Objective:

J.E. Austin Associates and its consortium is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader for an anticipated USAID activity focused on tourism development in Moldova. The overall goal of this five-year program is to further stimulate the transformation of the Moldovan tourism sector into an engine of economic growth, leading to higher living standards for rural Moldovans in the long term, while concurrently cultivating greater national pride in the Moldovan identity and strengthening social cohesion.

The implementation of the program is expected to yield the following outcomes: (a) an increase in number of annual international visitors to Moldova; (b) increased average spending by international visitors translating into higher foreign exchange earnings; (c) an increase in number of days per visitor with an emphasis on attracting tourists to destinations located outside of the capital; and (d) an increased number of direct and indirect tourism-related jobs; (e) enhanced social cohesion among various ethnic groups in Moldova.

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Based in Chisinau, Moldova, the COP will be responsible for:

• Providing overall vision, direction, leadership, and management of the project, including regular reporting to USAID/Moldova.
• Supervising senior long and short-term advisors
• Overseeing knowledge capture, organization, synthesis, and executing effective strategies for implementing effective work under the program in all rural areas.
• Managing project partners and resources
• Overseeing reporting to USAID technical and contract personnel
• Liaising with USAID Missions (the client) to maintain frequent and open communication

 

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in relevant field required; Tourism related degree or training is highly preferred
• 10 -15 years of international development experience; COP experience is desired
• Minimum eight (8) years of senior-level experience in leading, designing, implementing tourism related projects
• Deep knowledge of cultural, sustainable and destination tourism development concepts
• Experience managing contracts and agreements with USAID and other donors.
• Experience interacting with host country stakeholders, including governmental, public and private sector actors, and others
• Demonstrated leadership, strong interpersonal, writing and oral presentation skills
• Excellent Communication and English writing skills; Knowledge of Russian and/or Romanian will be plus.

 

About J.E. Austin Associates

Since 1986, J.E. Austin Associates, Inc. (JAA) has assisted business and government leaders to implement strategic changes designed to achieve rapid growth that is economically, politically, socially and environmentally sustainable. JAA’s areas of expertise are in strategic planning, competitiveness, private sector development, export growth, business environment reform, workforce development, and institutional strengthening. JAA has provided these services across a wide variety of manufacturing, service, and agribusiness sectors on more than 650 projects in 127 countries, including Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries.

 

Position Description

JAA is seeking a Private Sector Engagement Lead for the Turkmenistan New Generation Activity. The Private Sector Engagement Lead will provide a variety of technical support to USAID/Central Asia and its implementing partners in the development of training and education programs that meet the needs of the private sector. This position is contingent on JAA being awarded the contract.

This anticipated project will be a follow-on to the Enriching Youth for Tomorrow activity to improve youth workforce development. The project will highlight IT and digital skills, public/private sector engagement, and integrating marginalized and vulnerable populations. USAID/Central Asia seeks to engage with private and public sector employers to understand current and future needs for skills and to develop training, education, and apprenticeship programs to meet those needs.

This position is contingent on JAA being awarded this project.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Foster strong, collaborative relationships with the private sector in Turkmenistan, particularly with their representatives (Union of Entrepreneurs and other chambers and associations as appropriate).
• Convene and facilitate dialogue with the private sector and between the private sector and education and training providers and the government.
• Analyze and provide reports on priority skills development, and coordinate efforts to respond to private sector priorities.

• Plan and implement program for private sector engagement and assist in planning and implementation of demand-driven skills development.
• Ensure activities are planned and delivered according to program standards.
• Coordinate outreach to build relationships with private sector, including domestic firms and foreign investors.
• Plan and implement meetings, events, and other activities involving the private sector under the direction of the COP.
• Contribute to the development of strategies, work plans, and outreach related to private sector engagement under the direction of the COP.
• Advocate, lead and provide strategic direction, program and technical guidance in private sector engagement.
• In collaboration with MEL and other technical team members, strengthen data and monitoring to ensure that private sector engagement with the project is tracked and appropriate response strategies are implemented; analyze and report on program and project progress.
• Contribute to annual work planning, training plans, quarterly reports, and other required technical reports. Stay up-to date on global best practices, new developments, and emerging issues in private sector engagement.

 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in field related to business, management, economics, organizational learning, political science, or development studies.
• 5+ years of experience in the private sector, business associations, or donor-funded projects.
• Familiarity with, and ability to apply and adapt methods to engage the private sector in development programs or in workforce or human resources development.
• Previous experience supporting USAID or other development organizations in a similar capacity.
• Experience working in Turkmenistan.
• Oral and written fluency English and Russian.

