Deputy country representative | Zimbabwe | 2020

Job Description

Chemonics seeks a deputy country representative for the USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) in Zimbabwe. For technical activities, the deputy country representative will collaborate and coordinate with national, regional, and home office (Washington, D.C.) technical advisors, analysts, and specialists. For office administration and financial management, the deputy country representative will collaborate with the country representative, regional representative, and the Washington, D.C.-based project management unit, operations team, and senior management team. The deputy country representative will report directly to the country representative and will travel regularly within Zimbabwe, as well as conduct some international travel, security permitting. We seek individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world and demonstrate leadership, versatility, and integrity in their work.

FEWS NET implements an integrated set of activities intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage through a mix of presence and remote monitoring. Its work is implemented across several pillars by a team of partners that includes NASA, NOAA, USGS, Kimetrica, and Chemonics. Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s integrated emergency food insecurity analysis through a Washington-based technical office and more than 20 field offices.

Based on in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, FEWS NET analysts monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as weather conditions and climate, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. It produces regular reports, including Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates, emergency alerts, market and price updates, and global weather hazards. FEWS NET makes reports available at www.fews.net and distributes them globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.

The seventh phase of FEWS NET (FEWS NET 7) began in 2019 and relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security analysis and reinforcement of food security networks. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data exchanges, collaborative analysis and report writing, and technical capacity strengthening. FEWS NET supports local and regional food security networks to contribute to achieving the global objective of food security for all.

Position Description:

FEWS NET maintains offices in a number of countries in Africa, Central America, Central Asia, and the Caribbean. The deputy country representative will work closely with the country representative to undertake activities in the field office in the following areas:

• Efficient, focused food security monitoring, data collection, assessment, and early warning analysis
• Effective communication of early warning analysis to partners and decision-makers through high-quality reports and participation in briefings and formal and informal meetings
• Close collaboration with key partners, such as host-government ministries, UN agencies, and international and local NGOs
• Support partnership and network development by addressing identified gaps in effective early warning systems
• Oversee project administration and management at the field office level, as designated by the country representative, including serving as country representative when required

Technical Activities:

• Support the effective execution of technical activities in the national office, including: early warning analysis, livelihoods and vulnerability assessments, markets and trade analysis, monitoring tools and methods development, capacity strengthening, and network development and enhancement
• Maintain and update a knowledge base composed of, at a minimum: livelihood zone profiles, commodity trade flow maps, sub-national seasonal monitoring calendars, commodity price data, nutrition data, and other technical data covering levels of rainfall, climate change, agricultural production, population, historical assistance flows, migration, remittances, and labor
• Develop and update seasonal monitoring plans
• Provide high-quality and effective early warning of threats to food security and support efforts to mitigate food insecurity and prevent food crises through the production of actionable, evidence-based food security analysis
• Conduct regular field assessments of food security conditions, security permitting, both independently and with partners, in areas of most concern to FEWS NET
• Fulfilling monthly reporting requirements, including writing Food Security Outlooks, Food Security Outlook Updates, the Price Watch, Market and Trade outlooks, seasonal monitors, and Key Messages; contributing to Food Assistance Outlook Brief reports; and providing regular briefings to the U.S. government and other partners in country
• Organize project documentation and files and update all essential data used in food security early warning monitoring and assessment, including through inputs into the FEWS NET Data Warehouse, in line with guidance provided by the Washington, D.C.-based technical team
• Participate actively and collaboratively in country-level Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analyses, as applicable, in line with IPC protocols
• Contribute to other FEWS NET information products required locally, regionally, and by the Washington, D.C.-based technical team

Partnership, Representation, and Network Development:

• Collaborate with national, regional, and international partners in food security monitoring and analysis through participation in implementation of the IPC
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relations, both formal and informal, with USAID mission representatives, U.S. Embassy technical contacts, UN agency representatives, government ministry staff, and key international and local NGO colleagues to facilitate technical exchanges, promote consensus-building, work to resolve technical disagreements, and facilitate joint, coordinated actions to mitigate food insecurity
• Play a leading role in collecting, archiving, analyzing, and sharing food security data and information
• Reinforcing partnerships through network development and enhancement at the national and sub-national levels by focusing support to address identified gaps and strengthen shared opportunities, including providing training and skills transfers for effective early warning in country
• Represent FEWS NET at regular and ad hoc formal and informal meetings within FEWS NET’s national food security network, as designated by the country representative

Management:

• Supervise, mentor, and support the professional development of technical and administrative staff in the field office, as delegated by the country representative
• Support national recruitment efforts for technical and administrative staff in country, as needed

Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography; significant, directly related professional experience can substitute for education experience
• Minimum two years of relevant experience in early warning/food security information systems, food security analysis, or other related fields
• Excellent computer skills; GIS applications and mapping skills an advantage
• English fluency required; local language skills desirable

Core Competencies:

• Relevancy of education to the work of FEWS NET
• English language ability (spoken and written)
• Presentation skills
• Computer skills
• Writing skills
• Evidence of working with and coordinating partners, networking, and collaboration

Technical Skills (depth of understanding of and experience with the following topics):

• Food security and knowledge of the food security system in Zimbabwe
• Livelihoods and the Household Economy Approach
• Markets and trade
• Agro-climatology (agro-meteorology, remote sensing, GIS, etc.)
• Nutrition
• Agricultural sciences (crops, livestock, pasture, etc.)
• Field assessments (quantitative and/or qualitative)
• Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
• Analytical and reporting skills

The full job description for the Zimbabwe deputy country representative position can be found at www.fews.net/vacancies. Interested candidates should fill out the general information form and upload their CV and a cover letter by April 20, 2020 to this site: https://fewsnet.formstack.com/forms/dcr_zw_fewsnet

All application materials, including responses to the general information form, CVs, and cover letters, should be provided in English. The position is based in Harare, Zimbabwe and is open to all qualified candidates. No telephone inquiries. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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Chemonics is an equal opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or protected veteran status, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

About the Organization

Owned entirely by employees, Chemonics is an ISO-9001 certified international development company. For more than 40 years, we have partnered with local and international organizations to promote social and economic change around the world.

Chemonics International is a leading international development consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. with more than 40 years of experience implementing programs around the world.