Intervention Coordinator- Ecosystem and Thought Leadership at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Description

• The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture seeks suitable Nigerian nationals for the position below at the Institute’s Headquarters in Ibadan.

Duties
Technical and Strategic Leadership:

• Provide overall technical leadership, planning, coordination and quality assurance for the Ecosystem Change and Thought Leadership component (Component 3) of I-Youth 2.0 across Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• Translate Component 3 activities into costed, sequenced annual work plans for each country, aligned with the approved project design, results framework, budgets and donor agreements.
• Ensure Component 3 interventions are harmonized and appropriately adapted to the institutional, regulatory, socioeconomic and cultural contexts of the three countries, while maintaining consistent regional standards and approaches.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between AALI, the I-Youth 2.0 Program Management Office (PMO) and country teams on ecosystem change and thought leadership activities.
• Ensure evidence and learning from Component 3 inform program adaptation, strategic decision-making and policy engagement.

Barrier Analysis and Evidence Generation:

• Lead the assessment and mapping of institutional, regulatory, socioeconomic and cultural barriers affecting youth participation and enterprise growth, with particular attention to access to land, finance, knowledge, markets and other productive resources.
• Coordinate stakeholder, institutional and power analyses using appropriate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and youth-responsive analytical tools.
• Ensure findings are translated into evidence-based strategies, policy recommendations and intervention approaches that strengthen youth agency and address systemic barriers to agribusiness participation.
• Work with relevant technical and MEL teams to generate, document and utilize evidence on emerging ecosystem issues and program outcomes.

Youth Champion Networks:

• Lead the identification, engagement, capacity development and continuous support of youth champions across the three countries to serve as role models, peer mobilizers and advocates for youth participation in agribusiness.
• Strengthen the leadership, advocacy, entrepreneurial and communication capacities of youth champions to enable them to influence community perceptions, policies and practices affecting young agripreneurs.
• Facilitate the establishment and functioning of a coordinated cross-country Youth Champions Network linked to the broader I-Youth agripreneur community.
• Create opportunities for youth champions to participate meaningfully in policy dialogues, stakeholder platforms and other decision-making processes.

Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues and Advocacy:

• Convene and facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues (MSDs) involving government institutions, private-sector actors, financial institutions, research organizations, civil society, youth organizations and agribusiness value-chain actors.
• Facilitate meaningful engagement between young people and decision-makers to identify and address financial, institutional, regulatory, infrastructural and other systemic barriers to youth enterprise development.
• Translate evidence and recommendations emerging from research and stakeholder dialogues into practical advocacy priorities and policy actions.
• Support engagement with relevant policymakers and institutions to promote reforms and enabling policies for inclusive and sustainable youth participation in agribusiness.

Thought Leadership and Knowledge Products:

• Lead the development and dissemination of high-quality policy briefs, research outputs, case studies, position papers and other knowledge products on market, finance, land, technology and other ecosystem issues affecting youth agripreneurs.
• Ensure knowledge products are evidence-based, accessible and strategically disseminated through IITA, AALI and partner platforms.
• Facilitate the effective communication of evidence and recommendations to policymakers, private-sector actors, development partners and other relevant stakeholders.
• Position I-Youth 2.0 and AALI as credible sources of evidence and thought leadership on youth agripreneurship and agrifood-system transformation in Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Multi-Stakeholder Platforms and Follow-up:

• Establish and strengthen country-level multi-stakeholder platforms to support sustained engagement among government, private sector, research institutions, youth organizations, civil society and development partners.
• Coordinate follow-up on recommendations, commitments and actions arising from research, policy dialogues and MSDs.
• Develop mechanisms for tracking stakeholder commitments, policy actions and progress in addressing identified ecosystem barriers.
• Promote institutional ownership, collaboration and sustainability of ecosystem interventions beyond the life of the project.

Community Engagement and Social Inclusion:

• Lead structured community engagement, outreach and sensitization activities to increase awareness, acceptance and participation in I-Youth interventions.
• Engage community, traditional and religious leaders, households and other influential stakeholders to address social and cultural norms that constrain the participation of young people, particularly women and other marginalized groups.
• Promote community support for women's and young people's participation in training, enterprise development and economic opportunities.
• Ensure community engagement approaches are inclusive, context-specific, locally owned and aligned with the project's GESI and safeguarding commitments.

Coordination, Monitoring, Reporting and Representation:

• Coordinate the work of AALI focal points, country-based Component 3 personnel, consultants and implementing partners across Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• Monitor implementation and performance against approved work plans, budgets, milestones and results indicators, and initiate corrective actions where required.
• Provide timely and high-quality technical and narrative inputs to I-Youth 2.0 management and donor reports.
• Identify implementation, institutional, political and operational risks affecting Component 3 and recommend appropriate mitigation measures to the Executive Manager, I-Youth 2.0.
• Represent I-Youth 2.0 and AALI at relevant national, regional and international policy forums, conferences, technical meetings and donor engagements.
• Ensure compliance with IITA and AALI policies, donor requirements, safeguarding standards, research ethics and applicable national regulations.
• Document and facilitate cross-country learning, ensuring lessons and good practices from Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone are shared and applied across the program.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Executive Manager, I-Youth 2.0, and the CEO, Youth in Agribusiness.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Agribusiness, or a related discipline. Training or certification in gender and social inclusion analysis (e.g., GESI, YGAT/GenderLinks) will be an added advantage.
• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in policy engagement, ecosystem development, advocacy, or thought leadership within agriculture, youth employment, or related development program is required.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must have:

• Demonstrated experience conducting or overseeing barrier, gender or power-dynamics analysis using recognized tools such as GESI or YGAT/GenderLinks.
• Proven track record convening and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues involving government, private sector and civil society actors.
• Experience designing and producing policy briefs, technical publications, or evidence-based advocacy materials.
• Experience building or coordinating champion, mentor, or peer-leadership networks, ideally involving youth or women.
• Experience working across multiple countries or contexts in West Africa; direct experience in Nigeria, Liberia and/or Sierra Leone is highly desirable.
• Experience with donor-funded program and familiarity with donor compliance and reporting requirements.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to translate evidence into actionable, inclusive strategies.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation, negotiation and advocacy skills.
• Strong writing and communication skills, with the ability to produce high-quality publications and briefs for varied audiences.
• Sound understanding of gender, youth and social inclusion issues in agriculture and agribusiness.
• Ability to coach, mentor and build the capacity of youth champions and community networks.
• Strong cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to adapt approaches across Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, diplomacy and accountability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; familiarity with policy and knowledge management platforms is an advantage.

Benefits

• We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.