Bangladesh Digital Agriculture Activity - Capacity Building Lead

Job Description

Title: Bangladesh Digital Agriculture Activity - Capacity Building Lead

Company Name: Development Alternatives Inc (DAI)

Vacancy: 01

Job Location: Dhaka

Employment Status: Full-time

Educational Requirements:
∎ Masters degree in any discipline, Master of Social Science (MSS), Master of Science (MSc) in Social Science, Master of Arts (MA) in Social Science
∎ Master's degree in the social sciences or other relevant field is preferred.
∎ Skills Required: English (Language), Strong communication skills

Experience Requirements:
∎ At least 8 year(s)
∎ The applicants should have experience in the following area(s): Agriculture, capacity building skills, Digital Tools, Gender Sensitive Programming, USAID

Job Context:
∎ Digital Frontiers is a $74.4 million buy-in mechanism available to USAID Bureaus and Missions from 2017-2022. DAI implements the Digital Frontiers project, which works closely with USAID`s Global Development Lab (GDL), the Center for Digital Development (CDD), USAID Missions, the private sector, and international and local development organizations to identify successful and sustainable digital development approaches and scale their impact globally.
∎ As the U.S. Government`s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future (FTF) works to give families and communities in some of the world`s poorest countries the freedom and opportunity to lift themselves out of food insecurity and malnutrition. By equipping people with the knowledge and tools they need to feed themselves, the program is addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger, helping people end their reliance on aid, and creating important opportunities for a new generation of young people-all while building a more stable world. Over the past eight years, over $300 million of US Government investment has been used to implement FTF activities within the program`s Zone of Influence (ZOI) and Zone of Resilience (ZOR) in Bangladesh, which have an estimated population of approximately 30 million people. However, the maximum number of beneficiaries reached over this period has been less than 3 million and the sustainability of these FTF interventions beyond the cessation of USAID funding is yet to be fully proven.

∎ USAID/Bangladesh, working with Digital Frontiers, therefore seeks to promote the efficient and effective use of digital tools and technologies to build the capacity of value chain actors (e.g. livestock service providers, market vendors, artificial inseminators, and feed dealers/distributors) under a market systems approach. These value chain actors should then be able to use the same tools to sustainably and effectively build the capacity of their clients/customers (smallholder farmers, pregnant/lactating women and vulnerable households) during and beyond the period of Activity implementation.
∎ To enable the interventions of FTF activities to reach more beneficiaries and to better ensure the sustainability of these interventions beyond the period of USAID-supported implementation, this Activity will pilot existing digital tools and scale up those that are proven to be effective to build the capacities of value chain actors. The Activity will also motivate these value chain actors to use digital tools to build the capacities of their clients and customers towards improving their agricultural productivity, resilience and household nutrition. Increased agricultural productivity will sustainably increase the competitiveness of value chain actors` agricultural products and services, and enhance domestic, regional and international trade, increasing the country`s foreign exchange potential and making it less vulnerable to malign influence. Finally, this Activity will also sustainably increase the number of clients and customers reached by FTF activities as these value chain actors will continue building the capacity of new and existing clients and customers during and beyond the period of USAID-supported implementation.
∎ This is anticipated to be a two-year Activity with the possibility of extension.

Job Responsibilities:
∎ Position Objectives:
∎ Digital Frontiers seeks a Capacity Building Lead for the USAID-funded Feed the Future Bangladesh Digital Agriculture Activity. With the support of other Activity staff in Dhaka and up to four field offices, Digital Frontiers, and a pool of short-term technical advisors, the Capacity Building Lead will oversee the development of capacity building materials, direct capacity building of farmers, and training of other value chain actors to build the capacity of farmers on an ongoing basis. All of these efforts will be aimed at helping beneficiaries make better use of digital technology in general and specific tools worked on through the Activity in particular.
∎ Digital agriculture tools offer significant potential to improve yields, input efficiency, farm gate prices, and access to nutrition, but the viability and effectiveness of these tools can be inhibited by non-responsive design, limited capacity on the part of potential customers, flawed business plans, and lack of investment. The BDAA aims to bridge some of these gaps to help put more digital agriculture tools usefully into the hands of farmers and other value chain actors.
∎ The Capacity Building Lead will work with other Activity staff in country with support from Digital Frontiers, technology partners, and consultants to:
∎ 1. Work with Activity beneficiaries to understand capacity gaps that inhibit the effective application of digital agriculture tools.
∎ 2. Develop, test, iterate, and deploy a capacity building approach to fill these gaps and, with the support of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) team, analyze the impact of those strategies to improve the approach.
∎ 3. Develop capacity building materials for sustainable development of the needed skills.
∎ 4. Train value chain actors to build the capacity of their customers and clients with the developed materials.
∎ 5. Other duties as required.
∎ A gender sensitive approach is central to the success of the Activity. The kind of roles women perform in the agriculture sector clearly reflect the social and gender norms in Bangladesh. The division of labor and opportunities are shaped by socially acceptable 'women's work' versus 'men's work'. Due to social and religious norms, rural women are mostly excluded from updating themselves with modern agriculture knowledge and nutritional behavioral change communications. The Capacity Building Lead will be responsible for integrating gender considerations as identified in the Activity's Gender Analysis into all aspects of the approach.
∎ The Capacity Building Lead will continually reinforce Bangladesh Digital Agriculture Activity's agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure all decision-making is rooted in Digital Frontiers' purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to fostering a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the "team" always comes before the "individual."
∎ Responsibilities:
∎ The Capacity Building Lead will direct:
∎ 1. The analysis of capacity gaps inhibiting beneficiaries from making effective use of digital tools;
∎ 2. The development, testing, iteration, and deployment of a comprehensive capacity building approach;
∎ 3. Development of a suite of capacity building materials; and,
∎ 4. Training of value chain actors in building the capacity of their clients and customers.

Additional Requirements:
∎ Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience related to building capacity of rural Bangladeshis, preferably in use of digital tools and preferably in an agricultural context.
∎ Experience with gender sensitive development a strong plus.
∎ Skills
∎ Ability to communicate/collaborate effectively across cultures, including with team members based in other countries.
∎ Critical thinker, self-starter, and able to work with minimal supervision and within established deadlines.
∎ Flexible, willing to perform assigned and additional duties and work under unpredictable conditions.
∎ Professional fluency in English and Bengali.
∎ Person with disability are encouraged to apply

Salary: Negotiable

Compensation & Other Benefits:
∎ Insurance

Application Deadline: 15 Nov 2020

Company Information:
∎ 8 Nov 2020
∎ Development Alternatives Inc (DAI)
∎ Address : 7600 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
∎ Web : https://www.dai.com/
∎ Business :
DAI is an international development company. For more than 50 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 80 countries. Our development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

Category: NGO/Development

Read Before Apply: Please submit a CV and cover letter, specifying the position

Source: bdjobs.com

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