Agriculture & Food Systems Lead - DAI

DAI is an employee-owned global development company. For 40 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governments, and instability.

Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 60 countries. Our integrated development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines—crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS and disease control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change.

Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

Job Description

• Contract Name: USAID/Feed the Future Policy LINK
• Status: Long Term Project Staff (1-year Fixed Term Contract subject to renewal for duration of Ghana program activity, which is anticipated 5 years starting on/around October 15, 2021)
• Start Date: April 1, 2022 
• Supervisor: Ghana Country Lead

Project Background

The Feed the Future Policy LINK project will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food system policy outcomes. 

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food system policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision making, collaborative problem solving, and adaptive learning.

Policy LINK in Ghana

USAID/Policy LINK Ghana is a five-year activity with the overall objective of fostering behavior change that strengthens the capacity and ability of Ghanaian stakeholders to participate in a more transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based agriculture and food system policy process that leads to improved food and nutrition outcomes and broad-based economic growth. Specifically, the activity will facilitate the transition towards a policy development paradigm driven by multiple stakeholders. 

This approach to policymaking will strengthen the capacities of Ghana’s main agricultural policy system actors and institutions, and support them to engage stakeholders traditionally excluded from decision-making, including academia, financial institutions, the judiciary, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector representatives from the national, regional, and local levels. 

This approach is underpinned by Policy LINK’s overarching theory of change focused on increasing human and social capital, engaging policy system actors in collaborative processes, and developing mechanisms for collaborative governance and dynamic learning systems and platforms to sustain collective action.

Position Objectives

The Ghana Agriculture and Food Systems Lead is a senior leadership position based in Accra and responsible for providing technical leadership for agriculture and food system policy for the Ghana Policy LINK Activity. 

The Ghana Agriculture and Food Systems Lead will help ensure effective program management, high level representation, and technical excellence in agriculture and food system policy consistent with the goal, objectives, and activities implemented by the Ghana Policy LINK Activity. The Agriculture and Food Systems Lead will promote the use of proven Policy LINK tools and approaches and ensure the technical quality of the Agricultural Policy Activity services, emphasizing the principles of facilitative leadership and collaborative governance.  

Position objectives are summarized as follows:  

1. 1. Support overall program management, delivery and achievement of program activities and deliverables per the activity description, workplan, and organizational policies and procedures. 
2. 2. Provide leadership in stakeholder engagement and relationship management to advance technical engagement in a coordinated and coherent manner. 
3. 3. Provide technical leadership to the Agricultural Policy Activity team, including support with design, operations, training and facilitation, mentoring and relationship management.  
4. 4. Coordinate and leverage specialized technical expertise from other Ghana buy-in team members (especially the Climate Change Lead and the Program Lead), the Policy LINK global team, and DAI. 

S/he will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure all decision-making is rooted in those purposes and principles. S/he will contribute to foster 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 Ghana Agriculture and Food Systems Lead will be responsible for the following anticipated tasks, though others may be added as appropriate: 

• Support the Ghana Country Buy-in Lead to interface with USAID Mission and implementing partners to advance Activity objectives, especially related to the agriculture and food system policy. 
• Provide technical leadership in the agriculture and food system policy process to support the Country Buy-in Lead in the overall design, delivery, and accomplishment of Activity deliverables in Ghana in accordance with Policy LINK and USAID guidelines. 
• Leverage his/her agriculture and food system networks and contacts to further the stakeholder engagement and Ghana Policy LINK activities.
• Provide facilitative leadership and support to partners to improve coordination, collaborative governance, collective impact, and better achievement of technical objectives.  
• Support the Accra and Tamale-based teams by providing technical advice and executive decision making to ensure they effectively implement activities, especially in the engagement and strengthening of key agricultural and food system policy stakeholders.  
• Coordinate closely with the Climate Change Lead to integrate climate change stakeholders, policies, and priorities into the agriculture and food system policy process.
• Contribute to program efforts to facilitate and implement activities that are inclusive, gender-sensitive, and responsive to the local context in target regions.  
• Support regular internal team meetings and debriefs to set targets, review progress, leverage lessons, and ensure successful implementation of program activities. 
• Support overall proper documentation, monitoring, and reporting of the status and performance of the Ghana Policy LINK’s implementation in Ghana, including setting targets, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning, including providing regular updates and submission of program reports internally or to USAID and partners as appropriate. 
• Support effective management of Activity consultants and service providers to produce high-quality deliverables.  

The Ghana Agriculture and Food Systems Lead will help ensure and reinforce that Ghana Policy LINK staff understand and embody Policy LINK principles, management, and standard operating procedures, and that they are put in place for effective implementation and management of the Policy LINK program in Ghana. 

S/he will coordinate closely with the Policy LINK Ghana technical and operational teams (Country Lead, Communications Specialist, Climate Change Lead, Programs Lead, MEL & KM Lead, and Finance & Operations Manager), Nairobi-based project-wide Technical Programs and Policy Director, and other Policy LINK colleagues in Kenya, South Sudan, and elsewhere to ensure that program activities are designed and delivered at a high quality in compliance with Policy LINK, DAI, and USAID standards. 

Reporting 

The Ghana Agriculture and Food Systems Lead will report to the Policy LINK Country Buy-in Lead.  

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

Required Skills or Experience

Local Ghanaian candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position. Additional qualifications:

Education:

• Minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent experience in development or relevant field, including economics, agricultural economics, public policy, business management, or similar relevant area. 

Work Experience:

• Fifteen (15) years of progressive/ leadership experience in program management, the agricultural policy process, stakeholder engagement, capacity strengthening of individuals and institutions, and organizational development. 
• Prior work experience on donor-funded programs (USAID preferred).
• Preference for experience supporting fast-paced donor-funded programs focused on agriculture, value chains, digital tools, food system, or similar technical areas.
• Preference for experience providing procurement and consultant management support to donor-funded programs (USAID preferred).

Skills:

• Strong leadership, program management, and coordination skills with the ability to mentor and build strong cross-functional and cross-organization teams; and to design and rollout program activities. 
• Demonstrated ability to provide facilitative leadership, engage senior organization leadership, and build strong partnerships with diverse partners. 
• Experience in organizing and facilitating multi-stakeholder planning and learning events and conferences. Deep familiarity with Ghana, and willingness to travel throughout the country. 

• Attention to detail.
• Ability to respond effectively to time-sensitive demands and inquiries.
• Proficiency using Microsoft office suite, and other relevant software.
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills as well as exceptional customer relations both internally and externally.
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive.
• Excellent communication and personnel management skills and ability to relate to people at all levels of an organization and of different multi-cultural backgrounds.
• Professional fluency in English and Akan.

Skills:

Qualified FEMALE candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.