Deputy Agriculture Lead

Job Description

KEY INFORMATION
Job Title: Deputy Agriculture Lead
Sector: Customs, Trade and Investment Climate
Position Type: Full-time
Duration/Level of Effort: Long-Term
Position Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contractual arrangement: Eligible for Cambodian residents/citizens only

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
The CAPRED Facility is Australia’s flagship bilateral economic development program in Cambodia. It focuses on economic recovery and resilience over the next four years, with a possible three-year extension.

The Facility supports Cambodia in implementing economic interventions and reforms to accelerate the country’s economic transition. These interventions and reforms encourage productive and inclusive public and private investment, promoting a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economy (RISE).

CAPRED interventions fall under three technical components: Agriculture Production; Agro-processing, Trade, Investment, and Enterprise Development; Infrastructure Development; and a cross-cutting component comprising Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), as well as Climate Resilient initiatives and policy support. GEDSI is at the heart of all that CAPRED does.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Deputy Agriculture Lead reports to the Agriculture Team Lead. The Deputy supports the management of CAPRED’s Agriculture Domain, with a strong focus on technical quality, analytical rigour, and the development of innovative, market-driven solutions.

The Deputy provides technical oversight of interventions, ensuring that CAPRED’s agriculture portfolio delivers evidence-based, inclusive, and climate-resilient outcomes. The role includes supporting the team on the technical aspects of intervention design, implementation, and monitoring.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES

• Leadership and Coordination
• Ensure the effective integration of agricultural initiatives with CAPRED’s overall objectives and cross-cutting priorities.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to Investment Managers and Officers to strengthen analytical, strategic, and operational capabilities.
• Contribute to work planning, budgeting, and reporting, ensuring quality, coherence, and alignment with CAPRED’s performance framework.
• Represent CAPRED in meetings, workshops, and forums with government, private sector, and development partners when delegated.
• Model ethical behaviour and uphold Australia’s and CAPRED’s reputation in line with DFAT’s Code of Conduct.
• Technical and Analytical Responsibilities
• Lead sector and market analyses to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities for innovation and investment.
• Provide technical quality assurance across concept notes, intervention designs, partnership proposals, and intervention guides.
• Design, test, and refine market-driven interventions that improve productivity, enhance competitiveness, inclusivity and promote climate resilience.
• Identify systemic constraints and facilitate public-private collaboration to address bottlenecks and create inclusive market growth.
• Support the design of output-based and milestone-based contracts, ensuring technical soundness and value for money.
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) team to develop indicators, assess impact, and scale successful interventions
• Contribute technical insights to communications products, learning briefs, and stakeholder updates.
• Compliance and Integration
• Ensure all agricultural interventions comply with Australian and Cambodian laws, as well as CAPRED, Cowater, and DFAT standards on governance, child protection, anti-fraud, and inclusion.
• Embed GEDSI, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability into all technical and operational activities.
• Coordinate with cross-cutting teams to ensure consistent and integrated approaches across domains.
• Work in a way that promotes social inclusion and gender equality, is sensitive to cultural and gender issues in Cambodia, and is disability inclusive.
• Commitment to championing gender, equality, disability and social inclusion across the Facility
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Build and maintain strong relationships with government counterparts, private sector partners, development agencies, and research institutions.
• Facilitate partnerships that foster innovation, investment, and inclusive growth in Cambodia’s agricultural sector.
• Represent CAPRED in relevant working groups, technical committees, and public forums to share evidence and lessons learned.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Qualifications
• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, agribusiness, development studies, or a related field.
• Excellent command of English (oral and written), with strong analytical and communication skills.
• Essential Criteria
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in agricultural development, private sector engagement, or market systems development.
• Proven experience in project design, implementation, and quality assurance within complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Demonstrated skills in research, analysis, and problem-solving with the ability to translate findings into actionable solutions.
• Strong interpersonal and mentoring abilities, with a collaborative and learning-oriented mindset.
• Experience building relationships with private sector actors, government, and development partners.
• Commitment to CAPRED’s values of inclusion, integrity, and innovation.

APPLICATION PROCESS Please send your cover letter and CV with name and contact details (phone and email) of three professional referees to recruitment@capred.org mentioning the position you apply for in the subject line “Deputy Agriculture Lead”. 

Closing Date: 15 December 2025

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.

About the Organization

ABOUT US

Founded in 1985, Cowater International is a leading global development consulting company. Headquartered in Ottawa and with corporate hubs in Auckland, Berlin, Brussels, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Manila, Nairobi, Singapore and Stockholm, Cowater International has successfully delivered a portfolio of over 2500 projects and assignments in more than 95 countries. We work with governments, private sector actors and communities implementing projects that support socio-economic development, institutional strengthening, environmental improvements and advance equal opportunities for all. We are a diverse and experienced team committed to building a better tomorrow for the people we serve. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our yearly award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies since 2017. 

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.