Country Lead at ICARDA in Rabat

Reports to: Team Leader, Social, Economy and Policy Research

Location: Rabat, Morocco / Cairo, Egypt
Number of positions: Two positions are available under this vacancy announcement, with one position based in Egypt and the other in Morocco

Purpose of the position

The Country Lead will lead the Rural Employment through Animal Feed Production (REAP) program delivery in Egypt or Morocco, translating programme objectives, results, budgets and partnerships into an accountable country plan. The role is responsible for integrated performance, partner coordination, delivery quality, financial and risk management, safeguarding, inclusion and youth employment outcomes. Working across CGIAR centres, ICIPE, national institutions and delivery partners, the Country Lead will resolve bottlenecks and ensure commercially viable, locally relevant implementation aligned with REAP and Mastercard Foundation objectives.

About the Program

REAP is a five-year multi-country initiative intended to advance education and relieve poverty by enabling 1,000,000 financially disadvantaged young women and men, aged 18 to 35 years, to access new work opportunities in sustainable feed and livestock value chains across the seven countries. The Program will equip young people with technical, entrepreneurial, financial; digital and workplace capabilities linked to real economic opportunities and enable financially disadvantaged young people to access work, finance, productive assets, markets and income-generating opportunities that improve household resilience and wellbeing. Among its participants, the Program shall target 70% young women and at least 5% youth with disabilities and 20,000 refugees and displaced young people.

The programme will support youth-led and youth-inclusive enterprises to enter, stabilize and grow in feed and livestock markets; strengthen market systems, services, and commercial relationships; and improve policy, finance, innovation, extension, and other enabling systems required for youth-led enterprises to succeed and generate additional employment opportunities. Across these areas, it applies gender-transformative and inclusive approaches to address restrictive gender and social norms, reduce barriers to young women’s participation, and strengthen their agency, voice, leadership and access to resources and opportunities. Safeguarding measures are embedded throughout the programme to protect young people from harm and support their safe participation.

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR. ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.

Main responsibilities

Country strategy and delivery

• Lead and periodically review costed annual and multi-year country delivery plans aligned with REAP’s theory of change, results framework, budget and country context.
• Remain accountable for deliverables, milestones, budgets, forecasts, youth work outcomes and viable enterprise and employment results; resolve bottlenecks and escalate major risks.

Partner coordination and stakeholder engagement

• Coordinate CGIAR, ICIPE, government, research, private-sector, financial, civil-society, youth, producer and downstream partners; clarify roles, budgets, reporting and accountability.
• Lead or support partner selection, due diligence, contracting, onboarding, monitoring and corrective action, including amendment, suspension or termination recommendations where necessary.
• Represent REAP at country level and maintain productive relationships with Mastercard Foundation, the Program Management Unit, government, communities and market actors, supporting policy and regulatory engagement where needed.

Youth entrepreneurship, markets and finance

• Lead context-responsive entrepreneurship pathways, enterprise-readiness assessment, trainer and mentor capacity, incubation, starter and booster support, and sustainable Feed Tech Hubs.
• Connect youth enterprises to buyers, suppliers and business networks, and oversee inclusive financial ecosystems, tailored products, risk-sharing mechanisms, finance readiness, investment matchmaking and capital mobilization.

Results, learning and adaptive management

• Ensure timely, accurate and verified MEL reporting, including credible measurement of direct, indirect and non-countable youth work outcomes.
• Monitor participant uptake, enterprise and partner performance, markets, finance, inclusion and safeguarding; use evidence and feedback to adapt workplans, partners, delivery models and resources.

Financial, operational and compliance management

• Oversee country budgeting, forecasting, expenditure, procurement, grants, contracts, payments and partner financial performance within delegated authority and donor requirements.
• Maintain effective controls, documentation, audit readiness and oversight of fiduciary, operational, political, security, safeguarding, partner, reputational and delivery risks.

Inclusion, safeguarding and participant accountability

• Embed inclusion for young women, youth with disabilities, refugees and other underserved groups across outreach, selection, training, enterprise support, finance and market linkages where relevant and legally feasible.
• Oversee safeguarding standards, partner capacity, reporting and referral mechanisms, complaints and feedback, and risks including exclusion, elite capture, unsafe participation, unpaid labour and poor-quality work.

Team leadership, reporting and donor engagement

• Lead direct and matrixed country teams and partner focal points, setting clear priorities, roles, workplans and decision processes while supporting recruitment, onboarding and performance management.
• Coordinate evidence-based country and donor reporting, providing clear analysis of progress, budgets, risks, partner performance, opportunities and recommended adaptations without overclaiming results.

Requirements

Education, qualifications, and experience

• Advanced degree, preferably a PhD, in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Business Administration, Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship or a related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in international or agricultural development, youth employment, enterprise development, market systems, or related fields.
• Expertise in MSME business development and enterprise support, including business incubation and acceleration, enterprise advisory services, and business growth strategies.
• Expertise in development of financial ecosystems and partnerships an d in the co-design of inclusive financial products and risk-sharing mechanisms
• Experience in agribusiness value chains, entrepreneurship, SME development, finance and market access, and private-sector partnerships.
• Experience in the development and implementation of business incubation models, enterprise ecosystems, and Agribusiness Park operations.
• Significant country-level experience managing complex donor-funded programmes, including planning, budgeting, implementation, grants, contracts, procurement, partner performance, risk and reporting.
• Proven ability to coordinate government, research, private-sector, financial, civil-society and local delivery partners, preferably supported by strong networks in Egypt or Morocco.
• Experience translating technical or research approaches into delivery and working with MEL systems, results frameworks and evidence-based adaptation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of gender equality, social inclusion, safeguarding, participant accountability and the agriculture and livestock policy environment in Egypt or Morocco.
• Language: fluent English for Egypt; fluent French and strong professional English for Morocco.

Desirable requirements

• Professional training in project, financial or grants management, safeguarding or MEL.
• Experience establishing or managing feed and livestock technology hubs, innovation hubs, business incubation centers, or similar enterprise support facilities
• Familiarity with CGIAR or similar research-for-development institutions and Mastercard Foundation-funded or other large development initiatives.
• Experience with dignified work, youth enterprise development, job creation, multi-country or decentralised partner-led delivery and adaptive management.
• Working knowledge of Arabic.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits

This internationally recruited position offers a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days’ annual leave, five months’ maternity leave and 15 days’ paternity leave. The initial three-year contract is renewable subject to continued need, funding and satisfactory performance; the first year is probationary.

Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization's standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.