Title: Partnership Director- Research and Extension
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal (Frequent Domestic Travel Required) 
Reports To: Chief of Party

Background: 
The new five-year Feed the Future Nepal USAID Agricultural Transformation (“USAID Agricultural Transformation”) aims to catalyze the transformation of Nepal’s agricultural sector required for long-term inclusive economic growth. USAID Agricultural Transformation is implemented by Winrock International in collaboration with CrossBoundary, Banyan Global, Center for Environmental and Agricultural Policy, Research, Extension and Development (CEAPRED), Forum for Rural Welfare and Agricultural Reform for Development (FORWARD), and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS). USAID Agricultural Transformation’s working area will include 26 districts across six provinces, with the goal to reach more than 500,000 farming households.  

Building on successful Feed the Future (FTF) investments in Nepal, USAID Agricultural Transformation will apply a refined evidence-based market systems development approach that empowers Nepali private and public actors to identify, design, implement, and own solutions that address root causes of market inefficiencies across five target value chains (fine rice, industrial maize, high-value vegetables, lentil, and goat) through four interrelated objectives: 

Objective 1: Agricultural productivity, competitiveness, and diversification increased. 
Objective 2: Enabling environment for private sector investment in agriculture and equitable access to market systems improved. 
Objective 3: Climate and economic resilience of women, youth, and marginalized communities enhanced. 
Objective 4: Capacity of national agricultural research institutions and extension systems strengthened.

USAID Agricultural Transformation will place women, youth, and marginalized populations at the center of intervention design to strengthen their economic participation and address underlying constraints to accessing productive resources, markets, and information. Strategic facilitation pathways will catalyze new investment in inclusive business models, strengthen agro-based industries, and ensure better linkage between farm productions with industries, facilitate adoption of climate smart practices, technologies, and services tailored to the diverse needs of users, and strengthen the Government of Nepal (GON) at all three tiers. 

Position Description: 
USAID Agricultural Transformation will play a critical role in supporting GON to strengthen the agricultural research system by building the capacity of national research institutions in conjunction with academia to develop market driven research outputs and link them with extension systems. This will entail developing a mechanism for the functional integration of public-private actors in setting priorities, planning programs, as well as implementing, monitoring, and upscaling for sustainable impacts. Under Objective 4, the Partnership Director (Research and Extension) will lead and manage efforts to design and implement comprehensive capacity strengthening initiatives for relevant Nepali institutions primarily focusing on national agriculture research systems to partner with private sector actors promoting demand-driven research and extension. In addition, the position will involve focused efforts on strengthening the capacity of targeted municipalities to engage with the private sector for improved agricultural service delivery. This position will facilitate public private partnerships and closely collaborate with Objective 1 in strengthening private sector organizational capacity and Objective 2 in coordination with GON.

The Director will be responsible for the development of training, mentoring, and institutional support frameworks, ensuring that local partners have the necessary tools and skills to effectively deliver results. This role also involves representing USAID Agricultural Transformation at a high level with key stakeholders and ensuring that all capacity-strengthening activities are contextually relevant and aligned with both USAID Agricultural Transformation’s strategic goals and contributes to strengthened agriculture research, evidence-based policy development, and efficient agriculture program planning execution and service delivery at the community level.

Essential Responsibilities:  

