Partnership and Market System Development Advisor- LIWAY Project （Maternity cover）

SNV is a global development partner, deeply rooted in the countries where we operate. Driven by a vision of a better world where all people live with dignity and have equitable opportunities to thrive sustainably, SNV strengthens capacities and catalyses partnerships that transform agri-food, energy, and water systems. We help strengthen institutions and effective governance, reduce gender inequalities and barriers to social inclusion and enable adaptation and mitigation to the climate and biodiversity crises.

With 60 years of experience and a team of approximately 1,600 people, we support our partners in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia, tailoring our approaches to different contexts to achieve large-scale impact and create more equitable lives for all.

Our core values of people-centeredness and respect, equity and equality, and diversity and inclusion, are fundamental to who we are, and what we do. This is reflected in our vision and mission, and strategy, which sets out our aspirations and commitments as our compass towards 2030.

For more information on SNV's, please visit our website: www.snv.org. 

Background of the Project 

The Livelihoods Improvement for Women and Youth (LIWAY) is a thirteen-year programme (July 2017 to December 2028) funded by Sweden and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The programme was implemented by a consortium of partners comprised of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, and Mercy Corps. LIWAY applies a market system development (MSD) approach that involves identifying the root causes of market failure that disadvantage or exclude poor women and youth from wage and self-employment opportunities and identifying private companies and public institutions with the incentive and ability to deliver change.  

The aim is to make market systems work better for the target groups while demonstrating benefits to public and private actors that play a role in the systems to ensure local ownership and sustainability and continued improvement beyond the programme period. The approach involves experimentation and learning rapidly from failures and amplifying successes. 

Context and purpose of Job

The Partnership and Market Systems Development Advisor is part of an SNV Country Organisation and works at project level within a country on development projects in the Agri-Food sector. Specifically, this role supports the Livelihoods Improvement for Women and Youth (LIWAY) programme.  

This specialized role holds dual responsibility for the robust oversight of grant and contract management—including development, negotiation, compliance, and performance monitoring—as well as the strategic design and implementation of market systems development interventions. The purpose of this position is to ensure the efficient and compliant utilization of resources while driving impactful interventions, thereby providing critical technical insights and advisory services to Project Managers and partners to meet agreed objectives, realize successful project outcomes, and continually identify areas for quality improvement and strategic growth.

Key Responsibilities

Advisory Services 

• Grant and Contract Management: Oversee the development, negotiation, and management of grant agreements and contracts with consultants and recipients. 

• Partnership Development: Establish and maintain strong relationships with consultants, grant recipients, and other stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration. 

• Compliance Monitoring: Ensure compliance with donor requirements and organizational policies throughout the grant lifecycle, including financial and reporting standards. 

• Performance Oversight: Monitor the performance of grant recipients and consultants, providing guidance and support to ensure project objectives are met. 

• Capacity Building: Provide training and resources to partners on grant management best practices and compliance requirements. 

• Reporting and Documentation: Prepare and submit timely reports to stakeholders, maintain accurate documentation, and facilitate knowledge sharing related to grant and contract management. 

• Intervention Development: Develop detailed concept notes for strategic interventions in close collaboration with identified implementing partners. Develop business models for LIWAY target groups, focusing on potential areas of intervention. 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Assess and onboard key stakeholders, including implementing partners, negotiate, to foster collaboration for intervention implementation. 

• Implementation Facilitation: Prepare and finalize implementation agreements (sub-grant agreements) with selected partners and facilitate the signing process. 

• Technical Support: Facilitate and provide technical support to implementing partners and follow-up during the implementation of agreed interventions to ensure alignment with project goals. 

• Monitoring and Reporting: Monitor the progress of interventions under management and report on outcomes to ensure effective tracking and learning 

Knowledge Development 

• Contributes to internal and external knowledge development. 

• Ensures lessons learned are shared and applied in daily practice and may be appointed as (national) focal point of an expertise network. 

• Initiates/coordinates the review process and evaluation of advisory services to collect lessons learned, proposes corrective measures and ensures identification of follow up assignments. 

• Participates in knowledge development/expertise groups and in internal and external networks. 

Project and process development  

• Identifies and proposes technical process improvements to the project team. Acts on improvement areas within the local internal organisation and processes and gives feedback. Ensures lessons learned are applied in daily practice.  

• Education:  Bachelor's degree in a specialized or relevant technical field, Master's degree preferred (e.g., Business Administration, Development Studies, Economics, Law, Natural environment and resource management or a related discipline). 

  Experience: Minimum of 4-5 years of progressive experience in grant and contract management, project implementation, and/or market systems development. 

• Experince in market-oriented and livelihoods-related initiatives, with familiarity in programme implementation and support functions.
• Strong organisational, analytical, and communication skills, including report writing and documentation.
• Proficiency in standard digital tools and the ability to work effectively in dynamic, collaborative, and multidisciplinary settings.

Competencies:

• Problem analysis
• Communication
• Focus on quality
• Result orientation
• Perseverance

Additional Information

Contract Type: National

Expected start date: August 25,2026

Duty Station:  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contract Duration: The contract duration will be until the end of December 2026 to provide maternity cover.

How to Apply
If you believe that your credentials meet the outlined profile, we invite you to apply by uploading your CV and a letter of motivation before/on the 25th of July 2026. Please submit your application only via Smart Recruiters. All information will be kept in the strictest confidentiality. 
If we see that your experience and skills match the requirements of the position, we will contact you to advise on the next steps in the recruitment process.

Working at SNV  
SNV offers a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit form and contribute to, an internal and global network of experts.

At SNV, inclusivity is at the heart of our ethos. We celebrate the diversity of our workforce and uphold a policy of non-discrimination based on factors such as disability status, religion, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, and more.

Vetting
SNV carries out rigorous background and reference checks concerning possible safeguarding incidents for all candidates applying for both national and International determined positions. As SNV participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a request to past employers to fill in a questionnaire regarding Misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment), the “Statement of Conduct". This Statement of Conduct adopts the definitions used in the Scheme.  

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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