Duty Station: Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
No. of Positions: 01
Contract Type: Fixed-Term (National Position)
Contract Duration: Initial one (01) year (July–June), renewable annually subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds, up to the project duration.
Remuneration: Competitive salary in Pakistani Rupees (PKR), commensurate with qualifications and experience, along with employment benefits in accordance with SRSO Human Resource Policies.

Position Summary

The Rice Value Chain Specialist will serve as the lead technical resource for rice value chain development under the project. The incumbent will be responsible for strengthening competitiveness, inclusivity, and sustainability across the rice production, processing, and marketing continuum.

The specialist will conduct value chain assessments, facilitate public-private collaboration, design commercialization strategies, and promote climate-resilient innovations to ensure long-term viability and equitable market participation, particularly for smallholder farmers.

Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities

A. Value Chain Analysis and Technical Advisory

• Conduct comprehensive rice value chain analyses, including stakeholder mapping, bottleneck identification, and market systems assessment.

• Analyze cost structures, margins, and competitiveness across production, aggregation, processing, and marketing stages.

• Identify opportunities for value addition, product diversification, and market expansion.

B. Public-Private Partnerships and Institutional Strengthening

• Establish and facilitate public-private engagement platforms involving farmers, millers, traders, exporters, financial institutions, and government stakeholders.

• Recommend institutional arrangements that promote inclusive participation of smallholders in commercial markets.

• Support development of aggregation models and producer organizations to enhance bargaining power and market access.

C. Commercialization and Market Development

• Develop commercialization strategies and business models to enhance value addition and branding of rice products.

• Strengthen linkages between producers and commercial buyers, including structured market arrangements where feasible.

• Promote compliance with quality standards, certifications, and traceability systems required for domestic and export markets.

D. Climate-Resilient Innovation and Sustainability

• Assess capacity needs for adoption of climate-smart agriculture and resource-efficient processing technologies.

• Integrate climate resilience and environmental sustainability considerations into value chain strategies.

• Develop actionable plans to enhance the long-term sustainability of rice value chain interventions.

E. Capacity Development and Knowledge Management

• Design and deliver training sessions for value chain actors, including farmer groups and SMEs.

• Develop practical guidance materials and business development tools.

• Document lessons learned, case studies, and best practices for replication and scaling.

F. Monitoring, Reporting, and Compliance

• Develop and track performance indicators related to value chain interventions.

• Contribute technical inputs to quarterly and annual project reports.

• Ensure activities are implemented in compliance with donor agreements and organizational policies.

Deliverables

The Rice Value Chain Specialist shall deliver:

1. Comprehensive Rice Value Chain Assessment Reports (Policy gap, finance mechanisms, etc.).

2. Public-Private Engagement Framework.

3. Commercialization and Market Linkage Strategy.

4. Training Documentation.

5.  Quarterly technical progress inputs for project reporting.

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced university degree (MS/MSc required; PhD preferred) in Rice Sciences, Agronomy (with specialization in rice), Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Value Chain Management, or a closely related discipline from an HEC-recognized institution.

• Minimum five (05) years of progressively responsible professional experience in rice value chain development, agribusiness management, or agricultural commercialization at the national or international level.

• Demonstrated technical expertise in rice production systems, processing, value addition, and market integration.

• Proven business and private sector engagement experience, including collaboration with millers, exporters, processors, traders, input suppliers, or agribusiness enterprises.

• Practical experience in designing and implementing commercialization strategies, business models, or market linkage interventions within donor-funded or multi-stakeholder projects.

• Strong understanding of market systems development, public-private partnership frameworks, and inclusive business models for smallholder integration.

• Experience in financial analysis, cost-benefit assessment, and business planning within agricultural value chains will be considered a strong asset.

• Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated leadership in business-driven agricultural initiatives and/or publications or documented work in rice value chain development.

Competencies (Core Competencies)

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building Effective Relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

• Strategic Thinking

• Planning and Organizing

• Accountability