Markets Research Advisor, FEWS NET, East and Southern Africa (ESAF)

Chemonics’ East and Southern Africa Regional Business Unit is seeking a Markets Research Advisor. The full-time DC-based (remote eligible) Markets Research Advisor for FEWS NET 8 KB will support the project’s Deputy Chief of Party for Market Fundamentals in setting technical direction for the ​ Market Fundamentals ​​​     ​ research team​​. ​The Markets research advisor will advise the ​Market Fundamentals ​​​research team​​ on associated technical and administrative priorities for the project, and support ​Market Fundamentals ​​ deliverables, providing technical guidance for regional and country staff to deliver high-quality data, information, and analyses. The markets research advisor will work with home office and field-based members of the FEWS NET 8 KB technical team to design, execute, and coordinate activities in the ​​​Market Fundamentals ​​​research​​​ technical area. These activities will include providing key inputs to and drafting ​​​reports and other deliverables ​, providing technical assistance and guidance to colleagues across the project, strengthening the FEWS NET 8 KB and ​​partner capacity to conduct relevant market analyses​ for Market Fundamentals research​, and leading efforts to improve process documentation and associated staff capacity strengthening​ on the same​. 

Since its establishment in 1985, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) project aims to sustainably prevent food insecurity and famine across the globe by delivering to the U.S. Government and partners early warning on the location, causes, and magnitude of current and future food insecurity; improving the quality and timeliness of information and analysis useful for achieving sustainable food security; and strengthening innovative local, national, regional, and international capabilities to understand and appropriately address current, recurrent, and likely future food insecurity. Chemonics has been implementing FEWS NET since 2000, beginning its eights phase (FEWS NET 8) in 2024.     FEWS NET 8 Knowledge Base (FEWS NET 8 KB) is a $65 million project which will create and update FEWS NET’s knowledge base about livelihood zones and market systems on which FEWS NET’s acute food insecurity early warning analyses are predicated, thereby ensuring that USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) is able to allocate emergency food assistance effectively and in accordance with humanitarian principles.   

 

Responsibilities:

Technical Activities 

• Providing guidance to and overseeing staff and subcontractors responsible for conducting ​Market Fundamentals ​​work for FEWS NET 8 KB; 
• Ensuring the establishment and maintenance of systematic and efficient ​market research and assessment, ​​data collection, and management processes among home office and regional staff  
• ​​​Identifying and leveraging secondary data sources, relevant to Market Fundamentals research. ​​ 
• Identifying, developing, and implementing innovative methods for the collection of critical ​data used in research fo