Livelihood/ Asset Creation Specialist job at Food for the Hungry (FH)

Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

FH Association is seeking expressions of interest/CVs from qualified and experienced individuals who may be interested in joining the organisation to support the implementation of the FCDO-funded Refugee Support, Empowerment and Transformation (ReSET) Programme, should FH Association be successful in its grant application. Please note that this position is contingent upon FH Association being awarded the ReSET Programme grant. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to follow the application guidelines provided below to submit their applications or expressions of interest for consideration.

Responsibilities or duties

Purpose of the Job

The Asset Creation Specialist will provide strategic and technical leadership for the design, implementation, quality assurance and continuous improvement of Graduation and Economic Inclusion programming under the RISE Project. The position will lead the integration of the four core technical approaches of the programme: Graduation Approach; Market Systems Development (MSD); Climate-Smart Services and Participatory Design; Institutional Strengthening. Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Program Director (PD).

Principal Responsibilities

Technical support and leadership (35%)

• Provide strategic technical leadership for the consortium's Asset Creation and Economic Inclusion portfolio, ensuring high-quality implementation of the Graduation Approach, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Provide technical assistance in the four core approaches of the ReSET programme—Graduation, Market Systems Development (MSD), Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Stimulate creativity and innovation across consortium partners by introducing global best practices, emerging evidence, and proven models in economic inclusion, graduation programming, climate resilience, and systems transformation, adapting these to the Ugandan refugee and host community context.
• Lead participatory programme design processes that place refugees, host communities, local government, private sector actors, and community institutions at the centre of intervention design, implementation, learning, and adaptation.
• Provide technical oversight for the sequencing and layering of interventions including consumption support, productive asset transfers, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), business coaching, climate-smart agriculture, market linkages, financial inclusion, insurance, and graduation assessments.
• Foster continuous learning by documenting innovations, commissioning operational research, facilitating learning reviews, and translating evidence into programme improvements and policy influence.
• Collaborate closely with Tearfund technical advisors and consortium partners to ensure harmonized technical standards, quality assurance, and consistent application of international best practices across all implementation districts.
• Champion innovation in digital solutions, market intelligence, climate risk management, and financial inclusion to improve programme effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability.
• Lead the design, development, and implementation of activities related to agribusiness and value chain development within FH.

Strategic partnerships development for business acquisition and growth (25%)

• Contribute to positioning FH and the RISE Consortium as technical leaders in Graduation Programming, Economic Inclusion, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Livelihoods, and Refugee Self-Reliance through strategic engagement with development partners and national stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership in the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, budgets, and technical narratives related to Graduation, livelihoods, climate resilience, and market systems in collaboration with consortium partners, the Business Development Unit, and FH Global Support Centre.
• Identify and pursue strategic funding opportunities that build on the RISE programme by monitoring donor priorities, FCDO, UN agencies, multilateral institutions, foundations, and private sector investment opportunities.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with government ministries, OPM, UNHCR, local governments, financial institutions, private sector actors, producer organizations, cooperatives, research institutions, and refugee-led organizations to strengthen sustainable economic inclusion pathways.
• Strengthen collaboration with consortium partners (Tearfund, here is Life, PACHEDO and OKO Finance) to ensure coordinated implementation, technical harmonization, learning, and innovation across the programme.
• Identify opportunities for private sector investment and market-based solutions that improve access to markets, financial services, agricultural insurance, and business development services for refugee and host community enterprises.

Engagement with technical working groups, donors, potential partners (25%)

• Represent FH and the RISE Consortium in national, regional, and district coordination platforms related to livelihoods, economic inclusion, refugee self-reliance, agriculture, climate resilience, financial inclusion, market systems, and graduation programming.
• Support the Consortium Manager in maintaining productive relationships with OPM, UNHCR, district local governments, CRRF structures, development partners, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to strengthen programme coordination and influence.
• Participate in relevant technical working groups, donor consultations, consortium coordination meetings, and inter-agency forums to promote collaboration, learning, and alignment with national refugee and development priorities.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, technical briefs, case studies, success stories, and policy recommendations generated through programme implementation.
• Provide technical input into consortium learning events, adaptive management reviews, after-action reviews, and quarterly reflection meetings to strengthen programme quality.
• Support preparation of donor reports, technical presentations, conference papers, publications, and external communications highlighting programme achievements and innovations.
• Contribute technical content for fundraising materials, newsletters, website publications, social media, advocacy products, and knowledge management initiatives that promote FH's leadership in resilient livelihoods and graduation programming.

