Regional Specialist for Market Systems and Climate Resilience
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Business Administration, Economics, Agriculture, Exec. / Management
- Schedule:Full-time
- Salary: Negotiable
What you can expect from us:
- A varied and multidisciplinary position in a regional programme.
- A competitive salary package with health insurance and annual return flights to your home country.
- This is an unaccompanied position, and dependant benefits such as schooling are not provided.
- Duty station: Yangon or Phnom Penh, with up to 30% travel within the Mekong region.
- Initially a one-year contract, with the possibility of extension.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Thematic support and backstopping (50%)
- Provide technical assistance and quality assurance for the design, implementation and monitoring of projects across the Mekong region (currently Cambodia and Myanmar), particularly in inclusive market systems development, private sector engagement and climate-resilient agriculture.
- Support teams in applying systems thinking beyond individual projects, including understanding wider institutional, social, economic and ecological dynamics, identifying leverage points for change, and designing adaptive and context-sensitive strategies.
- Coach and backstop project staff and partners, including on market systems and human-centred design assessments that integrate GEDSI considerations.
- Strengthen monitoring and results measurement (MRM) and adaptive management, supporting teams to develop and use Theories of Change and results chains as decision-making tools through regular monitoring visits, and supporting evaluations and project reviews
- Strengthen the strategic use of private sector engagement across the portfolio, and support partnership development, including negotiating with private and public partners to pilot and scale inclusive business models.
- Build team knowledge on financial inclusion, blended finance and impact investment.
- Capture and share lessons learned, translate them into practical guidance and tools, and contribute to the development of HEKS/EPER standards, frameworks and approaches.
- Act as a thematic bridge between the Mekong region and HEKS/EPER’s global Thematic Advisory team, and take part in regional and global learning events and communities of practice.
- Engage and manage thematic advisors and external consultants, including developing terms of reference and following up on deliverables.
- Programme and project cycle management (25%)
- Support programme and project cycle management, including workplans, budgets, spending forecasts, project documentation, annual reports and adjustments based on monitoring findings.
- Contribute to regional and global strategic reflection on systems transformation, identifying opportunities for HEKS/EPER to work through partnerships, market actors, institutions and policies.
- Networking and acquisition (20%)
- Represent HEKS/EPER in relevant national and regional networks and identify strategic partners and donors.
- Monitor funding opportunities in the region and share them with the Regional Director, Country Directors and GAP Advisor.
- Lead responses to relevant tenders and calls for proposals in close coordination with the Regional Director, Country Directors, GAP Advisor and Thematic Advisory team, and support HQ fundraising with foundations.
- Additional tasks (5%)
- Provide technical support to humanitarian interventions when needed.
- Contribute to gender, social inclusion or other thematic research initiatives.
- Participate in monthly thematic advisory team meetings, country team meetings and regional meetings.
Expected Profile of Candidates
Languages:
- English - Fluent
- Khmer - Fluent is preferred
- Burmese is preferred
Qualifications:
- Master's Degree in agricultural economics, agribusiness, economics, business administration, development studies, climate change or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Work History:
- Market systems development, agribusiness or climate-resilient agriculture in countries of the Global South, including in an advisory or technical backstopping role for 7 years
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Strong practical experience in market systems development, private sector engagement and systems thinking. Experience in climate adaptation, human-centred design, GEDSI, and blended finance or impact investment is an asset.
- Solid experience in monitoring and results measurement and adaptive management. Knowledge of the DCED Standard is an asset.
- Successful track record in proposal development and acquisition with institutional donors.
- Experience in Southeast Asia, ideally in Cambodia and/or Myanmar.
- Excellent coaching, facilitation and communication skills, and the ability to work across teams and cultures.
- Excellent oral and written English. Khmer or Burmese is an asset.
- Willingness to identify with HEKS/EPER’s values and objectives.
- Availability for regular travel within the Mekong region, including Myanmar
Soft Skills
- Analytical, creative and flexible, with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure.
