Agricultural Growth and Livelihoods Team Leader

Agricultural Growth and Livelihoods Team Leader

Abt Global

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Position Overview

The Agriculture and Livelihoods Team Leader will provide strategic and programmatic guidance and be responsible for the development and delivery of a coherent set of activities that seek to address impediments to the growth and productivity of PNG’s agriculture sector and directly support livelihood activities.

The Team Leader will work with a wide range of delivery partners and be responsible for delivering activities that can drive growth in PNG’s agriculture sector, increase access to export markets and improve PNG’s enabling environment for producers and businesses in the agriculture sector and across other relevant sectors. Activities will consider climate resilience and will foster people to people links, gender equality and the inclusion of youth, rural and people living with disabilities.

Key responsibilities

Under the guidance of the APEP Director the Agriculture Growth and Livelihoods Team Leader is responsible for providing strategic oversight and advice across EOPO 4 while managing the day-to-day operations of a team made up of program managers and technical advisers to deliver the annual work plan and budget.

Technical Delivery:

• Provide strategic and technical oversight, including strategic planning and stakeholder management;
• Conduct a stocktake of existing activities and stakeholder engagement with a view to identifying gaps in programming and potential opportunities for investment, coordination and partnership (including reviewing the investments and focal areas of other donors and agriculture sector actors, in addition to relevant Australian-funded programs and projects);
• Work with DFAT to develop a more comprehensive and targeted Agriculture Pillar Strategy that can deliver Pillar 4’s outcomes;
• Work with DFAT and Pillar Leads to ensure that climate change is integrated across the Agriculture Pillar Strategy;
• Draft a rolling three-year workplan based on the above two inputs, seeking input from DFAT and APEP technical advisers;
• Work with APEP’s MERLA team to ensure APEPs M&E Framework (MEF) is fit-for-purpose and can credibly monitor and evaluate performance across the agriculture pillar at outcome and activity levels;
• Work with APEP’s MERLA team to improve APEP’s MEF as it relates to Markets Systems Development (MSD) including through the utilisation of DCED standards (where appropriate);
• Oversee the inputs of MSD/DCED technical advisers as appropriate and engage these advisers in the development of relevant activities and the improvement of existing MSD-type projects;
• Design, negotiate, contract, and ensure effective implementation of activities in accordance with the rolling three-year workplan;
• Work with DFAT and APEP’s other Pillar Leads to identify areas for coordination around key issues that can advance APEP’s outcomes in a balanced and joined up fashion, including working closely with Pillar 3 on SME development, microfinance and agribusiness issues;
• Provide strategic and technical input into other relevant pillar-level strategies and three-year rolling workplans (particularly Pillar 3);
• Provide quality assurance to ensure concept notes and proposals submitted to DFAT for approval are of high quality and align to the Agriculture Pillar Strategy;
• Facilitate dialogue and partnerships across the Australian Government, development partners, sub-national governments, NGOs, community groups, and relevant actors who influence service delivery, positioning APEP to leverage these relationships for agriculture outcomes and livelihood impact;
• Support DFAT to coordinate an Australian whole-of-government approach to leverage Australia’s significant, relevant technical expertise to support inclusive and climate smart agricultural development;
• Assist DFAT to convene development partner meetings on a quarterly basis to share lessons and identify opportunities for collaboration;
• In Western Province, coordinate and collaborate with other Australian programs as appropriate, and contribute to dialogue on behalf of APEP to establish effective relationships with the organisations already working on agriculture and livelihood development projects in Western Province.

Gender Equity & Social Inclusion Mainstreaming:

• Lead the operationalisation of APEP’s Gender Strategy across Pillar 4, ensuring it addresses issues of marginalised communities and women’s leadership, economic and physical security through mainstreaming inclusion principles and strategies;
• Demonstrate a visible and systematic commitment to achieving gender equality in the Program and for achieving against agreed gender equality performance objectives.

Management:

• Actively manage contractors and delivery partners through effective relationship management, monitoring contract progress and performance, submission of milestone deliverables and coordination of invoices for payment;
• Oversee and proactively manage staff, advisers and contractors to ensure effective delivery of services;
• Coordinate and report against activity progress, identifying remedial actions where necessary;
• Provide accurate forecasts of expenditure and financial budgets for activities within the program;
• Develop and maintain cross-functional working relationships with relevant supporting teams;
• Support performance management and professional development of team members;
• Other duties as directed.

About You

• For applications to be considered, a response to the key selection criteria below must be provided;
• Tertiary qualifications in Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Economics, International Trade, Social Sciences or related field. Post graduate qualifications highly desirable;
• Over 7 years of experience in Project management, providing high level strategic planning, technical management and stakeholder management;
• High level understanding and knowledge of Agriculture sector and Agribusiness enterprises or in PNG or the Pacific;
• Excellent written reporting and verbal communication skills with demonstrated experience preparing high quality reports and briefings for high-level audiences.

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