Agricultural Production & Trade Specialist

Job Level Specifications

Essential

• Post Graduate Diploma in Agriculture & Rural innovations, Agri-business, Agricultural Extension & Rural Innovation.
  
• At least 5 years’ experience in Agricultural production, value chain development, or market systems development.
  
• Strong experience working with youth, women, refugees, and vulnerable groups.
  
• Demonstrated experience in collective marketing, farmer aggregation and private sector engagement.
  

Desirable

• Knowledge of CSA, GAP, post-harvest handling, and quality standards.
  
• Strong facilitation, coordination, and reporting skills.
  
• Ability to work extensively in rural field settings.
  

Youth Engagement in Agricultural Production

• Support facilitation of access to land for young women through block farming, tripartite land use arrangements, and partnerships with landowners, institutions, parents, and cultural leaders.
  
• Participate in dialogue meetings at district and community levels to agree on land access and land use arrangements.
  
• Promote sustainable land management practices including soil and water conservation, agroforestry, integrated pest management (IPM), and climate-smart agriculture (CSA).
  

Strengthening Farmer Groups and Collective Action

• Support profiling, formation, and strengthening of young women farmer groups and secondary-level associations.
  
• Support group-based bulk input procurement, collective marketing, and demand aggregation models.
  

Improving Access to Quality Inputs and Extension Services

• Support partnerships with private sector input suppliers to co-design inclusive last-mile input delivery models.
  
• Coordinate training on safe agrochemical use, handling, and storage for young women, agents, and PSA staff.
  
• Support certification and strengthening of village-based input agents and extension agents.
  

Post-Harvest Handling, Value Addition and Quality Assurance

• Facilitate access to post-harvest handling (PHH) technologies, on-farm storage solutions, and best practices.
  
• Coordinate trainings on drying, storage, handling, processing, and value addition.
  
• Support establishment of aggregation points, quality testing, grading, and standardization systems.
  
• Support compliance with quality standards, traceability, and record-keeping requirements across value chains.
  

Market Access, Trade and Agribusiness Development

• Support development of local market agents (VBAs) and strengthen linkages with off-takers, processors, and traders.
  
• Facilitate collective marketing, contract farming arrangements, warehouse receipt systems, and commodity exchange linkages.
  
• Support partnerships with agro-processors to increase off-take from young women producers.
  

Documentation, Strategy Development, and Knowledge Management

• Lead documentation of program activities, lessons learned, case studies, and success stories across value chains.
  
• Develop and regularly update the sector implementation strategy in alignment with the ASTYE program objectives and district priorities.
  
• Support evidence-based planning through data analysis, learning reviews, and stakeholder feedback.
  

Supervision, Coordination, Monitoring, and Reporting

• Provide technical guidance and supervision to Program Officers to ensure quality and timely implementation of agricultural production and trade interventions.
  
• Develop clear work plans and performance targets for supervised staff and conduct regular review meetings.
  
• Work closely with PSA partners, district local governments, and private sector actors.