Sr. Advisor, agriculture and food security technical practice

Chemonics seeks a Senior Advisor for the Agriculture and Food Security Technical Practice. Chemonics’ technical practices work in partnership with each other, project staff, new business and proposal teams, and the evidence and outreach department to implement the U.S. Government Business Line Growth Strategy. This senior management position is responsible for growing a portfolio of projects in their technical area to deliver effective, efficient development impact. Accordingly, the senior advisor defines the strategy and work plan for their technical practice, while also contributing to the company's strategic position in the sector. The senior advisor leads execution of activities that increase the competitiveness of our proposals, improve the performance of our projects, and enhance our technical reputation with our clients and within our industry. The senior advisor facilitates technical knowledge sharing and learning among our global workforce, so that our projects and proposals benefit from our own and the industry’s innovative or evidence-based approaches. Aligned with client learning agendas, policies, frameworks, and strategies, the senior advisor identifies and helps guide the execution of applied research to generate evidence of approaches, ultimately influencing industry discourse and shaping programming to address development challenges more effectively and efficiently. The senior advisor leads global engagement in this technical area by facilitating relationships among Chemonics staff, including routine collaboration and coordination with assigned UKD practice staff if any, industry experts, partners, and our client. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

Responsibilities:

Business Development

• Undertakes leadership roles in proposal development, setting forth a vision and strategy for program design.
• Participates in strategy sessions early in capture to advise teams on the competitive landscape, client preferences, potential partners and personnel, and innovative or evidence-based approaches.
• Reviews solicitations and draft proposals, providing teams with technical input and guidance customized to the opportunity.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with clients, consultants, and counterparts to advance successful new business opportunities.
• Tracks, analyzes, and shares development trends and client priorities within the technical sector.
• Conceptualizes and leads development of demand-driven resources to address knowledge gaps identified in partnership with new business teams, based on previous proposal decisions and the forward market.

Technical Approaches

• Fosters supportive relationships with project technical leadership and provides demand-driven technical support to projects in the technical portfolio, such as serving as a thought partner to help solve specific technical implementation challenges, facilitating access to other technical and cross-cutting expertise to support implementation of innovative or integrated approaches, or building skills of our global workforce in emerging technical approaches.
• Conceptualizes and leads development and delivery of demand-driven training courses, learning resources, knowledge sharing events, and ad-hoc technical discussions to engage the global workforce, leveraging technical working groups and community of practice members as leaders and contributors, as appropriate.
• Facilitates connections among Chemonics’ projects implementing similar approaches to learn from one another.
• Researches cutting-edge tools, frameworks, or approaches available within the industry for potential project piloting and adoption.
• Helps identify and cultivate a cadre of staff and consultants globally with expertise in varying sub-specialties within the technical area.
• Collaborates with project leadership, other technical and cross-cutting practices, and evidence and learning team to design and oversee integrated applied research initiatives aligned with the client’s learning agenda.
• Captures project innovation and learning to repurpose for proposal, other project, and external use.

Industry Outreach and Client Engagement

• Fosters collaborative working relationships with client technical staff, strategic partners, and stakeholders, and continually promotes outstanding client service and technical leadership.
• Oversees indefinite-quantity contracts aligned with their technical practice, including consortium and client relations.
• Identifies strategic venues (such as conferences and learning events or websites) and topics aligned with client interests for sharing Chemonics technical knowledge products, evidence, and learning within the industry.
• Identifies opportunities and supports efforts to highlight the work of our global practitioners in international fora.
• Represents Chemonics at external events and industry meetings.
• Partners with new business and outreach teams to position Chemonics externally for forward market opportunities.
• Leads feedback or input on client’s draft policies, strategies, frameworks or technical documents, on request.

Inclusive Management

• Fosters an inclusive workplace and lives the values of creating opportunity, serving others, building trust, innovating, and exceeding expectations.
• Manages team workloads and implementation of work plans, employing adaptive management techniques to continually improve performance.
• Oversees development and adherence to the Practice’s annual budget in accordance with corporate guidance.
• Collaborates with Enterprise-level business functions including innovation, knowledge management, and strategic communications to further the impact of Practice work effort.
• Promotes staff development through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating professional growth opportunities.
• Supervises and evaluates performance of assigned staff, most directly the practice specialist or sr. specialist. Communicates clear performance goals and standards and ensures staff receives regular constructive performance feedback, prompt resolution of problems, and time and opportunity to grow and develop in key competence areas.
• Performs other duties and responsibilities as required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10-12 years of technically relevant work, including at least 5 in the field of international development required.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree preferred, or equivalent combination of education and work experience in relevant technical competency area.
• Industry recognized expert in technical discipline.
• Demonstrated experience supporting business development efforts for USAID or other donors.
• Demonstrated knowledge of trends in relevant areas, donor initiatives and programs, most notably USAID initiatives and programs, and a breadth of industry organizations (large and small businesses).
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. This includes public presentations and contribution to publications.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage working relationships with clients, partners, and technical experts.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across sectors internally and externally with industry leaders and partners.
• Willingness to travel and work abroad a minimum of 4-8 weeks per year; experience working on technical programs in developing countries preferred.

Apply by June 19, 2023. No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted.

Chemonics is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Chemonics is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics. Military veterans, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
Chemonics will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by Chemonics, or (c) consistent with Chemonics legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

COVID-19 Recruitment Information
Chemonics International is continuously monitoring COVID-19 activity around the world. The health and wellbeing of our staff and potential candidates is of the utmost importance to us and we continue to offer virtual interviews for all on-going recruits. On-boarding for new staff is offered in hybrid format through our Washington, D.C. and London, UK offices to accommodate remote workers.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information
Chemonics requires all US employees to be fully vaccinated.