Abt Associates is recruiting qualified candidates for the upcoming USAID/Nepal Agricultural Input Market System Activity, a new five-year Activity planned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Nepal. This Activity will focus on improving the productivity, competitiveness, inclusivity, and resilience of Nepal’s agriculture sector by increasing the availability and accessibility of four critical inputs – improved seed, fertilizer, irrigation, and agricultural equipment. The Agricultural Input Market System Activity will result in the stabilization of Nepal’s agricultural input market system and reduce the specific barriers faced by women, youth, and marginalized farmers to accessing, utilizing, and benefiting from improved inputs.

The position will be based in Kathmandu, Nepal and is contingent upon project award to Abt Associates.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in international development, agriculture, economics or a related field with at least 12 years of relevant experience, including 5 years of progressively responsible management experience required, or Bachelor’s degree and minimum of 15 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in strengthening agricultural input systems.
• Demonstrated experience with market systems development (including M4P) approaches.
• Proven experience working in leadership roles on international development projects, preferably funded by USAID
• Advanced written and oral communications skills. Must be adept at writing and editing quarterly and annual reports for donor, internal, and external program stakeholders.
• Strong relationship management skills, with demonstrated experience successfully managing relationships with donors and other internal and external program stakeholders and partners’
• Demonstrated ability to implement successful performance management systems.
• Demonstrated leadership experience and ability to work with minimum of direction and supervision.
• Strong project management and planning skills of activity tasks and budgets.
• Demonstrated team building and team management leading to high quality work in a timely, cost effective manner.
• Excellent writing skills required.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal communication, and computer skills.
• Verbal and written fluency in English is required.
• Nepali nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree + Fifteen years of relevant experience, or Master’s Degree + Twelve years of relevant experience, or PhD + Ten years of relevant experience

 Job Description 

• Support the COP in overall technical management and oversight of the activity including supervision of technical leads. This includes working closely with the COP and technical leads to develop work plans and monitor activity timelines.
• Provide technical management and oversight of the accomplishment of Activity objectives.
• Develop and implement technical strategies with team of technical leads, identify technical assistance needs, and mobilize required technical resources and staff. Harmonize the objectives of the activity to ensure an integrated technical approach.
• Under the supervision of the COP, manage the work and monitor the performance of subcontractors, working with other staff to ensure that all activities and outputs are technically sound and appropriate.
• Ensure that lessons learned and best practices are documented and shared.  Work with monitoring, evaluation, and learning team to incorporate lessons learned to enhance project results.
• Lead the development and timely production of quality deliverables to USAID, such as quarterly and annual reports, work plans, budgets, technical reports, and publications. The DCOP will work with technical leads, MEL and finance to meet these deliverable deadlines according to work plans and timelines.
• Work closely and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders and counterparts, including USAID clients, private sector actors, other implementing partners, regional organizations, and other stakeholders in support of activity goals.