CRS’s agency-wide Agricultural Livelihoods signature program area (SPA) has a 5 year strategic goal to provide a pathway to prosperity for 5 million rural households worldwide. Working through local partners, CRS aims to provide poor rural farming families with the assets, skills and links to markets and services that they require to live more dignified, prosperous and resilient lives. CRS is committed to working with vulnerable families all along the pathway to prosperity. CRS supports rural families in their bid to leave poverty; attain food security and achieve incremental gains in prosperity through three stages: Recover, Build and Grow. Each phase includes asset building, risk reduction and changes to systems and structures that support long term resilience and the ability to rebound from adversity, in line with CRS’ Integral Human Development framework.
CRS/Haiti and the LACRO office have embarked on an influence agenda with a vision to become a catalyst for positive change at scale. In addition to exploring new business models and approaches, this vision includes increasing CRS’ technical capacity and performance in key signature areas and increasing impacts by leveraging our expertise and experience to influence change in systems, structures and relationships.
In Haiti, CRS is currently working with over 12,000 smallholder farmers involved in key cash crops of cacao, coffee and mango. CRS/Haiti’s agriculture strategy aims at improving inclusion of smallholder farmers in these value chains by facilitating market linkages, strengthening capacity of farmer group organization and governance, promoting new techniques and technologies for production, pest control, and post-harvest management, and reinforcing management of natural resources and farmer capacity to adapt to impacts of climate change.
CRS is seeking expertise in the area of agro-enterprise development and market-based recovery. The specialist will be part of CRS/Haiti’s programming team providing focused support to on-going programs in Southern Haiti as well as program development and positioning for new opportunities nationwide. S/he will support the Les Cayes agriculture team and play an active role in providing leadership in country level project development, team training, and program quality and evaluation. The specialist will also facilitate market-oriented approaches and linkages along select value chains, while promoting methodologies that are sound in terms of environmentally sustainable farming systems, climate change adaptation, and nutritional and food security needs and opportunities in Haiti.

Job Summary:
The Agro-Enterprise & Markets Specialist will play a critical role in reinforcing market-oriented programming under the Agricultural Livelihoods SPA in Haiti.
Specific Responsibilities:
Technical Assistance/Program Support (50%):
• Develop, in collaboration with the Senior Agriculture Advisor, a country program agriculture strategy in line with the Agency SPA and strategic investment priorities, LACRO Agriculture strategy, and country-specific needs and opportunities in Haiti
• Ensure technical quality of CRS/Haiti agro-enterprise programming, drawing on CRS and industry standards and best practices for market-oriented approaches in value chain programs
• Provide, facilitate, and coordinate training, capacity building, and professional development opportunities to CRS/Haiti and partner agriculture program staff to increase capacity to carry out innovative and sound market-oriented approaches and methodologies that reinforce market linkages and increase revenues for small-holder farmers.
• Assess periodically CRS/Haiti staff competencies in agro-enterprise and provide recommendations for filling gaps through revised job descriptions, new recruitments, staff development plans, etc.
• Act as a resource for ongoing projects for focused technical support, guidance and assistance throughout the project cycle (ie, facilitating implementation planning, troubleshooting/analyzing technical problems, identifying gaps and needs for outside technical assistance, etc.)
• Provide targeted program support and representation with project stakeholders on behalf of the Les Cayes office from time to time to cover management gaps and ensure smooth implementation of ongoing agriculture programs.
• Act as the country program’s focal point for technical assistance requests to/from the LACRO office and external consultants
• Participate in Agency/LACRO communities of practice and meetings on agro-enterprise/market-oriented programming; Assume leadership of necessary follow up actions to improve information is shared and socialized appropriately with CRS/Haiti agriculture program staff.
Business Development/Representation/Learning (50%):
• Identify, preposition, and actively pursue new and promising growth opportunities in collaboration with the CRS/Haiti Business Development team and Les Cayes sub-office
• Lead the design, development and writing of agro-enterprise-related concept notes, proposals, logframes, indicator development, budgets, etc.
• Lead efforts at marketing program successes and key learning and research initiatives including development of marketing materials and presentations and organization of events involving relevant target audiences
• Identify and lead the pursuit of strategic initiatives for learning, operations research, and market assessments to generate evidence and data related to market-oriented programs to be used for influencing relevant stakeholders and leveraging external resources
• Cultivate strategic relationships and partnerships with private sector actors, government officials, institutional donors, and other agricultural development practitioners
• Represent CRS/Haiti at high level international, national, and Agency conferences and meetings to build CRS/Haiti’s visibility and reputation as a leader in market-oriented agriculture programming in Haiti.
Emergency Response (as necessary):
• Serve as country program’s primary resource for design and development of market-oriented agricultural emergency response and recovery activities such as seed and voucher fairs and food-assisted cash transfer programs.
• Lead and organize the design of emergency market assessments in collaboration with the Emergency/DRR Program Coordinator
• Serve as a member of the Haiti Emergency Response Team roster
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Senior Agriculture Technical Advisor/Cayes; Head of Programs/Cayes; Head of Office/Cayes; Strategy & Business Development Manager; Head of MEAL; Regional Technical Advisors for Agriculture and Agro-enterprise; Agriculture Program Coordinator; Urban Livelihoods Program Manager; Emergency/DRR Program Coordinator
External: Private sector actors (buyers, processors, exporters, etc), Ministry of Agriculture officials, UN agencies, micro-finance institutions, institutional donors (IDB, USAID, Canadian Embassy, etc.)
Professional and Personal Skills:
1. Ability to show leadership in leading agro-enterprise development and market-oriented approaches
2. Demonstrated experience in provision technical assistance
3. Strong track record in business development (prepositioning, proposal writing, marketing, etc.).
4. Demonstrated success working across sectors, particularly with private sector actors
5. Ability to work well within diverse teams and manage relationships across sectors.
6. Excellent writing, communication, training, facilitation, and presentation skills.
7. Strong interpersonal skills with evidence of making a strong contribution to a team’s goals and objectives.
8. Understanding of and evidence of achievement in advocating for the use of good development practice among decision-makers and development practitioners.
9. Ability to work under tight deadlines and maintain good relations with diverse sets of stakeholders

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. MSc / M.A. in agricultural economics, micro-finance, agro-enterprise or agribusiness management or other related field
2. At least 5 years field experience managing and/or providing technical assistance to agro-enterprise/value chain programs in developing country contexts.
3. Fluency in English and French. Knowledge of Haitian Creole and/or Spanish a plus
4. Willingness to travel to field locations up to 50% of time

Interested candidates should send their curriculum vitae with a cover letter, and copy of certificates with the title of the position