Tetra Tech International Development Services is seeking a qualified consultant and expert to act as a Stakeholder Engagement Advisor to support the Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS) program in the Product Management and Technical Support role. The RFBS program is led by COMESA, with support from AGRA, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other donors.

In recognition of the lack of reliable, timely, and accurate data on food balances in many East and Southern Africa (ESA) countries, the Regional Food Balance Sheet Product Management and Technical Support program aims to develop real time and forward-looking food balance estimates that can provide early warning on food availability and inform policy decision-making regarding trade and market policies, production support, food aid, and stock management by governments, private sector, and emergency response organizations.

Summary:  

Tetra Tech wishes to engage a Stakeholder Engagement Advisor with a deep understanding of agricultural food balance analysis and decision-making systems within the East and Southern Africa, and experience working with relevant national statistics agencies, ministries of agriculture, and similar policy decision makers as well as private sector companies and associations. In the first phase of the project Tetra Tech will design, build, and test a user-centric digital Regional Food Balance Sheet Minimal Viable Product (MVP) focused on maize, beans, and rice, for use by technical users within public and private stakeholder organizations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, and Zambia. In future phases and during future assignments it is likely that the digital product will be expanded to cover additional crops, countries within East and Southern Africa, and user groups to include cabinet level users within focal countries, private sector actors, or international donor and NGO groups. 

Working closely with a Technical Product Advisor and Tetra Tech teams in both the United States and United Kingdom, the Stakeholder Engagement Advisor will be responsible for supporting COMESA in its capacity to maintain strong relationships with key users and stakeholders, and in supporting technical and administrative management project operations in the ESA region. S/he will work closely with COMESA counterparts to design and update stakeholder engagement strategies, including through in-person discussions when possible and considering travel or other pandemic-related restrictions. The Stakeholder Engagement Advisor will contribute to project deliverables such as the RFBS digital product itself, as well as key findings, program progress updates, communications and advocacy strategies and collateral.

This assignment will be completed between June, 2021 and May, 2022, with exact dates subject to modification based on evolving project timelines. The selected consultant will work primarily from his or her residence in Zambia with frequent visits (up to 25% of time) in the COMESA headquarters in Lusaka for meetings and collaboration with key counterparts. The individual will travel significantly within the ESA region, subject to updated travel guidelines and restrictions.

Responsibilities: 

* Serve as Tetra Tech’s primary on-the-ground point of contact in the ESA region for the project, ensuring consistent communication and collaboration with key project partners and stakeholders. This is especially important with regard to COMESA, where the individual will spend up to 25% of time in assisting to hand over long term ownership of the initiative and the digital RFBS product.

* Work closely with COMESA and AGRA to coordinate and identify workshops, seminars, relevant events, or similar activities in the ESA region, with support from team members in the United States. These activities will primarily support effective user engagement through the product design and implementation phases, and will increase the visibility of the initiative especially in the periods up to and after MVP launch.

* Assist with strategic project management functions such updating and tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), preparing for productive discussions with the project Advisory Committee, and supporting COMESA to take on additional project leadership functions.

* Closely collaborate with counterparts from COMESA, AGRA, the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), the NASA Harvest / University of Maryland crop production team, and other partners to ensure that relevant agricultural data is consistently flowing into the Product from counterpart ministries, agencies, and other organizations;

* Facilitate and document in-country meetings with local companies, organizations, and government bodies to help inform project design and implementation and carry out discrete follow-up activities.

* Contribute to project deliverables such as the stakeholder engagement strategy, lessons learned, regular program reports and updates, and communications and advocacy strategies and collateral.

Qualifications:

* Bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences, food systems, economics, development studies, public policy, business, communication, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.   

* At least 8 years of experience in project management (design, implementation, close-out) and stakeholder engagement in the field of agricultural development or food analytics, with specific experience in policy, advocacy, and partnership building.

* Experience with agricultural production and food security monitoring and decision support strongly encouraged. Familiarly with digital, remote-sensing and agricultural analytical technologies and  international donor programs and funding practices preferred.

* Strong understanding of complex food systems/food security issues and the associated agricultural stakeholder ecosystem in East and Southern Africa.

* Proven ability to manage institutional relationships and collaborate with diverse project stakeholders including international technical and project management teams, government entities, and agriculture sector actors required.

* Written and verbal fluency in English.

* Ability to travel within East and Southern Africa for up to several days with short notice.