For over 50 years and in 146 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that delivers technical and management assistance in agribusiness, financial services, enterprise development, community development and food security in order to promote broad-based economic growth and vibrant civil society. ACDI/VOCA currently has approximately 34 projects in 26 countries and revenues of approximately $174 million.
Senior SPS Consultant, West Africa
USAID’s Bureau for Food Security is requesting the services of ACDI/VOCA, under its Leveraging Economic Opportunities (LEO) contract, to identify key constraints (including SPS measures) to trade within the maize, rice and livestock value chains in West Africa, and to propose potential investments to address those constraints. This will not be a value chain analysis, but rather it will bring together a wealth of knowledge about the targeted value chains and inventory key constraints that prohibit inclusive development and prioritize among constraints.
ACDI/VOCA is seeking a Senior SPS Consultant to identify sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)-related constraints affecting regional trade of maize, livestock and rice in West Africa region; map current initiatives to address these constraints; identify gaps in the policy cycle regarding technical areas and deficient institutional capacity that are not currently being addressed; generate a set of actionable recommendations for regional and country level interventions with five or more priority needs identified. The anticipated start date is October 2015, with an estimated LOE of 13 days.
Responsibilities
- Document Review. Review existing documents and evidence to develop initial analysis of SPS regulations that affect international trade in targeted West African countries. This document review is meant to ensure that the assessment builds upon previous experience and lessons learned.
- Field Research Plan. Based on findings from document review, develop field research plan to carry out field visits in target countries to fill in gaps and gather more in depth information.
- Final Report Review. -Review the draft report and participate in presentation of findings to USAID
Qualifications
- Minimum Bachelor's degree required, strongly preferred Master's degree or equivalent in agriculture, phytosanitary, or related area
- At least ten years of relevant experience with SPS to alleviate technical barriers to trade
- Demonstrable experience conducting assessments around SPS measures
- Working experience in West Africa
- Ability to integrate cross cutting factors such as gender
- Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in a team
- Ability to plan and organize his/her work, efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results
- Ability to receive/integrate feedback
- Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities.
- Fluency in French desirable
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to LEORecruit@joinav.org with Senior SPS Consultant in the subject line. Please paste your cover letter into the body of the email and attach it. No phone calls please. Only finalists contacted. Women and minorities encouraged to apply. EOE.
