VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS

POSITION: VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS

Location: Zomba, Machinga, Ntcheu, Salima, Lilongwe, Dowa, Mzimba, Rumphi, Nkhatabay & Mchinji

Report to: Programme Manager

BACKGROUND

Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM) has collaborated with AGRA – Malawi to create decent economic and job opportunities for youths in Malawi through youth agri-prenuership development. Through this collaboration, FUM is implementing a 3-year High Value Agriculture for Accelerated Youth Agri-preneurship (HIVA) Project. The HIVA project is part of the AGRA’s YEFFA Programme and has an overall goal of creating work opportunities for 150,000 young women and men in high-potential value chains of Horticulture, Poultry, and Honey by 2028. To achieve this ambitious target, FUM would therefore like to recruit passionate and results-driven professionals to work as Value Chain Development Officers for the project.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

Value Chain Development Officers will act as catalysts for developing business and entrepreneurial capacities of the targeted youth Agripreneurs to get into viable and bankable ventures around the targeted value chains of Poultry, Honey and Horticulture. In particular, the Officers will be responsible for identifying, motivating and registering the targeted youths, identifying constraints within specific value chains, building the capacities of the targeted youths to enhance productivity, profitability, and sustainability, facilitate market linkages and facilitate strategic partnerships with the private sector.

SPECIFIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Value Chain Development Officers will have the following specific roles and responsibilities:

Identification and Registration of motivated youths to participate in the project:
Collaborate with the District Agriculture Offices, District Youth Officers and other stakeholders in the targeted districts to identify, motivate and register well motivated youths for the programme

Value Chain Analysis & Development:
Conduct mapping and analysis of selected agricultural value chains in the targeted districts to identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for intervention.

Youth Agriprenuership Support:
Collaborate with Practicing Youth Agriprenuers and other relevant stakeholders to provide direct technical support and mentorship to the targeted youth Agriprenuers, helping them with pre-requisite practical technical, entrepreneurial and mindset change knowledge to venture into Poultry, Honey and Horticulture enterprises and ensure that the youth are gain fully earning an income higher than minimum wage and are motivated to continue engaging in agriculture.

Private Sector Engagement:
Proactively identify, engage, and build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with agribusinesses, processors, retailers, financial institutions, and other private sector actors to build synergies with the private sector activities in the targeted districts.

Networking & Partnership Building:
Represent FUM. and the project at relevant district forums and actively build a robust network of stakeholders, including government, MDAs, NGOs, private sector players, and other relevant institutions.

Project Implementation:
Lead implementation of project activities in the district ensuring that targets of youth in work are met on time and within budget, timely collection of project M&E data, timely reporting, and effective coordination of project mission visits.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The prospective Value Chain Development Officers should have the following qualifications and experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Development Studies, Rural Development or a related field from a reputable university

• A minimum of 3 years of proven working experience in value chain development, agricultural development, or development of youth agri-prenuership models;

• Technical Expertise in at least one of the following value chains – horticulture, poultry ,beekeeping, soyabeans, groundnuts, maize and rice. Multiple expertise will have an added advantage

• Demonstrable experience in engaging and collaborating with the private sector to develop business models and market linkages;

• Direct experience in working with youths in agri-prenuership or enterprise development;

• Strong training facilitation skills with experience in developing curricula and delivering engaging workshops;

• Excellent networking, negotiation, and interpersonal abilities, with a talent for building trust and fostering collaboration among diverse groups.

• Ability to integrate gender and nutrition activities in the project implementation cycle.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

A strategic thinker with a deep understanding of the technical and market dynamics within poultry, horticulture, and honey value chains that aligns with a strong passion for unlocking the potential of young people in agriculture.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit their CV and a one-page cover letter detailing their suitability for the role; to info@farmersunion.mw (copy dkapolo@farmersunion.mw) with the subject line “Value Chain Development Officer Application” by 15th December, 2025.