Capacity Development (15%)

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive capacity strengthening strategy for consortium partners, local governments, community institutions, and FH programme staff on Graduation Programming, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Conduct organizational and technical capacity assessments to identify learning needs and develop tailored capacity development plans.
• Design and facilitate Training of Trainers (ToT), coaching, mentoring, peer-learning exchanges, and technical workshops for consortium partners, district technical staff, community facilitators, and extension workers.
• Provide ongoing technical coaching and backstopping to Area Programme teams to ensure quality implementation of Graduation pathways, household coaching, VSLAs, enterprise development, climate-smart agriculture, and market systems interventions.
• Develop technical guidelines, training curricula, implementation manuals, coaching tools, and quality assurance standards aligned with international best practices and FCDO ReSET requirements.
• Facilitate exposure visits, communities of practice, innovation labs, and learning exchanges that encourage adoption of proven Graduation and Market Systems approaches across the consortium.

Qualifications or requirements

Job Specifications

• Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Development Economics, Natural Resources Management, Livelihoods, Resilience, International Development or related field Bachelor's 2XDegree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Economics or related discipline.
• Master’s degree in agri-business development, Agricultural Economics, agricultural sciences, project management, environment, energy, or resilience is preferable.
• At least 5 years working experience working on programmes supporting agriculture and agribusiness among smallholder farmers and farmers groups.
• Experience in project development and capacity building within the Agriculture Sector. Experience working in both the public and private sector would be an asset.
• Demonstrable experience in value chain/market system analysis and design, for normative and field-support work.
• Ability to collaboratively identify barriers to entry and leverage opportunities along the agricultural value chain. Technical proficiency in designing solutions that enhance on-farm production of high-value agricultural products, as well as value addition options.
• Relevant experience in engaging with a variety of stakeholders in a value chain/market system development.
• Demonstrable capacity to work under stringent time pressure and to prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrable skills in writing well-structured technical, training and reporting documents (English).

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

The HR Office will contact selected candidates whose CVs are progressing to the interview stage with details about the interview within the due course. Shortlisting and Interviewing will be on a rolling basis.