• Lead dialogue with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD), Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and other agriculture research institutions (universities) to explore partnership opportunities to strengthen the agriculture research system and institutional capacity. 
• Lead the design, development, and implementation of a rapid organizational assessment of relevant select institutions. 
• Lead development and implementation of:
  a. A clear strategy that is local institution owned and aligned with long term sustainability goals for the life of the project,
  b. Periodic intervention plans that leverage the interconnections between farmers and private agri-businesses to inform a scalable, pilot demand-driven Research and Extension Feedback Loop, and 
  c. Other models at all three tiers of government integrating digital means and ensuring consideration of global best practices and local context-specific solutions.
• Provide strategic leadership to establish and manage partnerships between national and international research organizations, academia (such as AFU and other academic institutions), FTF Innovation Labs, private sector commodity as well as business organizations (e.g., Seed Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal [SEAN], the Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil and Pulses Industries [ANROPI], the Nepal Agri-machinery Entrepreneurs’ Association [NAMEA], the Federation of Nepal Chambers of Commerce & Industry [FNCCI], Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), agri-businesses, and farmer groups.
• Lead high level dialogues with select municipalities and explore partnership opportunities to strengthen their institutional capacities around but not limited to Municipal Agriculture Development Plans (MADPs); Early Warning Systems (EWS); Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs); and ensure endorsement of these plans from the relevant local authorities and integrated into municipality’s regular annual budget plan for implementation.
• The candidate is required to closely collaborate with the other three objective teams and the GESI Director to:
  a. Identify and support businesses that can play a catalytic role in the Research and Extension Feedback Loop,
  b. Identify and integrate climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies (Objective 1),
  c. Coordinate with local government authorities to streamline the process for obtaining formal business registration for WYM (Objective 3), and
  d. Engage with appropriate GON agencies, including NARC, to develop a framework of agricultural extension policy reform to enhance linkages between research and extension with the integration of relevant private sector actors (Objective 2).
• Provide technical guidance and backstopping to field teams to ensure that all USAID Agricultural Transformation deliverables are accomplished and undertake regular field visits for monitoring/ supervision, partner outreach and activity coordination.
• Collaborate closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team to ensure proper data collection and reporting.
• Participate in and contribute to USAID Agricultural Transformation Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.  
• Provide technical inputs on USAID Agricultural Transformation reports and annual workplans related to activity design, sequencing, outcomes, location, partner responsibility, as well as quarterly and annual reports. 
• Undertake other related tasks assigned. 

Qualifications and Requirements:  

Education: Master’s degree in related field (Masters in agri-business or agri-economics preferred). PhD in related field is an advantage. 

Required Experience & Skills:  

• At least ten years of experience working in agriculture/agribusiness, with demonstrated experience integrating GESI considerations in implementation. 
• Proven ability to lead and manage demand-driven research and extension models, fostering collaboration amongst diverse stakeholders including research organizations and agri-businesses. 
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing capacity-building initiatives for GON including working with research organizations and private sector entities.
• Experience collaborating with commodity associations (e.g., ANROPI, NAMEA, SEAN) and business/finance/insurance associations (e.g., FNCCI, CNI, Nepal Bankers’ Association, Nepal Insurers’ Association).
• Proven experience in market systems development, private sector engagement and enhancing value chains (including forming strategic partnerships and public private partnerships).
• Ability to design and implement targeted interventions and partnership management tools. 
• Highly skilled in engaging and training diverse stakeholders and ensuring that the Research and Extension Feedback Loop is demand-driven and inclusive. 
• Demonstrated experience in strengthening business and value chains (particularly for rice, maize, lentil, and other high-value commodities) including buyer-led extension models.  
• Demonstrated ability to work with government counterparts (local, provincial, and national levels). 
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively with MEL units in managing data. 
• Experience with private sector policy engagement, policy reforms, and integrating financial tools (e.g., loans, investments, subsidies) to support agribusiness. 
• Experience with identifying, assessing, and utilizing a variety of digital tools and resources. 
• Experience with identifying, assessing, and utilizing a variety of CSA tools and technologies.
• Demonstrated cultural competence, organizational skills and experience working in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams and environments. 
• Proficiency in integrating GESI considerations and contributing to DEIA initiatives. 
• Strong communication, organizational, and coordination skills. 

Language: Fluent Nepali is required. Fluent/advanced English, including excellent report writing and English communication skills, with the ability to deliver high-quality reports/technical documents, is required. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA):  
Winrock International seeks to cultivate an environment where all candidates relish equal employment opportunities devoid of discrimination, misconduct, fraud, and abuse. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) and Localization guides our practices not just in hiring, but also in staff retention, growth, and policy implementation. This commitment signifies that we value diversity in all its forms including age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, and cultural background. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, recognizing the rich tapestry of the communities in which we live and work.  

Disclaimer:  Winrock does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (resume submission, interview, processing).  Any canvassing during the application and recruitment process will result in disqualification.