 

Interested applicants should submit their resumes and a cover letter to info@jeaustin.com.

Egypt ERAS Project 

Call for Ag Finance/Access to Finance/Fin Systems Expert  

 

Employer: J.E. Austin Associates

Location: Cairo

Country: Egypt

Reports to: Business Market Financial Development Specialist

 

Program Description

Feed the Future Egypt Rural Agribusiness Strengthening Project (ERAS) is a five-year USAID-funded activity, supported by the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative. The project helps improve the competitiveness of Egypt’s horticulture producers and related down-stream businesses and food processors. The project promotes a more competitive and inclusive Egyptian economy through growth in selected horticultural sectors with special focus on securing employment and increasing agriculture-related incomes of smallholder farmers.

The project works in greater Cairo, Upper Egypt, and the Nile Delta, through three strategic regional offices in Luxor, Minya and Gharbia, in addition to the main office in Cairo. The project’s implementation period is from August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2023.

Position Description

Small farmer access to finance, directly or through facilitating intermediaries, is critical to the overall success of the ERAS Project. Farmers produce primary horticulture.  The consultant will work alongside key project program staff, including the Business, Market and Finance Development Specialist, Dr. Ayman Shelaby, and the Senior Access to Finance Specialist (TBD).  The Year 3 Work Plan for ERAS includes work with financial institutions (FIs) to develop new agricultural lending products. ERAS will also test crop insurance for small farmers in Egypt.  The consultant will help the team implement these initiatives.  The consultant will be based in Cairo but will be required to make several trips to the field for financial institutions visits in different governorates in Upper Egypt.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance to select at least three new potential FIs to participate in ERAS access to finance activities.
• Help prepare the Action Implementation Plan for each new FI that participates in ERAS access to finance activities.
• Work with FI staff (nine previous ERAS partners plus three new partners) to design/adapt agriculture loan products for small farmers.
• Design and conduct three workshops for 50 FIs staff on designing agricultural loan products and conducting risk management on such products.
• Provide technical assistance to support international STTA expert to conduct crops insurance survey of insurance providers and ERAS small farmers.
• Provide technical assistance to prepare and announce the revolving loan fund small grants to partner FIs.
• Provide other support and assistance to the Senior Access to Finance Specialist, including transition of responsibilities for activities under Sub-IR 3.2.

Deliverables

• Written report on selection of new potential FIs to participate in ERAS access to finance activities.
• Action Implementation Plan for each new FI that participates in ERAS access to finance activities.
• Written report on new agriculture loan products for small farmers.
• Training agendas, materials, and delivery of three workshops for 50 FIs staff on designing agricultural loan products and conducting risk management on such products.
• Inputs on crops insurance study and product development.
• Monthly reports on activities to help 12 FIs develop/adapt and roll out new loan products for small farmers.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (MBA, Finance, Ag Economics, etc. or equivalent qualifying experience
• 10 Years of field experience in at least 3 countries (especially MENA Arab Countries)
• Practical experience at getting results in ag access to finance

Egypt ERAS Project

Call for International STTA Crops Insurance Consultant

 

Employer: J.E. Austin and Associates

Location: Cairo

Country: Egypt

Reports to: Business Market Financial Development Specialist

 

Program Background

Feed the Future Egypt Rural Agribusiness Strengthening Project (ERAS) is a five-year USAID-funded activity, supported by the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative. The project aims improve the competitiveness of Egypt’s horticulture producers and related down-stream businesses and food processors. The project promotes a more competitive and inclusive Egyptian economy through growth in selected horticultural sectors with special focus on securing employment and increasing agriculture-related incomes of smallholder farmers.

The project will work in greater Cairo, Upper Egypt, and the Nile Delta, through three strategic regional offices in Luxor, Minya and Gharbia, in addition to the main office in Cairo. The project’s implementation period is from August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2023

