Economic Development & Food Security (EDFS) Coordinator

job Summary:
The Economic Development and Food Security (EDFS) Coordinator will co-design and implement integrated food security programs with partners and key stakeholders. The role focuses on high-quality design and implementation of initiatives that enhance community resilience through market-based micro and nextlevel investments. The post-holder will leverage their expertise in agronomy, climate-smart agriculture, and green economy investments to drive sustainable outcomes. The EDFS Coordinator will play a critical role in supporting private-sector engagement and providing technical assistance for innovative economic initiatives. This role includes designing, implementing, and monitoring market-based interventions that boost agricultural productivity and foster economic opportunities. The role also involves conducting comprehensive monitoring, learning, and reporting to ensure programs are impactful and adaptive.
The Coordinator will work closely with community members, local authorities, partner organizations, and other stakeholders to guarantee the effectiveness and sustainability of interventions. The post-holder will lead a diverse team, providing technical guidance in livelihoods, agriculture, horticulture, market-based initiatives, and income-generating activities involving micro-small medium enterprises (MSME), ensuring that the programs contribute to sustainable food security and economic development goals.

Key Responsibilities for this Position:

1. Programme Design and Implementation:
• Develop and manage food security and economic development programmes per NCA Programme strategies and priorities.
• Identify key areas of intervention to enhance the economic resilience of communities, focusing on agriculture, market linkages and livelihoods.
• Maintaining strong relationships with current and potential donors fosters long-term engagement and partnership.
• Lead in the design of EDFS concept notes, project proposals, and budgets, integrating appropriate innovative approaches in coordination with the Head of the Program.
2. Technical Leadership
• Provide technical support to the programme team in implementing climate-smart agricultural practices, small business enterprise development, and value chain enhancement.
• Guide market-based economic development initiatives to facilitate access to financial services, training, and market opportunities for local communities
• Design tools and methodologies to determine the impact of weather, pests, and diseases on crop and livestock performance and offer effective management practices and solutions.
• Provide technical support and advice to local farmer's groups on best agricultural practices.
• Consult with producer groups on potential ways to increase their economic return from a range of selected high-value products in collaboration with private sector investors through out-grower schemes or contract farming.
3. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:
• Establish and monitor demonstration sites to provide hard evidence of the success of the micro investments and other climate-smart agricultural practices.
• Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation plans to track progress against project objectives.
• Prepare periodic progress reports for donors, stakeholders, and NCA leadership, ensuring timely submission and adherence to reporting requirements.
• Ensure data-driven decision-making, document lessons learned and adapt programme strategies accordingly.
4. Capacity Building:
• Provide technical training and support to farmers' groups, partners, and field staff to build their capacity in food security, market-based approaches, and economic resilience.
• Develop training materials and facilitate workshops to enhance the capacity of local partners and community groups.
5. Partnership and Coordination:
• Foster strategic partnerships with local NGOs, community groups, religious groups, government authorities, and private sector actors.
• Represent the NCA in coordination forums, cluster meetings, and with donors to advocate for the needs of target communities.
• Ensure strong linkages between food security activities and other sectoral programmes such as health, nutrition, WASH, climate and environmentally sensitive programming to maximize impact.