Food Systems Specialist

PAK-NGOs · Islamabad, Pakistan

The incumbent will serve as an in-country technical and pre-positioning resource on food systems for Mercy Corps Pakistan, supporting both live and forthcoming opportunities in the funding pipeline. Duration: 06 months (extendable subject to funding). Working closely with the Country Director and relevant country, regional, and global teams, the technical specialist will support Mercy Corps to:

• Deepen MC understanding of and positioning in climate-resilient food systems in Pakistan.
• Act as the technical focal point, documenting food security issues -including food markets, public and private stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities, policy and governance issues in food systems, innovations in food security and the water-food-climate nexus.
• Develop and/or deepen relationships with priority donors, government counterparts, implementing partners, private sector actors, and other stakeholders;
• gather practical information on donor priorities, forthcoming procurements, government priorities, partner positioning, and the competitive landscape;
• represent or accompany Mercy Corps CD in relevant in-person meetings and consultations;
• prepare the Country Director and other Mercy Corps representatives for strategic external engagements;
• undertake targeted stakeholder consultations and technical discussions to inform opportunity positioning and proposal design; and
• translate insights from these engagements into concrete acions for Mercy Corps' positioning, partnerships, and technical approaches.

The incumbent's primary added value will be in-person engagement and Pakistan-specific technical insight, rather than functions that can readily be performed remotely by regional or global technical teams. The Country Director will prioritize activities according to the evolving funding pipeline, with a particular emphasis on activities where physical presence, local networks, face-to-face consultation, or Pakistan-specific technical knowledge provides clear added value over remote support.

The incumbent should demonstrate:

• Qualification – Masters Degree in agriculture, food security or a related technical field.
• Minimum 8–10 years of relevant experience in food security in Pakistan.
• Strong technical experience in food value chains, food markets, impact of climate change on food systems, public and private stakeholders in the food value chain.
• Strong professional networks in Pakistan and demonstrated ability to engage effectively with government, bilateral and multilateral donors, implementing organizations, private sector actors, and other development stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the design or development of donor-funded programmes.
• Experience conducting stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews, market assessments, or similar qualitative research.
• Ability to develop structured questionnaires, interview guides, briefing materials, and analytical summaries.
• Understanding of the donor and development landscape in Pakistan on food security and familiarity with major institutional donors.
• Experience supporting consortium development and partner engagement is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, interpersonal, facilitation, and written communication skills.
• Ability to operate independently and exercise sound judgment