Technical Lead – USDA Food for Progress

About CNFA:

CNFA manages an active portfolio of more than $300 million in agriculture development programs in 21 countries. Throughout our 35-year history, CNFA has led and implemented programs that have supported private-sector-led initiatives and increased employment; strengthened value chains, agribusinesses, agriculture support organizations, and markets; increased access to affordable financial services; and increased smallholder incomes, uptake of improved technologies, and access to nutritious foods. We are an industry leader in establishing commercially viable, locally owned and operated input supply enterprises and Farm Service Centers (FSCs) that positively impact smallholder farmers, and we have improved the operations and profitability of over 13,000 agribusinesses.

CNFA is seeking the services of a technical lead for a short- to medium-term assignment to support the development of a proposal for the FY 2020 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr) funding opportunity. The selected consultant will work closely with CNFA staff and will be responsible for conducting research and for providing the written inputs, editing, and reviewing proposal technical sections from pre-solicitation through submission. CNFA anticipates the position to start immediately and continue through the end of May 2020. The selected consultant will be required to travel to a targeted country on a mutually agreed timeline for this opportunity.

Tasks & Deliverables:

• Conduct background review to learn the context and donor priorities in the target technical area.
• Lead the proposal team in the development of the strategic approach, including results framework, preliminary objectives, guiding principles, and preliminary activities.
• Support the team in writing the technical application including the introduction summary, strategic analysis and other sections.
• Conduct the capture trip as agreed with the team

Key Qualifications:

• Demonstrated expertise in agricultural value chains, market systems, and/or trade and exports required, some of which must include horticulture, livestock, animal health, aquaculture, SME development, mechanization and input supply, and/or international food safety standards, regulations and policy harmonization.
• 8+ years of providing technical oversight and leadership on development projects and/or proposal writing experience in the international development field required; USDA experience preferred.
• A Master’s degree in agriculture, economics, management, international development, or a related field of study or equivalent work experience required.
• Knowledge of USDA regulations, especially for compliance required.
• Strong writing and editing skills required.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills required.
• Experience working with different partners, staff, and experience in developing organizational charts and staffing approaches strongly preferred.
• Experience in devising an approach for graphic designs strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with CNFA’s technical and geographic program areas preferred

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

About CNFA:

CNFA manages an active portfolio of more than $300 million in agriculture development programs in 21 countries. Throughout our 35-year history, CNFA has led and implemented programs that have supported private-sector-led initiatives and increased employment; strengthened value chains, agribusinesses, agriculture support organizations, and markets; increased access to affordable financial services; and increased smallholder incomes, uptake of improved technologies, and access to nutritious foods. We are an industry leader in establishing commercially viable, locally owned and operated input supply enterprises and Farm Service Centers (FSCs) that positively impact smallholder farmers, and we have improved the operations and profitability of over 13,000 agribusinesses.

CNFA is seeking the services of a technical lead for a short- to medium-term assignment to support the development of a proposal for the FY 2020 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr) funding opportunity. The selected consultant will work closely with CNFA staff and will be responsible for conducting research and for providing the written inputs, editing, and reviewing proposal technical sections from pre-solicitation through submission. CNFA anticipates the position to start immediately and continue through the end of May 2020. The selected consultant will be required to travel to a targeted country on a mutually agreed timeline for this opportunity.

Tasks & Deliverables:

• Conduct background review to learn the context and donor priorities in the target technical area.
• Lead the proposal team in the development of the strategic approach, including results framework, preliminary objectives, guiding principles, and preliminary activities.
• Support the team in writing the technical application including the introduction summary, strategic analysis and other sections.
• Conduct the capture trip as agreed with the team

Key Qualifications:

