Market Systems Development Specialist

Location: Jashore or Barishal, Bangladesh

LOE: Full-time

Start Date: late March/early April 2025

Annual Salary: Estimated at BDT 2,553,143, commensurate with experience and qualifications

Job Description

DevWorks International (DevWorks) is a U.S. based NGO that was founded in 2011. DevWorks supports people and institutions to enhance service delivery, strengthen local capacity, and enable equitable economic growth and prosperity. We deliver inclusive, market-based solutions across several technical areas: agriculture and food security, water security, sanitation and hygiene (WSSH), private sector development, governance, and climate and resilience.

DevWorks is recruiting for Market Systems Development Specialists for the Feed the Future Bangladesh Sustainable Aquaculture Activity. The Activity aims to enhance inclusive and sustainable aquaculture sector growth in Bangladesh through a market system approach to improve rural household income and nutrition. We intend to hire multiple individuals for this position, for both the Jashore and Barishal field offices.

The Market Systems Development Specialists, under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Party, will support the implementation of market systems development interventions to improve the efficiency, resilience, and inclusivity of the aquaculture sector. The role requires expertise in private sector engagement, and the facilitation of market-based solutions that address key barriers to economic development. They must ensure technical quality and provide support to project teams in the implementation of an inclusive market-based approach that promotes market opportunities for smallholder and subsistence farmer households, women, and youth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Stakeholder Engagement:

• Establish and maintain robust relationships with the private sector in their target Division to develop a strong pipeline of potential private sector partners for co-investment initiatives.
• Lead stakeholder engagement workshops to provide input into the design and development of relevant program activities and partnership mechanisms.
• Collaborate with local MSMEs and NGOs using a localization approach to enhance their capacities in expanding access to aquaculture inputs and technologies for farmers.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across public and private sectors, including government agencies, businesses, development partners, and local NGOs.
• Facilitate collaboration between stakeholders to support market-based solutions that increase economic opportunities for marginalized groups.
• Work closely with private sector actors to promote market-driven models that ensure sustainability beyond the project’s lifecycle.
• Work with the MEL team to evaluate the impact and sustainability of inclusive aquaculture business models.
• Support the development of last-mile delivery systems for fish seed and other agri-inputs with private sector actors that are effective in reaching smallholder farmers.

2. Program Implementation:

• Identify innovative opportunities with private sector actors, and market system actors in the aquaculture sector, and co-create solutions (e.g. grants, MoUs, and other partnership mechanisms) with them, leveraging their resources, technologies and expertise, in order to achieve the Activity’s objectives and goals
• Work with project beneficiaries including large firms and MSMEs to develop and implement competitive and innovative business models to increase the competitiveness of the aquaculture sector.
• Work with the private sector and market actors to develop project descriptions and intervention budgets to implement various interventions.
• Lead and manage the implementation of market systems development programs, ensuring that all activities align with program goals, timelines, and budgets.
• Provide technical assistance in designing, piloting, and scaling market system interventions.
• Monitor and evaluate program progress, providing recommendations for adjustments based on lessons learned and emerging trends.
• Continually monitored contextual factors and risks that would impact implementation. Assist project management and leadership team on corrective measures and adaptive approaches through management decision-making.

3. Capacity Building:

• Build the capacity of local partners, including businesses, community organizations, and government agencies, to design and implement market systems interventions.
• Train and motivate field teams, and consortium partners to assess end markets and understand constraints for market actors along selected value chains, ensuring targeted interventions and effective implementation.

4. Gender and Social Inclusion:

• Promote inclusive economic growth that specifically targets marginalized groups such as women, youth, smallholder farmers, and other vulnerable populations.
• Collaborate closely with the project’s Senior Gender and Youth Inclusion Specialist to work with stakeholders, including public and private sector actors and MSMEs, to incorporate innovative and sustainable gender- and youth-inclusive models within the core business model to increase gender and youth participation and empowerment.

5. Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Identify and stay current with DevWorks knowledge management strategy and approach – internal and more broadly in the aquaculture ecosystem – to sharing and accessing knowledge for the broader team in an effective and easily consumable manner. In addition, work with team members to review and refine the overall Knowledge Management strategy.
• Collaborate with various tiers of stakeholders and private partners to find creative ways to publish and disseminate lessons learned.
• Assist in developing different knowledge sharing materials such as impact stories, infographics, case studies, newsletter, reports, blog stories, etc.
• Work closely with core communications and knowledge management team to develop impact and resilience series to publish in the social and international knowledge platforms (such as Agrilinks).
• Document case studies, lessons learned, and best practices for internal and external dissemination.

Qualifications:

1. Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience working with the private sector to develop public-private partnerships, leverage resources, and promote private-sector-driven growth in Bangladesh.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitating collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including businesses, government agencies, and civil society organizations.
• Knowledge/contact with private sector enterprises in the aquaculture sector in Bangladesh.
• Experience providing advisory, mentoring, and capacity-building services to SMEs and/or NGOs.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, including government officials, private sector actors, financial institutions, project staff, and/or donor agencies.

2. Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, or a related field.

3. Skills:

• Sound understanding of market systems development approaches, including systems thinking, inclusive business models, and market facilitation.
• Strong analytical skills and experience conducting market assessments, value chain analysis, and systems mapping.
• Knowledge of the economic and social dynamics of Bangladesh, particularly in sectors like agriculture, finance, and employment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Bangla.

4. Other:

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a multi-cultural and dynamic environment.
• Familiarity with key development partners and donors working in Bangladesh (e.g., USAID, DFID, ADB, World Bank).

5. Key Competencies:

• Ability to work across multiple sectors and levels of the market system.
• High-level problem-solving skills with a focus on innovative, sustainable solutions.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to influence and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of gender, social inclusion, and the ability to mainstream these considerations into market systems work.