Senior Technical Advisor and Co-facilitator - Resonance

job Description

WHO WE ARE If you are a passionate change agent who thrives in a collaborative, entrepreneurial and inclusive, culture committed to operational excellence, we would like to meet you. At Resonance, immediate hands-on experience alongside our clients as we work to build sustainable, positive impact. Our teams are autonomous and self-sufficient. You get to weigh in with founders and leaders on how to drive change and grow the movement while growing the company. Resonance is an award-winning, Certified B Corporation consultancy that delivers market-based solutions to address the world's toughest challenges. We enable a variety of donor, commercial, and investor clients around the world to catalyze lasting impact. Resonance seeks to catalyze large-scale social, environmental, and economic change by fostering new and dynamic forms of collaboration. We do this by fostering public-private partnerships, facilitating sustainable investment, and providing deep analytical insights in frontier markets.

Since 2021, Resonance has worked with USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) on a project called 'Mainstreaming Private Sector Engagement in Humanitarian Programming' (MAPS-H). This project aims to help USAID/BHA integrate private sector engagement (PSE) in its humanitarian assistance programming and overall operations. The MAPS-H project is designed to offer flexible and on-demand assistance to USAID/BHA, addressing specific PSE and partnership needs through practical support and technical assistance. This includes assignments to uncover potential operational efficiencies and make broader changes to systems.

In recent years, the humanitarian community has recognized the value of private sector engagement (PSE) as an avenue for responding to more frequent rapid- and slow-onset natural and man-made disasters. Instead of viewing the private sector solely as a supplier of goods and services, a shift in mindset and approach can instead allow the US Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) to engage the private sector as a strategic partner in humanitarian assistance and leverage private sector skills, networks, logistics, operations, and expertise.

Position Mandate
To help further this initiative, the Mainstreaming Private Sector Engagement in Humanitarian Programming (MAPS-H) project launched in 2021 with the goal of providing functional support and technical assistance to USAID/BHA to mainstream PSE in its operations and programming. The goal of the MAPS-H project is to provide flexible, on-demand support to USAID/BHA staff tailored to specific PSE and partnership needs. Ultimately, this project will mainstream PSE into USAID/BHA programming and embed PSE into the Bureau's programmatic lifecycle and operations.

The objective of this Job Order (JO) is to identify ways USAID/BHA can collaborate with the private sector in Zimbabwe's Resilience Focus Zone through a co-creation activity to identify mutually agreed upon objectives, and define a shared direction forward for addressing the aspirations of our guiding design challenge. This activity will facilitate a co-creation activity to define at least one technically sound, geographically appropriate activity that BHA can fund in collaboration with private sector and other critical partners. Resonance will engage a local consultant to contribute with technical activities and logistics support . The Activity Team will rely on the local consultant to conduct interviews and provide nuanced knowledge of the situation in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland North, as their input will be vital to the final analysis of this study.

The consultant will provide services as set forth in the scope for 24 days of LoE, between November 2024- February 2025. The point of contact at Resonance will be the Activity Team Lead for MAPS-H Zimbabwe Job Order.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Consultant services needed:
In coordination with the MAPS-H Activity Team and the USAID Zimbabwe Mission, and under guidance of the Team Lead, the consultant will be responsible for 1) conducting field research in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland North to inform co-creation and 2) providing facilitation support during the co-creation workshop. To achieve these objectives, the Local Consultant will carry out the following tasks:
-Conduct individual interviews in and around (Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland North) mostly with food processors and entrepreneurs;
-Conduct focus group discussions and summarize findings to develop a report to present at co-creation meetings
-Summarize the findings from field work/interviews;
-Support with key stakeholder outreach by identifying and helping to catalog relevant contacts;
-Under the supervision of the Team Lead, assist the Activity Team with technical design, co-facilitation, logistics support, and translation services for the co-creation workshop.

Qualifications and Experience

-Relevant bachelor's degree or master's degree* (in fields including but not limited to: Disaster Management, International Relations, Development Studies, Social or Political Science, Supply Chain Management, Agriculture, Food Science)
-Mid-level professionals will have 4+ years' experience in one or more of the areas listed above
-Senior-level professional will have 8+ years of experience in one or more of the areas listed above
-Experience working with USAID/BHA, UN, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, government and non-government humanitarian organizations and the private sector
-Demonstrated understanding of results-based management and impact measurement
-Fluency in English is required
-A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree (Masters).

Preferred Education & Experience:
-Experience working in the field of disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response, early recovery, and reconstruction/ rehabilitation
-Demonstrated experiences in designing and implementing food processing interventions in collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
-Food Processing, Food Certification,
-Relevant industry training, certification, and professional association/affiliation
-Experience in working in or supporting a development and/or humanitarian programming in a less developed country context is an asset
-Experience in leading innovations and/or organizational change management is an asset
-Knowledge of a local language is an asset

Competencies
-Ability to operate with minimal direction
-Ability to operate in a rapidly shifting environment
-Ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment and a high sense of integrity.
-Ability to produce high-quality deliverables, including written documents, on an agreed timetable
-Team-oriented and collaborative professional
-Proven track record of success that can be verified by professional references
-Proven ability to develop, lead, and effectively manage relationships with clients and partners
-Proven ability to develop and implement strategies, plans and guidance related to partnerships