, and application of lessons learned.
  • Participate in monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings with team lead and other managers to identify key technical concerns, share technical information, coordinate activities at all levels and contribute to the overall improvement of the program.
  • Establish linkages between district government officers and Upazila Officers to further improve the smooth and efficient implementation of related activities. Expected results of coordination efforts are reduction of duplication, building on gains of other initiatives/leveraging resources, and introduction of appropriate pro-poor and climate friendly technologies.
  • Facilitate effective coordination among consortium partners to ensure understanding of SAPLING’s IGA strategy, expectations of implementation and compliance with activity plans.
  • Facilitate to promote culturally rich products to higher end market from CHT and builds network.
  • Lead inter-disciplinary coordination meetings involving key team members and management to share challenges and work to resolve the issues raised.
  • Participate in both public and private-sector market-related development forums at the district, regional and national levels to ensure sector-wise expertise and build networks that benefit SAPLING’s IGA participants.
  • Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Required Qualifications

Education and Aptitude

  • An MBA or related field with a minimum of seven years of relevant program management experience

Job related experience and knowledge
Required:

  • Minimum of 7 years of relevant program management experience in pro-poor market related development activities funded by USAID or other donors.
  • Experience developing and managing work plans and related budgets.
  • Experience with robust M&E systems, including collection and use of monitoring data to improve program implementation.
  • Demonstrated problem solving skills and ability to effectively adjust program strategy and activities for improved implementation.
  • Extensive experience working directly with value chains in CHT, particularly in Bandarban District;
  • Demonstrated commitment to management practices that promote gender and social inclusion.
  • Willingness to travel an average of fifty percent of time to project sites within upazilas, unions and villages (paras) in Bandarban District and Dhaka to provide direct oversight, coordination and support to interventions and related staff.
  • Excellent communication skills in both English and Bangla.

Preferred:

  • Experience working within consortium projects.
  • Experience working in a multi-sectoral development program.
  • Experience working with community and/or household-level interventions in which participatory systems to achieve accountability were employed.
  • Experience working in the CHT areas and/or knowledge of the CHT region.
  • Fluency in one or more ethnic language spoken in Bandarban

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Interested persons are requested to apply with a complete résumé (not more than 4 pages), cover letter stating your suitability for the position, contact telephone number and a copy of a recent passport size photograph. Applications should be sent to: The HR Manager at E-mail: Bangladesh-Recruitment@hki.org by May 7, 2018.

Note: Please mention the position title in the subject line. Only short-listed candidates will be called for interview.

Founded in 1915 by Helen Keller and George Kessler, the mission of Helen Keller International (HKI) is to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. HKI combats the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition. Headquartered in New York City, HKI’s programs prevent blindness and reduce malnutrition in 21 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States.”

www.hki.org