Position Description

The training consultancy assignment is critical toward the overall success of the ERAS Project. The objective of the assignment is to develop means to expand the availability of crop insurance in Egypt and modify the available crop insurance products so that they meet the needs of smallholder farmers in value chains that the ERAS project supports. The consultant will work alongside key project program staff, including the Services Providers’ Linkages Lead, Marketing Lead, Finance Lead and other component staff to conduct a crops insurance study, recommendations for one or more crops insurance products, and a training manual for small farmers beneficiaries and the interested commercial insurance companies. The consultant will develop the training material and conduct programs according to target groups.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Crops Insurance consultant will conduct in depth survey and study on the Agriculture Insurance market and potential expansion to small holders in the value chains, including but not limited to:
• Value chains crops individual insurance needs (e.g.: Assessing the Yield based coverage, Revenue based coverage, Cost of production-based coverage peril-Specific-based coverage, or weather index insurance).
• The Assessment sample will be from the project small holder farmers at Upper Egypt and Delta geographical areas).
• The Assessment sample will cover the insurance financial needs of ERAS Project horticulture crops.
• Identify and analyze potential partner financial institutions and insurance providers and their business models relating to agriculture insurance.
• The Assessment will study the status of Crops insurance regarding: the macro level (existing GOE farmers insurance support and subsidies, policy makers and future strategies), the meso level (Agriculture Insurance providers that are providing Micro or existing SMEs insurance and future premiums) and the Micro level (Crops insurance needs across small holders farmers/buyers and input suppliers). The assessment will include: the existing crops risks, suitability of crops insurance products for small holders farmers, non-insurance educational and awareness needs for both the insurance firms and the target small holder farmers)
• Assess the existing relationship between the insured farmers and their commercial insurance providers and lessons learned. (Contracting, terms and conditions of claiming, etc)
• Assessing the Crops insurance cycle at the commercial insurance providers including:
• The insurance offer role.
• The published actuarial documents and who is doing it?
• The actuarial documents list (Including: the plan of insurance, crop, type, variety, and practice that may be insured in county, and show the amounts of insurance, available insurance options, levels of coverage, price elections, applicable premium rates, and subsidy amounts).
• The Special Provisions of Insurance list program calendar dates, and general and special statements which may further define, limit, or modify coverage.
• Procedures of sales closing, cancellation, and termination dates.
• Time and conditions of accepting the claims.
• Identify and recommend tangible incentives for the crops insurance players (policy makers, providers and small holders’ farmers and others) to attract them to test and disseminate crops insurance products with ERAS project.
• Conduct both desk research, individual and semi-structured groups interviews to assess the crops insurance situation (including business models, practices, and procedures) and small farmers insurance needs and attitudes toward crop insurance products (including assessment of affordability and willingness to pay the premiums).
• Analyze the data collected and final reporting to ERAS project.
• Present the survey report and final findings (Including recommended Crops insurance products to be piloted) to ERAS project and stakeholders (small farmers NGOs, Input suppliers, Buyers, FIs and others).
• Develop an agriculture insurance training manual for small farmers beneficiaries and commercial insurance companies’ staff.

The consultant’s output will provide key information to support the project to assist in development/adaptation of insurance products to be piloted and to conduct outreach to insurers and small farmers to promote such products

Deliverables:

• Complete Crops insurance study.
• Complete Crops insurance product(s) to be tested
• Complete Agriculture insurance training manual (Content and materials) that will target both the Small farmers beneficiaries and the interested Commercial insurance companies’ staff.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• At least 10 years of work experience in the field of Agriculture Insurance themes in MENA Region (especially Egypt).
• Experience/ knowledge of the agribusiness environment in Egypt.
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, verbal and written communications skills.
• Advance relevant degree, in agricultural economics or agribusiness management.
• Previous work experience in development project with Agri-finance and insurance projects is preferable.

 

Language of Instruction and Handout

The consultant will deliver the training and technical assistance in Arabic. Handouts and training material, presentations and exercises will be in Arabic.

 

Interested applicants should submit their resumes and a cover letter to info@jeaustin.com.

Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity

Call for Agribusiness Policy Consultants

Location:    Abuja

Project:       USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity

Country:      Nigeria

Job Type:    Short-term (contract)

Period of Performance: TBD

Program Description

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its strategic partnership with the Federal Republic of Nigeria has awarded a five-year contract to CNFA to implement the Nigeria Agribusiness Activity, from 17^th December, 2018 to 17^th December, 2023. The Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to strengthen the enabling environment for agribusiness finance and investment. To achieve this goal, the Activity focuses on four interrelated components: (i) improving the enabling environment for agricultural sector growth; (ii) broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; (iii) promoting and facilitating investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations; and (iv) sustainably enhancing the performance of agribusiness micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs). In line with the U.S. and Nigerian governments’ commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector. The Activity focuses on five value chains (Maize, Soya, Rice, Cowpea, and Aquaculture) in seven states (Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger).