• Provide strategic technical leadership for the consortium's Asset Creation and Economic Inclusion portfolio, ensuring high-quality implementation of the Graduation Approach, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Provide technical assistance in the four core approaches of the ReSET programme—Graduation, Market Systems Development (MSD), Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Stimulate creativity and innovation across consortium partners by introducing global best practices, emerging evidence, and proven models in economic inclusion, graduation programming, climate resilience, and systems transformation, adapting these to the Ugandan refugee and host community context.
• Lead participatory programme design processes that place refugees, host communities, local government, private sector actors, and community institutions at the centre of intervention design, implementation, learning, and adaptation.
• Provide technical oversight for the sequencing and layering of interventions including consumption support, productive asset transfers, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), business coaching, climate-smart agriculture, market linkages, financial inclusion, insurance, and graduation assessments.
• Foster continuous learning by documenting innovations, commissioning operational research, facilitating learning reviews, and translating evidence into programme improvements and policy influence.
• Collaborate closely with Tearfund technical advisors and consortium partners to ensure harmonized technical standards, quality assurance, and consistent application of international best practices across all implementation districts.
• Champion innovation in digital solutions, market intelligence, climate risk management, and financial inclusion to improve programme effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability.
• Lead the design, development, and implementation of activities related to agribusiness and value chain development within FH.
• Contribute to positioning FH and the RISE Consortium as technical leaders in Graduation Programming, Economic Inclusion, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Livelihoods, and Refugee Self-Reliance through strategic engagement with development partners and national stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership in the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, budgets, and technical narratives related to Graduation, livelihoods, climate resilience, and market systems in collaboration with consortium partners, the Business Development Unit, and FH Global Support Centre.
• Identify and pursue strategic funding opportunities that build on the RISE programme by monitoring donor priorities, FCDO, UN agencies, multilateral institutions, foundations, and private sector investment opportunities.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with government ministries, OPM, UNHCR, local governments, financial institutions, private sector actors, producer organizations, cooperatives, research institutions, and refugee-led organizations to strengthen sustainable economic inclusion pathways.
• Strengthen collaboration with consortium partners (Tearfund, here is Life, PACHEDO and OKO Finance) to ensure coordinated implementation, technical harmonization, learning, and innovation across the programme.
• Identify opportunities for private sector investment and market-based solutions that improve access to markets, financial services, agricultural insurance, and business development services for refugee and host community enterprises.
• Represent FH and the RISE Consortium in national, regional, and district coordination platforms related to livelihoods, economic inclusion, refugee self-reliance, agriculture, climate resilience, financial inclusion, market systems, and graduation programming.
• Support the Consortium Manager in maintaining productive relationships with OPM, UNHCR, district local governments, CRRF structures, development partners, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to strengthen programme coordination and influence.
• Participate in relevant technical working groups, donor consultations, consortium coordination meetings, and inter-agency forums to promote collaboration, learning, and alignment with national refugee and development priorities.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, technical briefs, case studies, success stories, and policy recommendations generated through programme implementation.
• Provide technical input into consortium learning events, adaptive management reviews, after-action reviews, and quarterly reflection meetings to strengthen programme quality.
• Support preparation of donor reports, technical presentations, conference papers, publications, and external communications highlighting programme achievements and innovations.
• Contribute technical content for fundraising materials, newsletters, website publications, social media, advocacy products, and knowledge management initiatives that promote FH's leadership in resilient livelihoods and graduation programming.
• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive capacity strengthening strategy for consortium partners, local governments, community institutions, and FH programme staff on Graduation Programming, Market Systems Development, Climate-Smart Services, and Institutional Strengthening.
• Conduct organizational and technical capacity assessments to identify learning needs and develop tailored capacity development plans.
• Design and facilitate Training of Trainers (ToT), coaching, mentoring, peer-learning exchanges, and technical workshops for consortium partners, district technical staff, community facilitators, and extension workers.
• Provide ongoing technical coaching and backstopping to Area Programme teams to ensure quality implementation of Graduation pathways, household coaching, VSLAs, enterprise development, climate-smart agriculture, and market systems interventions.
• Develop technical guidelines, training curricula, implementation manuals, coaching tools, and quality assurance standards aligned with international best practices and FCDO ReSET requirements.
• Facilitate exposure visits, communities of practice, innovation labs, and learning exchanges that encourage adoption of proven Graduation and Market Systems approaches across the consortium.

• Demonstrable experience in value chain/market system analysis and design, for normative and field-support work.
• Ability to collaboratively identify barriers to entry and leverage opportunities along the agricultural value chain. Technical proficiency in designing solutions that enhance on-farm production of high-value agricultural products, as well as value addition options.
• Relevant experience in engaging with a variety of stakeholders in a value chain/market system development.
• Demonstrable capacity to work under stringent time pressure and to prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrable skills in writing well-structured technical, training and reporting documents (English).

• Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Development Economics, Natural Resources Management, Livelihoods, Resilience, International Development or related field Bachelor's 2XDegree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Economics or related discipline.
• Master’s degree in agri-business development, Agricultural Economics, agricultural sciences, project management, environment, energy, or resilience is preferable.
• At least 5 years working experience working on programmes supporting agriculture and agribusiness among smallholder farmers and farmers groups.
• Experience in project development and capacity building within the Agriculture Sector. Experience working in both the public and private sector would be an asset.