Programme Associate (smallholder Agricultural Market Support) Sc6, Juba

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) South Sudan is enhancing its resilience and food systems through the Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) function. This initiative aims to bolster smallholder farmers by improving productivity, aggregation, post-harvest management, and market access, thereby fostering sustainable livelihoods and strengthening food systems resilience through market-oriented agriculture and private sector engagement.

Job Purpose

The Programme Associate (SC6) will be instrumental in the successful implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS) activities within WFP South Sudan. This role is crucial for ensuring the high-quality delivery of interventions designed to empower farmer organizations, enhance market access, minimize post-harvest losses, and promote inclusive, climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods. The associate will contribute to strengthening farmer groups, facilitating market linkages with buyers and private sector actors, and supporting initiatives that improve market competitiveness and reduce losses. Additionally, the position involves collecting and analyzing performance data, supporting field monitoring, maintaining programme databases, and assisting in the preparation of reports and documentation of best practices to inform programme improvement and knowledge sharing.

Responsibilities

The Programme Associate for Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SAMS) plays a crucial role in enhancing agricultural livelihoods and strengthening food systems. Key responsibilities include supporting the planning and implementation of SAMS activities, ensuring alignment with work plans and budgets. This involves coordinating interventions with various stakeholders such as field offices, cooperating partners, government institutions, and private sector actors. The role requires monitoring implementation progress, identifying operational challenges, and proposing corrective actions. A significant focus is placed on strengthening farmer organizations, including producer groups and cooperatives, and facilitating structured market linkages between smallholder farmers and buyers. This includes engaging with traders, financial service providers, and processors to reduce post-harvest losses and improve market competitiveness. The associate is also responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting programme performance data, supporting field monitoring, and maintaining programme databases. Furthermore, the role involves assisting in capacity strengthening initiatives through training and mentoring, organizing workshops, and providing technical guidance. Maintaining partnerships and stakeholder engagement through regular communication and coordination meetings is essential. Administrative support includes budget monitoring, procurement planning, and contributing to proposal development. Cross-cutting priorities involve integrating gender, youth, disability inclusion, and accountability to affected populations, alongside ensuring environmental and social safeguard compliance and conflict sensitivity.

Work Experience

Requires a minimum of 6 years of progressive experience in agricultural development, livelihoods, resilience programming, market systems development, farmer organization strengthening, program implementation and monitoring, or community-based development. Strong stakeholder engagement and coordination skills are essential.

Skills

Programme implementation, Coordination, Monitoring, Reporting, Farmer organization strengthening, Market linkages, Capacity strengthening, Partnership engagement, Data management, Agricultural value chains, Resilience programming, Livelihoods development, Stakeholder engagement, Budget monitoring, Resource mobilization, Gender and inclusion integration, Conflict sensitivity, AI applications, Digital technologies

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