UNDP Jobs - 77558- Marketing and Business Development Specialist (SB

Marketing and Business Development Specialist (SB 5 / Peg I) - Open to Nepalese nationals only

Location :

Kathmandu with frequent field visits, NEPAL

Type of Contract :

Other

Starting Date :

01-Jun-2018

Application Deadline :

13-Mar-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Other

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Fruits and Vegetables are gradually emerging as important sub-sector in Nepal and contributes to roughly 15% of total agriculture produce. Demand for fruits and vegetables is in increasing trend. According to the Kalimati fruits and vegetable market centre, which is the largest fruits and vegetable centre in Nepal, roughly 31% of fruits and vegetables sold by the centre is imported from various countries including India. Despite increased demands of fruits and vegetables, there is a huge difference between vegetable farm gate price and the retailer price due to the presence of various layers of middlepersons in the vegetable supply chain. This Cooperative Market Development Program (CMDP) is a joint initiative of Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (MoCPA), Government of Nepal and United Nations Development Program and is being implemented under National Implementation Modality. CMDP is a five-year project started from 2018. The overall objective of the project is to establish and operationalize cooperative market chain of vegetables and fruits to increase farmers’ income and other livelihood opportunities, which in turn will contribute to the poverty reduction in Nepal. The project will achieve this outcome by ensuring establishment of an efficient and sustainable vegetable and fruits collection centers starting from primary cooperative to regional terminal in Kathmandu valley and Chitwan. The project covers 6 districts adjoining to the Kathmandu Valley and will establish 72 primary collection centres at village level, 18 collection centers at municipal level, 4 district terminals and 2 regional terminals/markets. Approximately 14,400 households of 72 fruits and vegetables cooperatives will be linked to this cooperative market chain and will directly benefit from this project. The project contributes directly to SDG1(poverty) and 2 (hunger, nutrition).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of National Project Director (NPD) and National Project Coordinator (NPC), Marketing and Business Development Specialist (MBDS) will report to the National Project Manager (NPM). The incumbent will be responsible for developing business plans and linking the Fruits and Vegetables Cooperatives to the Market outlets at different levels. Specifically the Marketing and Business Development Specialist will carry out the following activities:

Prepare Business Plan for cooperatives at all the levels of marketing operations : Local / Cooperative Level, Municipality Level, District level and Regional level in Close co-ordination with Cooperative Officer;
Advise on planning of new activities, in close consultation with relevant Markets at local and regional levels;
Plan and manage the implementation of training/workshops on Agribusiness plan development;
documentation of best practices and lessons learned on an ongoing basis;
Attend events and conferences on market development and provide feedback and information on market and creative trends;
Identify opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels that will lead to increased sales of fruits and vegetables;
Prepare Crop Calendar and Marketing Calendar depending upon the pocket areas;
Develop mechanism of market information flow to the producer groups;
Perform other tasks as required.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Good inter-personal skills;
Clear and upfront communication skills;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Collaborates effectively in a team environment;
Organized and good with following-up on pending issues; meets deadlines;
Promote learning and knowledge management/sharing;
Focused on delivering results by taking calculated-risks and problem solving approach;
Fair and transparent decision making; regularly shares information with team members;
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development.

Functional Competencies:

Promotes sharing of knowledge and experience, and actively works towards continued personal learning and development;
Good practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects;
Demonstrates strong numerical and analytical skills;
Experience in developing business plans;
Experienced in delivering training and other needed capacity/ institutional building support on marketing and business development to a wide range of stakeholders including cooperatives and financial institutions;
Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders;
Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Completion of Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics; Business Administration or related fields.

Experience:

Minimum of 7 years of working experience in the field of Agribusiness;
Good understanding of Agriculture Value Chain;
Good understanding of Nepal’s Agriculture (Fruit and Vegetable Production);
Experience and Knowledge of the UNDP systems and procedures would be an asset.

Language:

Fluency in spoken and written Nepali and English.

Other:

Well versed with computer applications like Word, Excel, Power Point etc.