The Component 1 of the Activity is saddled with the responsibility of addressing regulatory burdens faced by agribusinesses – whether producers, aggregators, processors, or other actors in the value chains is constraining their productivity, profitability, and growth. The Activity seeks to implement reforms to improve Nigeria’s agricultural and agribusiness enabling environment at the state and federal levels. The goals include but not limited to making relevant regulations less cumbersome, lowering the cost of compliance; reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote more exports and import substitution; addressing infrastructure; improving the process and security of land ownership; minimizing the time it takes to perform statutory business functions; and limiting the scope for bureaucratic discretion. The Activity also works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy reform process, including building capacity in monitoring policy impact, conducting policy analyses, and institutionalizing public-private sector dialogue (PPD) forums. One such intervention is helping states and other federal ministries and agencies to review their agricultural policies (gender and youth as the case may be) to be more effective in realizing the huge potential agribusiness has in contributing to state level job creation, trade, taxes, inclusion, health, nutrition, competitiveness, and import substitution

Position Description

Agribusiness Investment Activity is calling on experts and specialists in the field of policy development, reform, and advocacy to submit their CVs (along with a cover letter) for inclusion in its data base. Consulting with stakeholders and organizing formal, mixed public-private review bodies has helped to identify the barriers and inefficiencies in the business environment process and any remaining regulatory bottlenecks. From the PPDs conducted in Cross River, Ebonyi and Kebbi States, there were some ‘’low hanging fruits’’ in the areas of policies and policy advocacy that needed to be quickly addressed and included the following:

• Absence of a well-documented Agricultural Policy;
• The high cost of inputs (specifically on fish feeds);
• Multiple taxation;
• Land availability and accessibility;
• Contract Enforcement;
• Gender and Youth development.

Some of the bottlenecks identified are as a result of implementation problems which included corruption, lack of continuity in government policies, inadequate human and material resources, all of which often led to implementation gaps. Most services are regulated, in some way, by official or unofficial policies. Sometimes, it is necessary to change those policies with the support of critical stakeholders to make sure that programs and services are accomplishing what they are supposed to. Thus the Activity is looking for qualified, committed and passionate candidates to support its policy reform and advocacy efforts, engage with private sector stakeholders, and make concrete recommendations to improve the enabling environment for agribusinesses in our targeted states and value chains. The Activity expects to award several short-term contracts to such experts in the field of agribusiness policy, legal, and regulatory development, assessments, advocacy, and ultimately reform over the next four years. The experts shall have demonstrated experience in policy review and development, policy advocacy and regulatory reform. Selected candidates will be short listed and contacted as opportunities arise. The overall objective is to place qualified individual consultants in a roster, in order to expedite the contracting process for various consultancy assignments under the Activity’s Policy Component. At the end of each assignment, the consultant will submit a well-structured and persuasive report on the recommended policy changes.

Duties and Responsibilities

Illustrative duties and responsibilities required from the selected Agribusiness Policy Consultants include:

• Identify constraints in the policy (including legal and regulatory) framework and actions to address constraints that are realistic and actionable, including quick wins, by meeting with private and public sector stakeholders, and prioritizing policy reforms at both the national and sub-national levels that are both aligned with our Activity and are realistically addressable given the Activity’s time and financial resource constraints;
• Analyze existing policies (national and sub-national), in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders, and draft concrete and implementable reform recommendations, and possible solutions on how these constraints can be resolved or at least lessened;
• Interview public and private sector stakeholders regarding the impact of agribusiness policies and their subsequent implementation
• Support the activities of voluntary change champions and members of policy reform coalitions on consultative processes amongst themselves and with government (PPDs) to foster needed policy reviews and reforms;
• Participate in other policy reform related plans or interventions as may be directed by the COP or his designee.
• Illustrative deliverables include: implementation plans on how to approach, attract, organize, and motivate relevant stakeholders to engage in advocacy efforts related to improving the agribusiness enabling environment; concept notes for new policies for consideration by the relevant government agency; implementation plans regarding current policies that identify prioritized actions regarding policy reform

Qualifications

• University graduate in social sciences, agricultural economics, economics, law or a related field (Masters preferred)
• 7+ years of relevant policy reform and/or agribusiness work experience in Nigeria
• Work experience with USAID and/or other donor-funded projects is strongly preferred
• Experience working collaboratively with institutional and private‐sector partners and stakeholders in Nigeria, preferably on government policy matters
• Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural value chains and an understanding of the agribusiness enabling environment
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communications skills in English is a top priority
• Ability to work well in diverse teams but also able to work productively as an individual with minimum supervision
• Well organized, strong analytical skills, creative thinker, innovative, demonstrated personal initiative, with unquestionable integrity and ethics
• Ability to communicate in other Nigerian languages is a plus
• Proven ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines
• A relevant network of policy related influencers and decision makers in Nigeria is a plus
• Evidence of past performance in all of the above will also be an added advantage

 

Interested applicants should submit their resumes and a cover letter to info@jeaustin.com.