Market System Development (MSD) Expert

Women Empowerment Action (WE-Action) is a feminist women's rights organization that has been operating across various regions in Ethiopia, including Amhara, Oromia, Southern Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and Tigray, for the past 30 years. WE-Action has four strategic goals: combating gender inequality, promoting gender-equitable and sustainable livelihoods, ensuring protection and lifesaving support, and achieving organizational excellence. WE-Action in collaboration Welthungerhilfe (WHH) is currently seeking a competent Market System Development Expert at Borena Field Office

WE-LIFT (Women Entrepreneurs Leading Inclusive Food Transformation in Borena) aims to transform Borena's food system into one that is more inclusive, climate-resilient, nutrition-sensitive, and market-oriented by strengthening the economic participation, leadership, resilience, and agency of 4,741 pastoralist and agro-pastoralist women and female youth living in Arero, Gomole, and Yabello woredas of Borena Zone, Oromia Region.

Borena is one of Ethiopia's most important pastorals and agro-pastoral areas, where more than 85% of households depend primarily on livestock production for their livelihoods, food security, and income. The zone forms part of a dynamic cross-border pastoral economy linked to markets in southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and the wider Horn of Africa. However, recurrent drought, rainfall variability, rangeland degradation, water scarcity, declining livestock productivity, weak market integration, and climate change are placing increasing pressure on the food system. These interconnected challenges reduce productivity, disrupt markets, and undermine household resilience. WE-LIFT project responds to these challenges and opportunities through a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach combined with a Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) that addresses market failures, institutional barriers, and discriminatory social norms.

Note: - WE-Action has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and any forms of Gender-Based Violence.

Description of the position

Position: Market System Development (MSD) Expert

Duty Station: Oromia Region, Borena Zone, Yabello town, with frequent travel to and fieldwork in Gomole, Arero, and Yabello woredas.

Reports to: Program Coordinator

Salary: As per the organization’s scale

Number of positions: One (1)

Duration: based on performance evaluation result and availability of budget

II.         General Duties and responsibilities

The position holder will be responsible for identifying/selecting relevant and potential market systems for the unemployed youth and women, detailed analysis of the selected market systems to identify the root causes that affect the performance of the identified market systems and designing strategic interventions to address the identified market linkage related challenges. Furthermore, MSD expert will responsible for establishing 180 women and youth enterprises, Engaging enterprise capacity assessment, facilitate the connection of Connect women- and female youth-led enterprises with certified suppliers of improved seeds, irrigation technologies, and other climate-resilient production inputs through supplier mapping, product demonstrations, and business-to-business (B2B) meetings, Identify and mobilize 374 female youth into 74 integrated horticulture, aggregation and marketing enterprises, Provide business planning, incubation, and start-up support to female youth-led enterprises horticulture, value chains, and facilitate access to appropriate financial services, Provide business development services to newly established and existing female youth-led agribusinesses horticulture value chains including business diagnostics, coaching, market development, value addition, and business performance improvement. in facilitating vibrant value chain, Conduct a comprehensive enterprise capacity assessment.

Market system development expert (MSD) will responsible to work with Micro finance institutions, agro dealers, TVET Colleges, cooperatives and other relevant government and private sectors to achieve the project goal and create vibrant enterprise and sound marketing system.

Planning and designing:

• Participate and contribute in project planning from gender equality and social inclusion perspective.
• Prepare and review gender integration plan in projects deep implementation.
• Develop tailored interventions that focus on innovative finance products in collaboration with financial institutions. Facilitate partnerships with TVET colleges to incubate and train youth in relevant technical skills, providing linkages to technology and fostering entrepreneurship. Incorporate green technology solutions in sectors such as poultry, dairy, and honey, promoting environmentally sustainable practices within the supply chains.
• Work with the private sector to ensure women and youth are integrated into the supply chains of larger companies, focusing on distribution and value addition.
• Identification, assessment and on boarding of relevant stakeholders/implementing partners/key market players for collaboration with EC Project implementation.
• Develop different tools that helps mainstream gender issues.

III.         Project Implementation:

• Implement and follow up gender and social inclusion activities from each project.
• Implement the Gender Equality Policy implementation strategy and action plan of the organization.
• Develop a detailed market system framework through the entire value chain process, ensuring the intervention guides are developed and updated regularly, based on the performance of the wider system, and promote adaptive strategies based on data and feedback,
• Develop a detailed market system framework through the entire value chain process, ensuring the intervention guides are developed and updated regularly, based on the performance of the wider system, and promote adaptive strategies based on data and feedback.
• Participate and contribute to humanitarian clusters from gender perspective.
• Promote male engagement strategies and approaches.
• Provide technical expertise in horticulture, including crop production, plant protection, and sustainable practices.
• Design, implement, and monitor horticultural projects to improve productivity and quality.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and national agricultural standards.

IV.         Advocacy and Capacity Building:

• Contribute to the implementation of organization advocacy policy and strategies.
• Promote feminist advocacy across programs and projects.
• Publish and communicate advocacy materials.
• Design and implement advocacy strategies to influence policy and practice.
• Organize Gender Equality and Social Inclusion capacity building for all staff at different level.
• Plan and implement gender specific employee’s capacity development, mentorship and internship programs.
• Organize and contribute regular “Women Space” for women employee’s empowerment.

V.         Safeguarding

• Able to seek appropriate advice and report concerns, and feel confident that they have been understood
• Understands local safeguarding structures and arrangements
• Practices in a manner that seeks to reduce the risk of abuse, harm or neglect
• Identifies and refers to appropriate services any other associated persons including careers, family members and children at risk
• Able to document safeguarding concerns, and maintain appropriate record-keeping, recording the wishes and views of the adult or child at risk, differentiating between fact and opinion