Team Leader - Low Emissions Agriculture Practices

LOCATION: Can Tho, Vietnam
PROJECT: USAID Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong Delta (CRM) Project
REPORTS TO: Technical Deputy Chief of Party
DEADLINE FOR CV SUBMISION: 13 October, 2023
1. BACKGROUND
The USAID Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong Delta (CRM) project is a five-year project working to enhance the resilience of the Mekong Delta's communities, ecosystems, and livelihoods. Working across five provinces of Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, and Tra Vinh, CRM will further strengthen the effective partnership between USAID and the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to support Vietnam's development goals and contribute to U.S. government strategies and targets. CRM activities are organized within three interconnected objectives:
• Objective 1: Strengthen climate change resilience of the most vulnerable populations. CRM will engage stakeholders to assess and address vulnerability through enhanced climate information services, resilient livelihood and safety net models, improved provincial plans, and increased access
to finance.
• Objective 2: Strengthen management and restoration of natural ecosystems to provide ecosystem goods and services. CRM will take an inclusive participatory approach to identify entry points to support evidence-based transformation of legal and governance frameworks, improve management capacity, and incentivize natural resource conservation.
• Objective 3: Reduce methane emissions through low-emission and sustainable agriculture practices. CRM will work with GVN and stakeholders across value chains to assess gaps and opportunities and harness payment for environmental services schemes and other results-based finance mechanisms to reduce intensive rice farming and GHG emissions and drive transformation through a market systems approach.
2. POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Team Leader: Low Emissions Agriculture Practices will be responsible for the overall technical design, implementation, monitoring, and delivery of Objective 3: "Reduce methane emissions through low emission and sustainable agriculture practices." This position will report to the Technical Deputy Chief of Party and supervise Objective 3 staff and partners while working closely with additional cross-cutting team members (GESI, MEL, communications, other objective staff). The Objective 3 Lead will coordinate with the Field Team Director and provincial teams, monitor on-the-ground performance, coordinate with government and partner organizations, ensure the achievements of results under Objective 3. The Team Leader will serve as a key representative of the project at external meetings and events related to climate smart agriculture, reduced methane emissions from rice production, market systems, and related topics. The Team Leader: Low Emissions Agriculture Practices will be based in Can Tho, with regular travel to the project's target provinces as required for project activities
3. RESPONSIBILITIES:
Technical leadership and activity management
• Oversee the implementation of Objective 3, providing technical leadership for work planning, implementation, and monitoring.
• Oversee value chain assessments to identify appropriate target value chains, including rice and other appropriate local agricultural products.
• Work closely with Winrock HQ technical advisors to apply a market systems approach to develop effective interventions to support local livelihoods in a sustainable, economically viable manner.
• Develop MRV of GHG mitigation in rice production systems.
• Supervise staff under Objective 3 team to ensure effective teamwork and completion of activities.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with related government agencies, other organizations and local communities that contribute to protection and restoration of natural ecosystems.
• Foster coordination across the team to ensure collaboration and to support integrated implementation and management for cross-sectoral approaches.
• Oversee project delivery related to timelines and required resources, ensuring on-track delivery and/or adaptive management systems are in place to manage and mitigate further delays.
• Lead design of training and other events related to Objective 3 outcomes to partner organizations, local actors, communities, and GVN partners.
• Monitor outputs and milestones to ensure Objective 3 targets and indicators are being met.
Project representation and communication
• Lead development of inputs and contributions from Objective 3 to project quarterly reports, annual reports and to the annual work planning process and final documents.
• Contribute to and coordinate development of external communication materials and such as assisting in production of press releases, communication materials, technical documents.
• Represent the project at external meetings and events related to climate smart agriculture, reduced methane emissions from rice production, market systems, and related topics
Other
• Travel regularly to project provinces to meet with local partners and monitor project activities.
• Other support to the Project as required.