Regional Markets and Trade Consultant

Each Consultant will collaborate with the FEWS NET KB Market Fundamentals team, and other collaborators as necessary, to plan, coordinate, and carry out field activities across their assigned three-country portfolio These activities include data collection, stakeholder engagement, and data analysis that will generate inputs for a country-wide Market Fundamentals Report and related products in each of the assigned countries. Each Consultant will support the organization of stakeholder meetings and workshops, assist with data collection efforts, ensure adherence to research protocols and data quality standards, and contribute to analysis and reporting efforts. Data will be collected through key informant interviews, visits to markets, and participatory discussions with key stakeholders during workshops.

In each country, the analysis will cover up to 10 commodities of importance to food security, such as: rice, maize, sorghum, dry beans, cowpea, groundnuts, cassava, plantain, and cooking oil. Depending on the country's context, other products (including livestock and fish) may also be considered.

The consultants will work under the technical direction of Gabriela Alcaraz, Deputy Chief of Party - Market Fundamentals or other designated person in the FEWS NET 8 KB MF team. The consultants will collaborate with other participants in the activity and will travel to various locations to participate in the project activities across their assigned country portfolio.

For each opportunity, the consultant should be based in any of the three countries within their assigned portfolio and must have active work authorization in that country. The consultant must be willing to travel to the other two countries within the regional opportunity as required by project activities.

The following responsibilities apply to each Consultant across their assigned three-country portfolio. The same activities will be carried out in all three countries, with timelines staggered to accommodate overlapping schedules. The percentages shown reflect the estimated distribution of the Consultant's total level of effort by type of activity, rather than by individual country. Since the nature of the work is consistent across countries, these proportions apply to the portfolio as a whole and are provided for planning purposes only.

• Desk research (15%)
  • Identify and review market assessments and value chain analyses conducted in each country over the past 5 years, for the commodities of interest
  • As needed, help identify, acquire and compile relevant market-related secondary data and reports,including price series, agricultural production, trade statistics, and existing market studies
  • Draft preliminary commodity-level summaries based on the literature reviewed
• Planning (10%)
  • Contribute to the planning of in-country activities providing subject matter expertise and relevant country-specific contextual knowledge
  • Support the organization of a stakeholder introductory meeting to socialize the activity and establish communication protocols
  • Help identify key informants and potential participants for the stakeholder workshops in collaboration with FEWS NET staff and local partners
  • Support the development of materials for data collection teams training sessions
  • Help draft letters of introduction and other activity-related materials as necessary to meet local protocols and requests for authorization prior to fieldwork
• Data collection (50%)
  • Collaborate and deliver training sessions for data collection teams in coordination with the KB team, using materials and guidance to be provided by the KB team
  • Provide technical support to data collection teams to ensure consistency and alignment of activities across countries
  • Coordinate and collaborate with data collection teams across countries to support the implementation of activities
  • Support data collection activities and field meetings on commodity market dynamics (including market structure, conduct, performance) in the countries of interest. Note: the Consultant will bear the main responsibility for data collection. The Consultant will only support this process
  • Support the review of primary data collected for accuracy, completeness, and quality
  • Maintain close and regular communication with the MF team during the data collection process and provide timely feedback on emerging issues and field observations.
  • Provide inputs to the documentation of the data collection process, including recommendations for future MF activities
  • Participate in and contribute to data collection debriefs with country teams
  • Co-facilitate stakeholder workshops in the countries of interest in collaboration with the KB team and local partners, using materials and guidance provided by the KB team
  • Contribute to the preparation, collection, and organization of all workshop materials and outputs for further analysis and submission to the MF team.
• Analysis and reporting (20%)
  • Support analysis of the data collected
  • Assist in synthesizing findings from stakeholder workshops
  • Contribute to technical discussions and to the development of MF products
  • Prepare written summaries for each commodity under analysis, drawing on insights from the literature review and primary data analysis
  • Provide additional written inputs as required by the MF team
  • Contribute to and provide feedback to the MF report
• Other support (5%)
  • Provide additional technical or logistical support as required by the MF team, including arranging interviews, facilitating translation, coordinating with local partners and institutions, and supporting general field operations
  • Offer general support, as necessary, to ensure the successful completion of the MF activities and products.

Please apply via this form by March 2, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact short-listed candidates.