• Demonstrated expertise in agricultural value chains, market systems, and/or trade and exports required, some of which must include horticulture, livestock, animal health, aquaculture, SME development, mechanization and input supply, and/or international food safety standards, regulations and policy harmonization.
• 8+ years of providing technical oversight and leadership on development projects and/or proposal writing experience in the international development field required; USDA experience preferred.
• A Master’s degree in agriculture, economics, management, international development, or a related field of study or equivalent work experience required.
• Knowledge of USDA regulations, especially for compliance required.
• Strong writing and editing skills required.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills required.
• Experience working with different partners, staff, and experience in developing organizational charts and staffing approaches strongly preferred.
• Experience in devising an approach for graphic designs strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with CNFA’s technical and geographic program areas preferred

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

About CNFA:

CNFA manages an active portfolio of more than $300 million in agriculture development programs in 21 countries. Throughout our 35-year history, CNFA has led and implemented programs that have supported private-sector-led initiatives and increased employment; strengthened value chains, agribusinesses, agriculture support organizations, and markets; increased access to affordable financial services; and increased smallholder incomes, uptake of improved technologies, and access to nutritious foods. We are an industry leader in establishing commercially viable, locally owned and operated input supply enterprises and Farm Service Centers (FSCs) that positively impact smallholder farmers, and we have improved the operations and profitability of over 13,000 agribusinesses.

CNFA is seeking the services of a lead writer for a short- to medium-term assignment to support the development of a proposal for the FY 2020 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr) funding opportunity. The selected consultant will work closely with CNFA staff and will be responsible for conducting research and for drafting, editing, and reviewing proposal technical sections from pre-solicitation through submission. CNFA anticipates the position to start immediately and continue through the end of May 2020. The selected consultant will be required to travel to a targeted country on a mutually agreed timeline for this opportunity.

Tasks & Deliverables:

• Conduct background review to learn the context and donor priorities in the target technical area.
• Support the proposal team with the development of the strategic approach, including results framework, preliminary objectives, guiding principles, and preliminary activities.
• Responsible for writing the technical application including the introduction summary, strategic analysis, and plan of operation.
• Support the team in writing other sections of the application, as required.
• Conduct the capture trip as agreed with the team.  

Key Qualifications:

• Demonstrated expertise in agricultural value chains, market systems, trade, and/or exports required, some of which must include include horticulture, livestock, animal health, aquaculture, SME development, mechanization and input supply, and/or international food safety standards, regulations and policy harmonization.
• 8+ years of proposal writing and/or project management experience in the international development field required; USDA experience strongly preferred.
• A Master’s degree in agriculture, economics, management, international development, or a related field of study or equivalent work experience required.
• Knowledge of USDA regulations, especially for compliance on the proposal writing required.
• Strong writing and editing skills required.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills required.
• Knowledge of the USDA M&E structure and indicators strongly preferred.
• Experience in devising an approach for graphic designs strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with CNFA’s technical and geographic program areas preferred. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Background: 

CNFA is currently seeking qualified candidates to assist the Business Development team with copyediting proposals for upcoming USG-funded activities on a short-term basis. The consultant is responsible for working with our proposal team to create compelling and client-oriented responses to requests for proposal. The ideal consultant will have extensive experience editing winning proposals, be self-motivated, responsible to the commitment to integrity and the ability to meet all deadlines.  The consultant should be comfortable with various editing roles, from copyediting and proofreading to substantive editing. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Proofread text and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. 
• Proofread text to improve clarity and readability.  
• Verify factual correctness of information, such as dates and statistics. 
• Check text for style, readability, and compliance to USAID guidelines and policies. 

Key Qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, English, Journalism or equivalent experience. 
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in proposal editing or proposal development work on USG- funded programs (USAID, USDA, DoS, etc). Experience with agriculture and food security programming strongly preferred. 
• Strong experience with Microsoft Office using SharePoint and Adobe Acrobat Professional.  
• Highly organized, detail oriented and experienced in organizing, managing and sharing information. 
• Demonstrated track record of effective and on-time editing of proposals. 
• Ability to handle stressful proposal situations. 
• Strong communication ability. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities. 

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. 

