Delivery Analyst

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE POSITION OF DELIVERY ANALYST

JOB TITLE : Delivery Analyst

GRADE : Professional Level (P3)

PROGRAMME : Regional Food Balance Sheet Project

DUTY STATION : COMESA Secretariat, Lusaka, Zambia

CONTRACT DURATION : From the date of signature of the contract up to the end of the programme duration, which is expected to end in April 2024.

REPORTING TO : Director, Industry and Agriculture Division.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Delivery Analyst has a mandate from COMESA Secretariat to support the RFBS Initiative Lead in coordinating activities across different stages of the Initiative. The Delivery Analyst’s role will begin with an emphasis on leading RFBS convening functions in 2022, including through the launch of the RFBS Minimal Viable Product (MVP). Increasingly, the Delivery Analyst will help assess and build capacity for COMESA Secretariat to take on a larger role in overall ownership and accountability for the RFBS initiative in both project management and in supporting technical implementation of the digital food balance sheet.

KEY TASKS/ RESPONSIBILITIES

Navigate COMESA and its corresponding networks to assist the COMESA Initiative Lead and the Product and Project Manager in:

• Support coordination of different stakeholders within COMESA for the benefit of the RFBS and helping to refine the long-term internal governance structure for ongoing leadership of the initiative;
• Map internal resource needs and gaps as a basis for resource planning and mobilization;
• Ensure the adequate engagement of a broader set of stakeholders including through operationalization of the RFBS governance structure;
• Ensuring information feedback to the COMESA Committee on Statistical Matters and the technical Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment annual meetings on project progress;
• Analysing RFBS inputs and their eventual outputs and generating targeted reports or briefings to inform policy and support decision-making processes. Supporting the COMESA Initiative Lead in convening policy discussions or workshops which are informed by these outputs;
• Work in close collaboration with the Product and Project Manager to support compilation of Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS) and prepare COMESA for long-term ownership of the RFBS initiative;
• Supporting the evolving overall vision of the digital tool and ensuring that the product aligns with both public and private user requirements;
• Liaison with Member States on assessments of national Food Balance sheets and other basic data required for compilation of the same;
• Provision and coordination of any technical assistance to Member States on issues related to national RFBS;
• Supporting development of Food Balance Sheet data sharing guidelines/regulations to ensure data providers are clearly aligned and understand their responsibilities;
• Supporting and later leading the development and implementation of the RFBS communication and advocacy and stakeholder engagement plans;
• Preparing technical materials for RFBS Committee meetings, and later Advisory Committee meetings;
• Structuring internal COMESA capacity building assessments and coordinating capacity improvement efforts to refine the timelines for and ensure success of the long-term handover of PPM and Technical Operations functions; and
• Provision and coordination of capacity building on FBSs for Member States.

Specific Key Activities

• Ensure full alignment with the Product & Project Manager and the donors on the strategic vision, priorities, overall roadmap, and progress, including:
• Participating in, and later leading, bi-weekly implementing partner check-in sessions as part of the project management functions of the RFBS initiative to track progress, de-escalate arising issues, and allocate resources;
• Operationalizing the RFBS Committee and national sub-committee(s) including managing attendance, preparing agenda, detailing key discussion points, and managing action items or follow up so that any feedback is well received and acted upon; and
• Assisting to update KPIs and accountability metrics at first around convening functions and later across multiple roles within the Initiative.
• Support resource mobilization efforts in close collaboration with the PPM, and in an increasing position of leadership beyond the MVP phase. Specific tasks include:
• Tracking the balance of budget needs and funding flows and providing regular updates to key COMESA stakeholders. Assisting in broader Advisory Committee or other stakeholder funding updates;
• Supporting the coordination of donor funding activities both within and outside of the PIATA partnership to cover medium term needs and gaps (2022-2024); and
• Supporting the development of a detailed resource mobilization plan with an emphasis on the long-term (2024 onwards) that outlines funding options, the operational and strategic implications of each, and presents a recommended strategy to sustain the Initiative.
• Collaborate and support the development of the RFBS tool by coordinating resources within COMESA and the wider RFBS imitative, including:
• Supporting the COMESA RFBS Initiative Lead to coordinate COMESA communications, legal, finance, and other teams and resources and managing action items assigned to each;
• Supporting the PPM in the end-to-end output strategy from inception to production through the translating of the product vision (MVP and beyond) into the product development roadmap and maintaining the product backlog through the different development stages (incl., on-going grooming and prioritization following agile development methodologies); and
• Working with the PPM to remain engaged and up to date on the evolving needs of the Analytics Providers and Technical Operations teams. Participate in key update meetings and increasingly (after MVP) take ownership of coordination efforts with these groups.
• Follow-up on required actions and escalate arising dependencies or risks to the relevant decision makers, while negotiating with stakeholders to deliver the most value within timelines and budgets.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

1. A Master’s Degree in Statistics, Agriculture Economics.
2. A minimum of 9 years relevant experience working with agricultural statistics at national or regional/international levels.
3. A strong understanding of how Food Balance Sheets are compiled and used in Africa.
4. Demonstrable experience in building capacity for use of Food Balance Sheets or similar products in decision-making.
5. Good interpersonal skills in liaising with colleagues and partners.
6. At least 3 years of project management experience in a multi-stakeholder environment and team structure.

WORKING LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITIONS

Must be fluent in English and/or French and/or Arabic (speaking and writing). A combination of any two or all these languages will be an added advantage.

ELIGIBILITY FOR APPLICATION

Applicants must be nationals of Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, and not more than 55 years of age at the time of submitting the application.

ONLY SHORT-LISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.

Application should reach the address below not later than Monday 5^th September 2022 .at 18:00 hours Lusaka, Zambia time.