Market System Development (MSD) Expert – Field Coordinator Global Women Empowerment Development Ethiopia (GWEDE)

About the Project

LEVEL UP is a three-year initiative designed to make Borena’s food system more inclusive, climate-resilient, nutrition-sensitive, and market-oriented by strengthening the economic participation, leadership, resilience, and agency of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist women and female youth.

The project focuses on three value chains:

• Poultry
• Irrigation-based horticulture
• Small ruminants

The project operates across Arero, Yabello, and Gomole woredas.

Purpose of the Position

The MSD Expert – Field Coordinator will facilitate inclusive, competitive, and climate-resilient market systems across the project's target value chains.

The role will use a Market Systems Development (MSD/M4P) approach to connect women- and female youth-led enterprises with markets, finance, services, information, and private-sector opportunities.

The position will also provide day-to-day leadership and coordination for GWEDE's Yabello field team and ensure smooth, efficient, and compliant field-office operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead market systems, gender, and enterprise capacity assessments.
• Identify market constraints, business needs, skills gaps, and growth opportunities.
• Facilitate business development services through training, coaching, and market linkages.
• Build connections between women producers, enterprises, buyers, traders, transporters, financial institutions, and other market actors.
• Broker commercial agreements and long-term partnerships.
• Support commercially viable collection, storage, aggregation, and collective marketing models.
• Facilitate partnerships with TVET institutions for practical, market-oriented training.
• Promote market-oriented production that meets buyer requirements for quality, quantity, timing, and food safety.
• Connect enterprises with suppliers of improved seeds, breeds, fodder, veterinary inputs, and irrigation technologies.
• Facilitate access to input finance through MFIs, SACCOs, banks, and suppliers.
• Map and assess financial and insurance products and support more inclusive financial solutions.
• Support financial, digital, and insurance literacy activities.
• Partner with digital market and climate-information providers to improve access to market intelligence, digital payments, weather forecasts, and climate information.
• Lead and coordinate GWEDE's field team, including the Animal Science Expert, Community Facilitators, Field Accountant, Cashier, and support staff.
• Lead field-level annual and quarterly work planning, budgeting, procurement planning, and activity scheduling.
• Represent GWEDE in coordination with WHH, WE-Action, government offices, cooperatives, private-sector actors, and multi-stakeholder platforms.
• Line-manage, mentor, and supervise field staff.
• Ensure gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive implementation.
• Coordinate closely with technical and community teams to align production, gender, and market interventions.
• Develop market analyses, business cases, investment briefs, policy notes, and learning studies.
• Conduct field supervision, identify systemic challenges, and recommend corrective actions.
• Contribute to MEAL activities, databases, and timely narrative and financial reporting.

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

• MSc or BSc in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Agribusiness, Business Management, Development Economics, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience for BSc holders or 3 years for MSc holders.
• Experience in:
  • Market Systems Development
  • Value-chain development
  • Private-sector engagement
  • Enterprise development
• Demonstrated understanding of the MSD/M4P facilitation approach.
• Experience linking smallholders or enterprises to markets, finance, and services in rural or pastoral settings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in Afaan Oromo and Amharic.
• Good written and spoken English.
• Experience in women's economic empowerment and gender-responsive market facilitation.
• Knowledge of the Borena livestock and horticulture market context.
• Strong understanding of local pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities is an advantage.

Job Information

• Job Title: Market System Development (MSD) Expert – Field Coordinator
• Job Category: Social Sciences and Community Service / Natural Sciences
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Duty Station: Yabello, Borena Zone, with frequent travel to Arero and Gomole
• Job Location: Arero, Yabello & Gomole
• Number of Positions: 1
• Job Family Level: A3
• Reports To: GWEDE Program Manager
• Deadline: September 13, 2026

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their application through:

Apply Here – KoboToolbox

For technical issues with the application, contact info@gwede.org.

Important Notes

• GWEDE is an equal opportunity employer.
• Women, youth, persons with disabilities, and candidates from Borena Zone and surrounding pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• GWEDE has zero tolerance for PSEAH, fraud, and corruption.
• GWEDE does not charge any recruitment fee at any stage of the hiring process.

Global Women Empowerment Development Ethiopia (GWEDE)
Empowering women. Transforming food systems.