Senior Technical Lead, Market Systems

Winrock International is recruiting a Senior Technical Lead, Market Systems within the Agriculture, Resilience and Water (ARW) Group. As a senior leader on the ARW team, the Senior Technical Lead will bring market systems thought leadership and creative thinking to business development and project delivery. The Senior Technical Lead is responsible for applying systems thinking to wide range of perspectives including locally led development, food systems, private sector engagement, resilience building and ensuring equitable and inclusive wellbeing gains. The Senior Technical Lead will work with ARW colleagues to co-create contextually appropriate, evidence-based, and human centered solutions for sustainable large-scale impact through strengthening of market systems. As a thought leader, the Senior Technical Lead will be responsible for gathering evidence to design, refine or adapt technical approaches to push innovations in systems thinking. This role will oversee and ensure high quality implementation of market system programming, impact reporting, provide robust technical leadership, and lead strategic new business initiatives with a vision of strategic growth.

S/he/they are responsible for setting, implementing, and meeting strategic, long-term goals and objectives. The Technical Lead will work closely with the ARW leadership team to ensure high technical impact practices are applied across the portfolio, leverage and develop capabilities and resources within the broader ARW team for new business efforts and promote mechanisms for shared learning among project teams. The Technical Lead will be emotionally intelligent and lead by example, fostering an environment that is collaborative, conducive to growth, respect, equity, and thought leadership.

About the Agriculture, Resilience and Water (ARW) Group
The Agriculture, Resilience and Water (ARW) group partners with communities, businesses, and government to develop scalable market-oriented solutions that advance inclusive agriculture led growth and water security, ultimately building the resilience of households to recover from predictable and unforeseen shocks.

ARW’s approach to making agriculture, market access and water systems more resilient to climate change has three focus areas:

1. Improving agricultural production and water management systems, especially among the most vulnerable
2. Strengthening natural resource management
3. Reducing environmental degradation

We also work with communities, public and private sectors to safeguard critical ecosystems. Currently, ARW manages a portfolio of 13 projects across 16 countries, totaling over $231 million dollars. Implementation is focused on partnership, as well as technical and data-driven innovations and learning, adapting, and scaling proven models.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Technical Leadership, Strategy, and Impact

• Work with ARW team in the home office and in the field to drive technical direction and evidence-based learning around inclusive market systems development.
• Collaborate with home office and field-based technical experts to design creative solutions that respond to unique context specific opportunities and barriers to inclusive market access and draw from various development fields and perspectives.
• Provide expert advice and leadership on integrating systems thinking into a diversity of perspectives ranging from resilience, private sector strengthening, social inclusion, competitiveness, food systems, etc.
• Integrate a human/farmer/agri-business centric perspective, informed by evidence and data, to design solutions that are grounded in the unique barriers and opportunities encountered by target populations.
• Provide perspective and expertise on emerging issues and trends in agriculture, and resilience, and challenge technical experts in the home office and the field to push boundaries and co-create new solutions to old challenges.
• Work with ARW team in the home office and in the field to document evidence and learning from technical interventions and refine, develop, and package methodologies, tools and learning material based on an iterative learning cycle.
• Lead the growth of the unit’s technical visibility with key stakeholders, practitioners, and donors with an eye towards identifying and engaging promising partners for collaboration and innovation through thought leadership activities including, but not limited to, penning op-eds, serving as a technical panelist, and identifying topics and convening technical fora/ensuring Winrock participation in relevant fora.

Proactive New Business Development

• Support and grow ARW new business by surfacing and recommending opportunities, leading proposals, and/or serving as a technical lead, contributor, or reviewer.
• Leading decisions on whether to pursue ARW new business opportunities
• Mentoring staff and working closely with the ARW leadership team, New Business Support Unit and ARW New Business Manager to ensure the delivery of quality proposals.
• Provide leadership to the design of effective, innovative technical approaches based on evidence or practical experience.
• Utilize professional network to build and maintain relationships with current and prospective donors in the portfolio through regular outreach.
• Represent Winrock at external events, nationally and internationally, and position Winrock for expanded work in relevant fields.

Quality Project Implementation

• Provide consistent direction and advisory support to home office and project staff to ensure technical excellence on market system focused projects.
• Work with home office and project staff to problem solve and develop creative solutions to maximize impact of interventions on beneficiary populations.
• Collaborate with project teams to guide the adaptation of approaches and solutions based on iterative learning and impact on beneficiaries.
• Identify, develop, and adapt existing technical project tools and approaches that can be incorporated into the larger technical area.
• Collaborate with project teams to develop of learning and impact pieces, to inform organizational and industry wide learning.

QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, agriculture, water resources management, natural resource management, climate change, or other market system related field

Work Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of experience, including overseas work, in international development implementing, designing, or advising market system programming required

Skills:

• Experience leading and building teams
• Demonstrated technical innovation in market systems programming and leadership in agriculture, water systems, natural or resource management using a resilience building approach
• Experience leading strategic planning, capacity development, project, and financial management
• Experience working in developing countries
• Track record leading/designing winning USAID or other comparable complex donor proposals
• Experience managing large, complex U.S. Government-funded projects required; with experience leading other donor-funded projects, in addition to U.S. Government-funded projects, an asset
• Excellent leadership, problem solving, teamwork, interpersonal skills required.
• Experience serving as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Project Director, or similar leadership role preferred

Other:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills required
• Fluency in English and excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Fluency in a language in addition to English strongly preferred
• Willingness to travel to developing countries, ~25%, required once COVID-related health risks have abated

As a condition of employment at Winrock, all US-based Winrock staff, regardless of location or project, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or must obtain a disability or religious accommodation from Winrock.

About Winrock International
Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and value diversity and inclusiveness. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes, and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law.

At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity, and transformation.

Winrock knows that its success comes from the hard work and steadfast dedication of its diverse workforce. Winrock remains committed to maintaining diversity, inclusion, and equity across the entire organization.

Learn more about our projects: https://winrock.org/