Senior SPS Consultants at ACDI/VOCA Nigeria

ACDI/VOCA - Since 1963 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 45 projects in 30 countries and total revenues of $174 million.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior SPS Consultant

Location: Nigeria

Job Descriptions
We are currently seeking a Senior SPS consultant for a study, under the Leveraging Economic Opportunities (LEO) contract, to identify key constraints (including SPS measures) to trade within the maize 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 an inventory of key constraints that prohibit inclusive development, and then prioritize among those constraints.

The assessment objectives include:

• Identifying sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)-related constraints affecting regional trade of maize and livestock in the West Africa region;
• Mapping current initiatives to address these constraints;
• Identifying gaps in the policy cycle regarding technical areas and deficient institutional capacity that are not currently being addressed;
• Generating a set of actionable recommendations for regional and country level interventions with five or more priority needs identified.

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.
• Identify and Organize Stakeholder meetings. In collaboration with the Team Lead, the individual should help identify stakeholders (farmers, traders, agribusinesses, government officials, etc.) and set up meetings with them.
• 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 five to 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

Application Closing Date
Tuesday, 12th April, 2016.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's and Cover letter to: [email protected] Please indicate the position for which you are applying for in the subject line. No phone calls please.

Note: Only finalists contacted. Women and minorities encouraged to apply. EOE