Position Title: Senior Business Market Systems Director 
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Unit: Agriculture, Resilience, and Water 
Reports To:  DCOP/ Technical 

Feed the Future Nepal USAID Agricultural Transformation (USAID Agricultural Transformation) is a five-year Activity designed to catalyze transformation in Nepal’s agricultural sector to promote sustainable inclusive economic growth. USAID Agricultural Transformation is implemented by Winrock International in collaboration with five local and international organizations.

USAID Agricultural Transformation has the following objectives:

Objective 1: Agricultural productivity, competitiveness, and diversification increased.
Objective 2: Enabling the 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.

Position Description:

This position will lead activities related to strengthening the competitiveness, diversification, resilience, and inclusiveness of agricultural market systems as well as to ensure the application of market system principles to project interventions. This position will identify agri-businesses strategically placed to drive agricultural economic development (especially in the Activity’s Economic Growth Centers) and create tailored support packages to strengthen the capacity of partners to ensure efficient supply chain functions across targeted value chains. Simultaneously, the Senior Business Market Systems Director will oversee activities that strengthen the entrepreneurial capacity of smallholders, such as through the Business Literacy Program, and better integrate their business efforts into key value chains. This position occupies an integral, cross-cutting position in the Activity design and will collaborate closely with the other Objective leads and consortium partners to make effective links to finance, insurance, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies while also playing a role in driving public private partnerships that support strategic supply chain enhancements (such as warehousing, logistics, research and extension support, cold storage etc.). Importantly, this position will provide technical support to other Objective Leads in driving policy efforts that are conducive to market systems development and in strengthening the capacity of targeted municipalities to improve their agricultural service delivery including through engagement with the private sector.

Essential responsibilities: 

• Identify and analyze different markets and trends across working area, particularly centered on the Activity’s five Economic Growth Centers (Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj, Butwal, Bharatpur, Birgunj) and provide strategic guidance to the consortium to determine targeted value chain and private sector partnership opportunities.
• Build strategic partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders (local, national and international).
• Develop a network of lead/anchor firms and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and a strategic plan for engaging them with tailored support plans. 
• Analyze and enable relationships among actors that translate into shared benefits to incentivize new investment in market systems. 
• Design and implement interventions that leverage the interconnections between farmers and private companies providing improved inputs and services that farmers need to be able to improve quality and produce competitive products for end markets. 
• Design partnership management tools to implement partnerships.  
• Identify and work with lead market actors to expand the share of local products within their supply chains as a risk mitigation strategy. Also, strengthen the capacity (absorptive, adaptive, and transformative) of farmers and lead firms to plan for and respond to predictable shortage or increased demand (especially at Indian border areas) to strengthen the resilience of Nepal’s market systems. 
• Identify and promote enterprise opportunities to improve the resilience of rural households through diversification into off-farm agricultural enterprises.
• Provide technical guidance for updating the Business Literacy Program (BLP) curriculum, identifying suitable local partner(s) to implement the BLP, and orienting such partner(s).
• Identify and address barriers to economic empowerment of women, youth and marginalized groups (WYM) by generating new opportunities to engage in profitable agribusinesses. 
• Engage public and private stakeholders, such as the Nepal Insurance Authority and the Nepal Insurers’ Association, in developing viable crop insurance products. In addition, must coordinate with the Government of Nepal (GoN), financial institutions and insurance companies to help set up an appropriate incentive mechanism(s) to cover insurance premium for farmers.
• Facilitate partnerships with public and private sector actors (warehousing companies, collateral management companies, financial institutions, business development services [BDS] providers) to systematize Nepal’s agricultural warehousing distribution system. This will entail analyzing integrated financial models for a warehouse receipt program and facilitating responses to policy and technical bottlenecks (including updating regulatory mechanisms required to facilitate such integrated financing).
• Oversee technical assistance to the Food and Management Trading Company (FMTC) to strengthen its supply chain management and distribution mechanisms.
• Engage in outreach activities (including facilitating B2B functions) that target regional/international agri-businesses as technical support providers and/or potential partners for Nepali agri-businesses.  
• Collaborate closely with consortium partner CrossBoundary to: i). unlock and channel a variety of financial tools, products and services (e.g., loans, investment, subsidies etc.) and ensure that access to finance is inclusive; ii). identify international/regional business development services (BDS) advisory service providers; and iii). develop a robust domestic BDS ecosystem with new modalities and domestic partnerships. 
• Collaborate closely with local capacity strengthening team in: i). exploring opportunities to improve the capacity of local institutions for planning, accessing funds, and implementing climate change adaptation action; ii). contributing to establishing climate-smart villages and climate-smart farms; and iii). coordinating with local government authorities to streamline the process for obtaining formal business registration for WYM.
• Collaborate closely with the policy team regarding private sector policy requirements in the agricultural sector. (e.g., finance; mechanization; research and extension; climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technology promotion and climate change adaptation; warehousing standards and financing; crop insurance; contract adherence and timely payment to farmers etc.) to ensure integration of activities into overall project design. 
• Design and oversee interventions that leverage resources from local governments, municipalities, cooperatives and lead firms for targeted market infrastructure and services, such as storage/warehousing, equipment, processing, mechanization services, grading, testing and standards adherence, market information and business training services. 
• Collaborate with major commodity associations such as the Seed Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal (SEAN), the Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil and Pulses Industries (ANROPI) and the Nepal Agri-machinery Entrepreneurs’ Association Nepal (NAMEA). 
• Collaborate with national and district level business and banking associations such as the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), the Confederation of Nepalese Industries and the Nepal Bankers’ Association.
• Coordinate with the Senior Partnerships and Grants Manager to provide technical oversight for the grants under contract program. 
• Coordinate closely with other component leads to ensure integration of activities into overall project design including productivity lead for matching grantees with farmer groups and technical support packages.
• Collaborate with the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Director to ensure integration of GESI considerations.  
• Participate in and contribute to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. 
• Provide technical inputs on USAID Agricultural Transformation annual workplans (verbal and written) 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: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required (agri-business, agriculture). Master’s in business administration strongly preferred.   

Required Experience and Skills: 

• At least ten years of experience working in agricultural/agribusiness, with demonstrated experience integrating GESI considerations in implementation. 
• Proven experience in Market Systems Development, private sector engagement and enhancing value chains.
• Strong background in forming strategic partnerships with lead firms, SMEs and facilitating investment in market systems.
• Experience collaborating with financial institutions, commodity associations and business networks, and strengthening BDS.
• Ability to design and implement targeted interventions, capacity-building initiatives and partnership management tools (including previous experience with grant design and oversight).
• Demonstrated experience in strengthening business and value chains (particularly for rice, maize, lentil, and other high-value commodities). 
• Demonstrated ability to work with government counterparts at three tiers.
• Experience with private sector policy engagement, policy reforms, and integrating financial tools (e.g., loans, investments, subsidies) to support agribusiness.
• Demonstrated cultural competence, organizational skills and experience working in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams and environments.
• Strong coordination and communication 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 Accessability (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.