Agricultural Livelihoods and Resilience Adviser

Title: Agricultural Livelihoods and Resilience Adviser

Project: TOMAK (To’os ba Moris Di’ak) / Farming for Prosperity

Duration: 13 January 2025 – 30 May 2026.

Location: Dili, Timor-Leste, with regular travel to municipalities

Nationality: Open to international and local applicants

Reports to: Team Leader

Manages: Agricultural Specialist, MSD Specialist, Agricultural Assistant, short-term advisers

and sub-contracted in relevant areas.

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About TOMAK

The To’os Ba Moris Di’ak Program (TOMAK) is a 10-year agricultural livelihoods program funded by the Australian Government in Timor-Leste. Its goal is to ensure rural households live more prosperous and sustainable lives.

TOMAK’s Phase 1 (AUD25 million, 2016-21) aimed to enable more prosperous and sustainable rural livelihoods through initiatives on nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA), market systems development (MSD) and women’s economic empowerment (WEE). Phase 1 was extended until June 2022. In July of that year, TOMAK’s Phase 2 (up to AUD20 million, 2022-26) formally commenced.

Phase 2 takes an integrated ‘food system’ perspective to achieve inter-linked objectives relating to food security, nutrition, and agriculture-based livelihoods. TOMAK coordinates with key partners, including Government and private sector partners, to promote increased production of selected agricultural value chains (crops and small livestock) with a focus on high nutrition and/or high market value products. Climate-smart agriculture practices are key considerations in supporting farmers to sustainably improve their agricultural production and strengthen household resilience to agricultural shocks. Consideration is also given to improving household access to finance and better dietary practices.

The program has a strong inclusion focus, which is articulated in the program’s design and theory of change. Phase 2 adopted a ‘twin-track’ approach to gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) by mainstreaming inclusion alongside specific interventions to ensure individuals and marginalised groups can participate on an equal basis with others.

TOMAK is being implemented at the community level in the municipalities of Baucau, Bobonaro and Viqueque, with broader reach achieved through a range of systems strengthening activities with government and private sector partners.

Position Summary

The Agricultural Livelihoods and Resilience Adviser is a key member of the TOMAK leadership team and provides technical leadership across a range of areas including agriculture/agronomy, natural resource management, climate resilience, value chain development, market systems development, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment of women, youth and persons with disability (PwD). Within the TOMAK program design, these themes/areas form part of a suite of layered and sequenced activities which also aim to increase rural households’ access to finance and improved dietary practices.

The Adviser will be expected to work collaboratively as both a member of and a leader withinTOMAK’s technical team, in order to develop appropriate livelihood and resilience strategies within a complex, integrated program. For the areas in which the Adviser provides technical leadership, it is expected that the Adviser will be responsible for direction-setting, activity implementation, stakeholder engagement, partnerships and overall management.

The Adviser will develop strong and productive working relationships with TOMAK’s technical and administrative personnel, both at the municipal and national level. The Adviser is expected to play an integral role in fostering communication and collaboration across the various parts of the program (social and behaviour change communication, nutrition, GEDSI, MEL), and to actively support the implementation of the program’s activities.

The Adviser will provide technical leadership for TOMAK’s research and analysis (agronomic, agribusiness, climate smart agriculture, value chains, market linkages and rural development), and manage any short-term consultants engaged to support these assignments. The Adviser will also guide the development and rollout of training and foster partnerships with public and private agriculture entities relevant for TOMAK. The Adviser will need to oversee field level monitoring, evaluating and learning as the program establishes momentum in its implementation.

The Adviser will manage the Agri-Livelihoods and Resilience team. The team is comprised of an Agricultural Specialist, MSD Specialist, CSA specialist, and a Junior Agricultural specialist. The Adviser will be expected to work closely with this team and other teams, including 7 Junior Field Assistants who report to Regional Managers, to develop and execute an annual workplan. The Adviser is expected to forge productive relationships and actively contribute to the capacity development of any direct reports. This position engages regularly with external stakeholders, particularly within the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) and the private sector. Being able to understand, nurture and leverage these partnerships is essential.

As a key member of the TOMAK technical team, the Adviser should have strong leadership skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines. The Adviser should be an excellent communicator, capable of expressing the program’s vision and desired outcome through a range of formats and with a variety of stakeholders. The Adviser should be willing to travel regularly to the field (Baucau, Bobonaro and Viqueque municipalities), including to rural/farming communities as required.

Duties and responsibilities

• Prepare and steer technical assessments of key aspects of the food system in target communities including agricultural and livestock production, key livelihood systems, logistics, market linkages facilitation and the impact of climate variability.
• Ensure climate resilience and natural resource management are key considerations in any activities aimed at developing agricultural livelihoods, including by integrating these themes in good agricultural practice (GAP) training and materials, farmer resources.
• Ensure TOMAK strategies and approaches are market-focused and consider the range of opportunities and barriers across selected value chains, while also supporting the integration of nutrition-sensitive and inclusive approaches within livelihoods-focused activities.
• Develop and manage productive relationships with key local partners including MALFF, both at the national and municipal level, and the private sector (input/output markets and support systems) with a view to fostering ownership and long-term sustainability.
• Directly manage and support the Agri-Livelihoods and Resilience team through provision of coaching, and support in planning, implementation, and monitoring of activities.
• As a member of the TOMAK Senior Management team, play an active role in stakeholder engagement and the development of key deliverables including the annual workplan, donor and partner briefings, and the annual report.
• Work closely with the GEDSI technical team to ensure gender, disability and youth inclusion and economic empowerment are integrated into the development, implementation, and monitoring of livelihood-focused activities (through both mainstreaming and specific interventions).
• Support recruitment and manage any short-term personnel required for key assignments to ensure delivery of high-quality deliverables (including field implementation, research, training curricula, analysis).
• Participate in relevant agriculture, climate, and market systems-related networks (including those convened by DFAT) to ensure regular communication and coordination with other programs, organisations and agencies.

Skills and experience required:

• Post-graduate qualifications relating to international development, agriculture, rural/development economics, or similar.
• Demonstrated international development experience in food systems, agricultural livelihoods, market systems and resilience-related programming (at least 7 years), with particular emphasis on climate change, market linkages facilitation and private sector development in the context of an underdeveloped (thin) agricultural market.
• Demonstrated experience integrating gender equality, economic empowerment of women, youth and PwDs, and/or inclusion approaches into agricultural livelihoods and resilience programming.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to understand and synthesise data and use findings to develop programmatic recommendations and identify ways forward.
• Demonstrated high-level organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and competing priorities, and complete assignments within timeframes.
• Experience in capacity building, including training and on-the-job mentoring of national staff.
• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Proven track record in forging strategic partnerships and market facilitation with public and private sector entities in agriculture and rural development.
• Exceptional interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, including demonstrated capacity to work collegially with government, private sector, civil society and other partner organisations and to manage effective partnership arrangements.
• Extensive regional and/or country experience in the Asia-Pacific.
• Exceptional communication, analytical, and report-writing skills, capable of conveying complex ideas to diverse audiences, including farmers, businesses, government officials, and the public.
• Advanced skills in spoken and written English required.
• Preferred: previous experience on DFAT-funded programs; prior experience working in Timor-Leste; fluency in Tetum language.