National Agricultural Portfolio Manager

*Subject to formal Government of Vietnam approval

ABOUT US

With more than 35 years of experience, Cowater International is Canada’s global leader in management consulting services specialising in international development. We have managed the implementation of over 2500 projects in more than 95 countries around the globe for clients such as FCDO UK, DFAT Australia, the European Union, the World Bank and Global Affairs Canada. We work with governments, partner organisations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, economic and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies from 2017 to 2021.

BACKGROUND

Cowater International is seeking to recruit a highly qualified professional as Agricultural Portfolio Manager to support the Aus4Equality|Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) Program.

GREAT is a flagship initiative of the Australian aid program.  The Program promotes women’s economic empowerment (WEE) in the ethnically diverse north-west region of Vietnam, through the integration of a market systems development (MSD) approach.

The primary beneficiaries are women living in the provinces of Son La and Lao Cai, while an overarching emphasis is placed on the inclusion of women from ethnic minority communities as these provinces are home to twelve and twenty-six ethnic groups respectively.

The objectives of the Aus4Equality|GREAT Program are:

• Objective 1 – Women, particularly ethnic minority women living in Son La and Lao Cai, have improved economic benefits.
• Objective 2 – Women, particularly ethnic minority women living in Son La and Lao Cai, have increased confidence and social status, including more balanced workloads and greater decision-making within the home, workplace, and community.      
• Objective 3 – Women, particularly ethnic minority women and household members living in Son La and Lao Cai benefit from more gender-responsive, inclusive, and effective provincial and national policies, plans, strategies, and programs.

Our approach to women’s economic empowerment focuses on:

• Reach: Engaging women in all project activities and addressing barriers to participation.
• Benefit: Improve women’s access to assets, financial services and support services.
• Empower: Strengthen the ability of women to make strategic life choices and put these into action.

The program is entering its second five-year phase and GREAT 2 will continue its focus on agriculture and tourism, identifying specific sectors that lend themselves to opportunities for women’s economic empowerment and work with multiple stakeholders to address constraints, generate opportunities, drive market growth and increase productive value of the sector. A limited number of agriculture sectors will be targeted, in addition to tourism. Cross-sector strategies such as women, access to finance, digital transformation, policy advocacy and behaviour change will complement the sector strategies.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

Cowater International is seeking a National Agriculture Portfolio Manager.  Reporting to the Deputy Team Leader, the Agriculture Portfolio Manager will oversee a team of advisors and GREAT’s gender-responsive agricultural sector strategies (ramie, cinnamon, bamboo shoots, vegetables, medicinal plants, fruit and tea) and interventions.  The position will also lead two of GREAT’s cross-cutting strategies (digital inclusion and financial inclusion), provide strategic steering to partners, support the development and updating of the gender-responsive agricultural sector and cross-cutting strategies and contribute to organisation-wide objectives as a member of the Strategy Team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programing and Management

• Responsible for overall GREAT’s agriculture portfolio performance including developing and overseeing the implementation of the portfolio’s annual work plans including addressing bottlenecks and proposing adaptations based on changing markets and contexts.
• Support the development and updating of GREAT’s Inclusive and Gender-Responsive Agriculture Strategy. 
• Provide strategic steering to partners operating in the same sector and regularly review sector performance to maximize value for money outcomes.
• Identification of strategic opportunities for linking GREAT agriculture interventions with other partners for upscaling and learning.
• Lead GREAT’s digital inclusion and access to finance activities and ensure integration across the agriculture and tourism portfolios, as relevant.
• Participate in the investment selection process including:
• Preparation of quality concept notes on new initiatives for review by the Team Leader/Deputy Team Leader.
• Deal brokering with private and public sector partners.
• Preparing proposals and documentation for review by the Investment Committee.
• Provide oversight and technical support to partners to deliver results on WEE in MSD and strategic steering to team members and partners on results-based project management requirements, annual work plans and quarterly progress reports.
• Support the Program’s Monitoring Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) objectives.
• Manage and supervise the agriculture portfolio budget as specified in the Annual Work Plan including expenditure rate and compliance with DFAT and Cowater regulations.
• Provide supervision and quality assurance on portfolio-related documentation submitted to management and DFAT.
• Manage team members day-to-day activities, regularly review their performance and support their professional development.
• Work closely with the broader GREAT team and actively support the adoption of other cross-cutting strategies including Behaviour Change Communications, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), Policy Dialogue and Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership.

Stakeholder Communication and Reporting

• Provide monthly portfolio implementation progress updates.
• Oversee the agriculture portfolio annual partner performance assessments.
• Provide input into GREAT program-level reporting, planning and communications.
• Be responsible for maintaining a strong communication flow on agricultural interventions between the Project Management Units, target district governments and other stakeholders.
• Sharing GREAT-related experience at relevant external events to promote learning and upscaling.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education:

• Master’s Degree in business, economics, agriculture, international development or another relevant field.

Minimum Experience:

• A minimum 10 years relevant work experience in agri-business or related fields including 5 years experience in program management with a similar scope.
• A good understanding of market-based approaches, business and financial analysis.
• Demonstrated professional experience in strategic planning, and steering, evidence-based decision-making, leadership, and mentoring to lead a multi-disciplinary team.
• Good understanding of Results Based Measurement.
• Networks among public and private agriculture stakeholders in the program target provinces.
• Working experience with private sector and/or ethnic minorities is an advantage,

Essential Skills:

• Strong program management skills and analytical skills.
• Critical thinking skills and conceptualisation.
• Good teamwork, mentoring and facilitation skills.
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in Vietnamese and English.

Desirable

• Familiarity with international donor-funded projects, systems and requirements.
• Technical skills in value chain finance.
• Understanding of digital transformation in the agriculture sector.
• Understanding of women’s economic empowerment and inclusion of people with disabilities.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates are encouraged to apply no later than 5 pm Hanoi Time (GMT+7), 18 July 2022. Applications will be assessed as they are received. We thank all applicants, however, only those making the shortlist will be contacted.

Interested candidates are invited to send an application to [email protected]. Please indicate in the subject “Application for Agricultural Portfolio Manager”.

Applications should include:

• A cover letter responding to the selection criteria.
• A Curriculum Vitae.
• Contact details of three referees.

Cowater is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people with a disability, and people from minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply. We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.

For more opportunities, please visit our website at https://equality.aus4vietnam.org/careers or facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Aus4EqualityGREAT/