BACKGROUND
The USAID Southern Africa Trade & Investment Hub (the “Hub”) project is a five-year project that seeks to increase sustainable economic growth in targeted Southern African countries. The Hub aims to increase trade with an emphasis on agriculture.
The Hub seeks three (3) Country Representatives (CR) in Malawi, Lesotho/Eswatini, and Namibia to support the projects three strategic objectives:
- Increase exports to South Africa from targeted Southern African countries.
- Increase investment (capital and technology) out of South Africa to targeted Southern African countries
- Sustainable utilization of AGOA opportunities by targeted Southern African countries.
OBJECTIVES AND DUTIES
The CR will report directly to the Hub Deputy Chief of Party and work closely with Hub Portfolio Managers and specific Hub staff assigned to each task. The CR will manage the Hub’s portfolio of activities in country and facilitate coordination and collaboration with the USAID bilateral Mission and other private sector development initiatives in the host country, government partners, private sector partners and civil society organizations, to implement Hub activities in the host country. Implementation will be based on the approved Hub Country Implementation Plan, and the CR will serve as the Hub Point of Contact in the country.
The CR will have three principal roles in-country: (a) representation and high-level liaison, (b) portfolio identification, development and oversight, and (c) technical delivery and project team leadership. The CR shall also conduct the following tasks:
- Provide input for conceptualization, development, planning, coordination and implementation of Hub activities in-country;
- Develops relationships with key local stakeholders (private sector, public, donor / development agencies, in country US Government agencies, etc.) to build and nurture country-level partnerships, solicit interest, obtain buy-ins, and mobilize resources, as appropriate;
- Monitor progress of activities against the approved workplan, flagging delays or challenges with suggested resolutions to the Chief of Party as well as M&E team;
- Act as senior interlocutor between the project and key stakeholders, including USAID/REGO, USAID/Mission, government ministries private sector organizations and firms;
- Actively communicate with stakeholders across Hub interventions to ensure their needs and accomplishments are widely known and understood;
- Convene and manage the private-public working partnerships;
- Manage and coordinate schedules and work of Hub staff and consultants on STTA assignments;
- Ensure that all Hub activities are closely coordinated with the USAID/Mission, including drafts of all technical reports and other deliverables, such as separate work plans and discrete reports, and ensure they are shared with the USAID Mission for review and comment;
- Coordinate any deployment of human resources for the program utilizing STTA with USAID/Mission in host country;
- Monitor and report on the status of all donor and government activities related to trade in country;
- Responsible for overall risk management in host country, which includes identifying, monitoring, and reporting political / implementation / security etc. risks in accordance with the Hub’s risk management procedures and USAID standards;
- Coordinate capacity building efforts with relevant partner organizations, and support stakeholder consultations and trainings;
- Provide input to annual work plans, weekly reports, quarterly and annual reports, success stories, briefs, and any other communication needs requested by the project, within the prescribed timeline; and
- Produce at least one weekly report story per the format provided (text and a photo of an activity) to be submitted weekly to the Strategic Communications team in Pretoria.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- MBA or Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international trade, trade law/policy, political economy, or related area, with international experience preferred;
- Ten years of experience working in economic growth programming with a focus on trade and investment, trade facilitation, agribusiness, or related field;
- Demonstrated experience in conceptualizing, negotiating and closing trade or investment deals;
- Experience working with USAID, governments, and donor agencies;
- Demonstrated experience working with a range of clients and counterparts, including donor agencies, private sector partners, and multilateral organizations, to implement trade facilitation-focused activities and procedures;
- A strong private sector network in the priority sectors for the country;
- Demonstrated experience in developing implementation strategy and workplan management
- Previous experience working on international development projects with a preference for running or starting up USAID projects in the field;
- Ability to organize, present, and disseminate information, and to draft clear and concise documents with minimal supervision;
- Demonstrated experience to anticipate challenges and resolve conflicts amongst stakeholders
- Excellent English writing and communication skills;
- Verbal and written communication ability in any of the host country official language is a prerequisite; and
- Ability to use the latest ICT technology and computer software programs.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
The CR will supervise short-term consultants and a Program Assistant.
BASE OF OPERATIONS:
1) Lilongwe, Malawi;
2) Maseru, Lesotho/Mbabane, Eswatini; and
3) Windhoek, Namibia.
REPORTING:
The CR will report to the Deputy Chief of Party.
Candidates with citizenship in Malawi, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Namibia are encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
Please submit your application here. Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The final deadline for submission is December 20, 2019. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
More Information
- Job City Lilonge, Windhoek, Maseru, Mbabane
