Market System Development (MSD) Lead

JobTitle: Market System Development (MSD) Lead

Location: Kathmandu/Project district and frequent travel to the project working area

Line Manager: Head of Programs

Introduction

People in Need (PIN) is a non-governmental, non-profit, international organization founded in the Czech Republic in 1992. PIN’s roots are in humanitarian aid, civil society empowerment and human rights. PIN arrived in Nepal as part of a humanitarian response to the April 25, 2015 earthquake. Since its inception in Nepal, PIN has had a strong role advocating and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations affected by disasters and shocks including person categories who live in geographically remote areas of the country, historically marginalized ethnic groups, and those marginalized because of their age and/or gender identity, working closely with local CSOs and organizations. PIN has also supported Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction efforts ensuring that the most vulnerable people are not left behind with resilience (focused on shelter and resettlement) and inclusive education programming. PIN-Nepal is strongly committed for safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, including persons with disabilities, in line with its safeguarding framework and child protection policy.

Background

As a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PIN-Nepal conducted an Impact Assessment to assess the secondary impacts of the crisis beyond the health sector. The results demonstrated that the pandemic has severely affected the food security and livelihood status of the surveyed populations, particularly urban households who were disproportionately affected by loss of employment opportunities. Similarly, the recent inflation caused by the war in Ukraine, and other external shocks, have had impact on the longer-term livelihoods, food security and resilience of the vulnerable urban populations. PIN therefore identifies the need to improve the food security and livelihood status of affected communities, especially in urban and peri-urban areas, where people often struggle to meet their needs. These communities often fail to receive governmental support due to a diverse set of vulnerabilities, such as those who are female-headed households, have disabilities, or those who have temporarily migrated for work and thus live out of their typical family or community safety nets, whilst working in informal labor markets without access to any governmental or legal support. PIN proposes this pilot project that could be scaled up and/or adapted in diverse environments of Nepal depending on available funding. For such, this is a pilot project implemented by PIN and in collaboration with Alliance 2015 partners (Helvetas and WHH), who will together lead the Project Management Committee.

PIN aims to support local authorities and relevant stakeholders in identifying vulnerable groups within the urban poor population, linking them with relevant social protection mechanisms, developing a livelihood and food security/nutrition component using Market System Development (MSD) approaches.

Jobpurpose:

The Market System Development (MSD) Lead will be responsible to promote resource based enterprises, coordinate with market actors in and local government, private sectors, facilitate for enterprise development, capacity development of service providers, value chain actors, explore enterprise opportunities/solutions, provide technical support for business plan development to private sector for sustainable enterprise development, provide technical backstopping supports to service providers, business partners, and local government in close coordination with PIN team and Alliance 2015 partners (Helvetas and WHH). The position is expected to provide innovative and strategic expertise in the field of MSD for sustainable livelihood and resilience. S/he will be responsible for the analysis of systemic constraints and opportunities in selected sub-sectors/ cross-sectors, and market systems, as well as for the design and implementation of interventions in the selected sub-sectors/ cross-sectors.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Program Development

• Support PIN’s programmes with developing highly effective MSD interventions, including: supporting the project development and design phase, helping to identify and screen potential private sector partners, negotiating agreements with companies, identifying capacity gaps of potential private sector actors and designing feasible capacity building activities to address these gaps);
  
• Mentor and develop the technical skills of PIN’s team on MSD approaches, including conducting trainings on core topics (such as MSD, value chain development, skills development etc.);
• Develop tools and resources to assist with MSD analysis, design, activities’ implementation and M&E (including standardizing the tools and indicators being used to monitor MSD interventions across the missions and results-based M&E framework);
  
• Promote and advocate for MSD approaches and innovations across PIN’s development programs;
• Ensure the effective integration of cross-cutting themes (such as advocacy, women’s empowerment, disability, environmentally and socially responsible business and nutrition) into PIN’s MSD interventions.
• Take lead on building proof of concept for the intervention’s scalability based on learning from the pilot project.
  
• Work on expanding the scope of the project and ensuring the sustainability of its interventions.

2. Implementation

• Take lead to prepare business plan to initiate the enterprising activities in the project areas;
• Organize and facilitate business meetings and workshops for discussion and sharing with potential business partners(private sector, service providers, government organization, NGOs) for business exploration, enterprises development and piloting;
• Provide technical support for the design and implementation of activities using a market systems development approach to drive and deliver the outcomes of Urban resilience program;
• Lead diagnostics and assessments to evaluate market opportunities, identify partners, and design project partnerships and activities;
• Identify, develop, and nurture the network of private sector actors within the agriculture value chain, enhancing their capacity, interest, and/or potential to expand business operations, emphasizing end-market dynamics;
• Identify capacity gaps across private sector actors (i.e. in the supply chain, business operations, finance, etc.), and facilitate capacity building plans and access to training services;
• Coordinate closely with financial institutions (government institution-e.g. department of industry), private sectors/corporates and CSR for the smallholder farmers and small and medium agribusinesses to expand their output/services and networks;
• Work with the urban areas vulnerable groups to assess entrepreneurial opportunity based on the market assessment and demand;
• Support micro and small enterprise to forge productive alliances with other actors in the value chain; facilitate market integration;
• Identify innovative funding mechanisms and extend partnerships with banks and financial institutions.
• Integrate gender, climate, and digital technologies as cross-cutting areas across the work;
• Exploration of resources and market-based business opportunities by conducting Area Potential Survey (APS) for enterprising and employment creation;
• Business exploration and identification of business partners and its roles and responsibilities based on business model process and approaches to start the enterprising activities within the working sites;
• Support to prepare and development of business concept, process and model for piloting;
• Support on learning and process documentation of business exploration;
• Provide support and learning sharing to implementation team to generate new business ideas;
• Prepare and execute the action plan for business/product development and testing in field to promote private led enterprises;
• Closely work with implementation team in order to testing the business models, approach, product development and testing in field;
• Take lead for intensive follow-up support on business model testing and development stages in the working area at local level

3. Networking and Coordination

• Maintain good coordination with local government, provincial government, private sector, corporates, partners, project team, Alliance partners, in-house projects/staffs, partner organizations and stakeholders to contribute in achieving the goals and objectives of the project;
• Closely coordinate with all concerned stakeholders to accomplish reporting within the stipulated timeframe.

4. Others

• Support to produce the project progress reports, semi-annual and annual reviews and planning;
• Prepare and participate in regular staff meetings, quarterly review and planning meeting, maintain organization
  values, culture and ethics within team, showing good respect and ·behaviors to all related to project.
• Ensure safeguarding of children, vulnerable groups (including people with disabilities), and those in fragile and conflict-affected states at all times.
• Adhere to the PIN Code of Conduct and key policies including the Child Protection Policy and Safeguarding Policy; and PIN’s system.

Requirements

• Master degree in Entrepreneurship Development, Business Administration, economics and relevant areas. At least three years’ work experience in enterprises conceptualization and development, Work experiences on value-chain, resource and market-based enterprises and job creation (Agricultural, NTFP sectors);
• Familiarity with ‘making market work for poor’ (M4P) and value chain approaches will be added advantage;
• Knowledge of business coaching, counselling, consultancy and facilitation skills for enterprise and employment creation;
• Work experience related to development of disadvantage/vulnerable groups in urban setting will be an asset.
• Ability to organize capacity development activities to business service providers;
• Experience on works with private sector and good understanding of business dynamics of private sector.
• Ability to maintain good coordination and networking with business stakeholder Organizational values keeper and loyal towards the organization;
• Excellent interpersonal communication and command of written and spoken English and Nepali.