Consultant

Job Description

SCOPE OF WORK:

1. Technical Support:

•  Analyze the enabling environment and barriers for water-agriculture nexus innovations, including regulations, trade and subsidy policies, markets, and institutional frameworks that promote sustainable, farmer-friendly agriculture in the context of climate change, socio-economic drivers, and Nepal's federal structure.
•  Lead the co-development of scalable financial models and business plans for Water-as-a-Service (WaaS) and irrigated agricultural value chains, in collaboration with government agencies, the private sector, cooperatives, local institutions, farmer groups, and CGIAR centers.
•  Lead business ecosystem analysis to support the scaling of socio-technical innovations such as irrigation information systems, lift irrigation, solar irrigation, micro-irrigation technologies, and multiple-use water systems.
•  Facilitate the co-design of effective, context-appropriate, and GESI-responsive (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion) scaling pathways for Water-as-a-Service (WaaS).
•  Develop, validate, and finalize financial models that ensure affordability, sustainability, and scalability of WaaS solutions, targeting both the hill and Terai regions of Nepal.
•  Ensure the timely delivery of project outputs, including reports and blogs, to share insights and promote the uptake of socio-technical innovations.

2. Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Management for Scaling Innovations:

•  Collaborate with government agencies to integrate tested and scalable water and agriculture solutions into local policies and climate adaptation plans.
•  Build partnerships with private sector actors, SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises), cooperatives, financial institutions, and development programs to co-design, test, and upscale successful irrigation and irrigated agricultural value chain innovations.
•  Facilitate the engagement of women, youth, and rural communities by promoting their participation in socio-technical innovation efforts and tailoring solutions to meet their needs.
•  Work with biophysical and social scientists to integrate GESI and governance approaches into water business models, market and financial analyses, and scaling strategies.
•  Establish and maintain regular communication with key government agencies at the federal, provincial, and local levels to create policy and institutional demand for the uptake of socio-technical innovations related to agroecological farming, irrigation services, and irrigated value chains.

3. Knowledge Management, Co-Learning, and Communication:

•  Engage with the private sector, local NGOs, community institutions, cooperatives, water user groups, and networks of youth, women, and agri-entrepreneurs (SME owners) to create an enabling environment for scaling irrigation innovations.
•  Participate in and contribute to stakeholder meetings and workshops relevant to agricultural development, irrigation, renewable energy, and climate-smart agriculture.
•  Organize and facilitate participatory and inclusive town hall meetings, roundtable dialogues, and knowledge forums for co-designing and implementing inclusive, sustainable business models for climate-smart water solutions. These include multiple uses of water—for irrigation, livestock, micro-enterprises, fisheries, and domestic purposes.

Job Specification

Requirements

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS REQUIRED:

Essential:

•  A Master's or advanced degree in Business Management, Business Administration, Development Economics, Agricultural Economics, or a closely related discipline relevant to water, land, energy resources management, and agricultural innovation systems and scaling.
•  5-7 years of professional experience in agricultural value chain development, economic analysis of agribusinesses, multi-stakeholder engagement, public-private-community partnership (PPCP) approaches, and project coordination.
•  Demonstrated experience coordinating with government agencies, private sector stakeholders, development partners, local institutions, and grassroots communities.
•  Excellent knowledge and skills in co-designing business models for scaling socio-technical innovations, with an intersectional approach that actively engages indigenous peoples, farmer groups, women- and youth-led businesses, disability networks, and socially excluded groups.
•  Experience in preparing impact stories, research reports, and field notes for technical and policy audiences.
•  Strong interpersonal skills; adaptable and flexible with experience working in interdisciplinary and multicultural team environments.
•  Ability to travel to research sites with limited facilities.
•  Strong organizational, facilitation, and communication skills, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams.
•  Good understanding of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) issues in Nepal, particularly in the agriculture and irrigation sectors.
•  Fluency in Nepali and proficiency in English (oral and written).

Desirable:

•  Experience with participatory research or community-based natural resource management and agricultural development.
•  Prior experience working on research-for-development projects in water, agriculture, energy, and natural resource management.
•  Experience and knowledge in working with collective action initiatives involving farmers and youth in agri-enterprises and/or climate-resilient agriculture.

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