Market Linkages Officer

Founded in 1994, Acted is a non-governmental organization with headquarters in Paris, France. Independent, private and not-for-profit, Acted respects principles of strict neutrality and impartiality in its decisions and operates according to non-discrimination and transparency principles. Acted endeavours to respond to humanitarian crises and build resilience; promote inclusive and sustainable growth; construct effective governance and support the building of civil society worldwide by investing in people and their potential. With a budget of 236 million EUR in 2017, Acted is active in almost 37 countries and implements more than 500 projects a year reaching over 14 million beneficiaries with 300 internal staff and 4,300 national staff worldwide

In Pakistan, Acted has been active since 1993 and has provided assistance across all provinces to an estimated 6.9 million people. The assistance has included emergency response to meet the immediate and life-saving needs of natural disasters and complex emergency-affected households, as well as recovery and development support in the form of education and livelihoods promotion and assistance.

JOB PURPOSE

The Market Linkages Officer, under operational guidance of the Project Manager, Deputy Project Manager and Senior Project Officer, is responsible for ensuring proper implementation of ACTED’s [BHA] project in Jacobabad, Dadu and Jaffarabad District. The Market Linkages Officer oversees field operations and ensures effective and timely completion of activities, delivery of quality outputs and achievement of outcomes with maximum impact for beneficiaries. The Market Linkages Officer works with the Jacobabad, Dadu and Jaffarabad based project staff in day to day management of all aspects of the [BHA] project and liaises with relevant internal departments and external partners and project stakeholders.

OBJECTIVE

To ensure the project is implemented in a timely and professional manner, according to objectives, goals and indicators, in line with donor requirements and based on beneficiary needs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager and technical guidance from the FSL Advisor, the Market Linkages Officer is required to perform the below mentioned responsibilities for the anticipated 3-Year BHA funded intervention in Balochistan and Sindh.

1. Market Assessment and Analysis

• Conduct market research to identify potential chiller milk buyers, cooperatives, and processors for milk and dairy products.
• Analyze market trends and pricing to inform milk entrepreneurs of the best opportunities.

2. Business Development

• Support chiller milk entrepreneurs in identifying and accessing new markets for their products.
• Facilitate partnerships between chiller milk producers, cooperatives, and potential buyers.
• Promote value addition by encouraging the adoption of innovative processing techniques and products.

3. Capacity Building

• Provide training to milk entrepreneurs on product quality, business management, and marketing strategies.
• Organize workshops on compliance with market standards, packaging, and branding.

4. Association and Cooperative Development

• Support the formation and strengthening of milk entrepreneur associations and cooperatives.
• Link milk entrepreneurs with established cooperatives for increased bargaining power.

5. Networking and Collaboration

• Establish and maintain relationships with local and regional dairy market stakeholders, including buyers, processors, and government agencies.
• Act as a liaison between milk entrepreneurs and financial institutions to facilitate access to credit.

6. Monitoring and Reporting

• Monitor the performance of milk entrepreneurs in the market and identify challenges and opportunities.
• Prepare and submit detailed reports on market linkage activities, success stories, and lessons learned.

7. Supply Chain Management

• Assist in developing efficient supply chains for milk collection, transportation, and distribution.
• Ensure cold chain management to maintain milk quality during transportation.

8. Policy and Advocacy

• Advocate for policies that support the growth of the dairy sector and market access for small-scale milk entrepreneurs.
• Provide inputs to local governments and organizations on improving the enabling environment for milk entrepreneurship.

9. Gender and Social Inclusion

• Encourage participation of women and marginalized groups in milk entrepreneurship and market linkage initiatives.
• Promote equitable benefits for all stakeholders in the value chain.

o   PSEAH Obligation:

Acted has zero tolerance approach on PSEAH matters and as an Acted employee It is my utmost duty to ensure full compliance of PSEAH policies in Acted and outside Acted as well. I will not engage in any PSEAH violations and will ensure team working under my supervision will also follow the same protocols. I shall not be involved in any sexual exploitation or abuse. I shall ensure to comply with the highest standards of moral and ethical conduct. Any incident of SEA shall be reported to Acted. Any failure by myside to take preventive measures against sexual exploitation or abuse, or to investigate allegations or take corrective action, shall constitute grounds for termination of the Agreement.

For the purposes hereof, the following definitions shall be used.

Sexual exploitation means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.

Sexual abuse means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Requirements:

• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience in working effectively in an independent capacity and as a member of a team.
• Strong report writing skills.

·        Ability to travel for work assignments in targeted union councils.

Skills:

• Pro-active, well organized with sound planning, organizational, prioritization and problem-solving skills as well as effective verbal and written communication. 
• Demonstrate attention to detail while keeping a strategic view, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and cooperatively with team members and local government stakeholders, and will be prepared to spend extensive time with field teams. 

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and fluent in Sindhi, Balochi, English, Urdu and other local languages.

PSEAH Obligation:

Acted has zero tolerance approach on PSEAH matters and as an Acted employee It is my utmost duty to ensure full compliance of PSEAH policies in Acted and outside Acted as well. I will not engage in any PSEAH violations and will ensure team working under my supervision will also follow the same protocols. I shall not be involved in any sexual exploitation or abuse. I shall ensure to comply with the highest standards of moral and ethical conduct. Any incident of SEA shall be reported to Acted. Any failure by myside to take preventive measures against sexual exploitation or abuse, or to investigate allegations or take corrective action, shall constitute grounds for termination of the Agreement. For the purposes hereof, the following definitions shall be used.

Sexual exploitation means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.

Sexual abuse means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Note: “ACTED is committed to protecting beneficiaries and staff within our programs from sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). ACTED has a Code of Conduct and organizational policies, which outline the expected behavior of all staff, consultants and other stakeholders and reminds ACTED’s zero-tolerance approach. Any candidate offered a job with ACTED will sign those documents as part of their work contract and is expected to abide by them.” “ACTED is commitment to zero tolerance to all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff. ACTED is equal opportunity employers. Females and minorities are encouraged to apply. Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Final selection will be based on security clearance of the candidate.”

Skills:

• Pro-active, well organized with sound planning, organizational, prioritization and problem-solving skills as well as effective verbal and written communication.

• Demonstrate attention to detail while keeping a strategic view, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and cooperatively with team members and local government stakeholders, and will be prepared to spend extensive time with field teams.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and fluent in English, Urdu and other local languages.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

•  % of milestones completed on time as per the original plan 

• Project completed on time without the need for an NCE

•  Project completed within budget flexibility (not requiring a budget amendment for project lines)

• % of contractual performance indicators achieved 

• Project records and documents (beneficiary lists, donation certificates, attendance sheets, payment sheets) available for all project activities

• Positive monitoring and evaluation reports (internal and external)

• Number of complaints received related to the project 

• % ineligible expenses on project budget lines

• % retention rate of project staff throughout project lifetime.