Position Summary:

CNFA is currently seeking an Economic Analysis Consultant to support our proposal for the Development Food Security Activity in Malawi. The position will be based in Washington, DC, with remote work possible. The Economic Analysis Consultant will provide preliminary economic analysis to justify proposed project interventions and which detail their expected effect on food security in Malawi. CNFA is a global leader in building strong and stable agricultural value chains and has more than 15 years of experience in Malawian agriculture.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct research and analyze financial, economic, and food security impact of proposed interventions.

Key Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in Economics, Agriculture, or relevant subject
• Demonstrated success conducting economic analyses for international development projects; and
• Experience working in similar capacities for USAID or other donor proposals;

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Position Summary:

CNFA is currently seeking a Proposal Technical Lead Consultant to support proposal development activities. The consultancy will be based in Washington, DC or remotely but will include international travel. The Consultant will serve as a technical lead or advisor for proposal development for agribusiness and private sector development, the facilitation of investment, export promotion and competitiveness. 

The Consultant will work closely with the assigned CNFA Proposal teams to produce inputs. All deliverables will be completed by the Consultant in compliance with relevant donor standards and CNFA’s processes, including maintaining CNFA formatting rules and timelines.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conducting research to develop context and priorities in target technical or geographic areas
• Leading or participating in international trips as required
• Identifying and setting up meetings with private sector firms, consultants, government, local organizations and other key stakeholders to realize opportunities for collaboration
• Working with proposal teams to contribute to proposal design and provide inputs
• Identifying and recommending relevant qualified personnel
• Identifying and recommending relevant qualified international and/or local partners
• Providing written inputs and consolidated trip/meeting notes as required
• Other assignments to be determined as mutually agreed

Key Qualifications:

• Minimum of fifteen (15) years of relevant experience in agribusiness and/or investment facilitation, export promotion and competitiveness in a development context;
• Proven track record of successful technical design, analysis, and solutions facilitation for development projects in relevant components, including working in developing country;
• Master’s degree in agronomy, agriculture, economics, or related field is required;
• Experience working on USAID or other donor-funded proposals or projects of similar scope/size;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is required.

Position Summary:

CNFA is currently seeking a Market Systems,Agribusiness, and Finance Consultant to support both new business development activities and active projects. The consultancy will be based in Washington, DC, but will include international travel. Some work from a remote home base may also be acceptable. The Consultant will serve as a technical lead or advisor for proposal development or program implementation for agribusiness development and the facilitation of finance and investment in line with CNFA agricultural development objectives.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Consultant will work closely with the assigned CNFA Proposal or Program teams to produce inputs. All deliverables will be completed by the Consultant in compliance with relevant donor standards and CNFA’s processes, including maintaining CNFA formatting rules and timelines.

The Market Systems, Agribusiness, and Finance Consultant will be responsible for:

• Conducting research to develop context and priorities in target technical or geographic areas for proposal development and/or program activities
• Leading or participating in international trips for proposal capture or program activities as required
• Identifying and setting up meetings with private sector firms, consultants, government, local organizations, and other key stakeholders to gather information and realize opportunities for collaboration
• Working with proposal and/or program teams to contribute to project design or provide inputs for proposal development or project implementation processes
• Identifying and recommending relevant qualified personnel
• Conducting brief assessments or analysis in target technical areas as required and assigned by the programs team
• Providing written inputs and consolidated trip/meeting notes as required
• Other assignments to be determined as mutually agreed

Key Qualifications:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant experience in agribusiness and/or finance and investment facilitation in a development context;
• Proven track record of successful technical design, analysis, and solutions facilitation for development projects with access to finance, investment, agribusiness, or market systems components;
• Bachelor’s degree in international development, agriculture/agribusiness, finance, economics, or related field is required; Master’s a plus;
• Experience working on USAID or other donor-funded proposals and projects of complex scope and large size preferred;
• Demonstrated experience working in a developing country context;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is required.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.