GIZ Malawi is seeking an Advisor for the Sustainable Aquatic Foods project. This role involves providing policy advisory support, leading sector analysis, and serving as a liaison between the project and the Department of Fisheries. A key responsibility will be leading the integration of fish into the School Feeding Program. The advisor will also ensure synergies with other projects and value chain actors, and support the Team Leader in overall project coordination and implementation. The project focuses on sustainable aquaculture development in Malawi.

Responsibilities or duties

• Provide policy advisory support to the Department of Fisheries on sustainable aquaculture development in Malawi.
• Lead sector analysis and knowledge management to inform sustainable aquaculture development.
• Serve as the liaison between the project and the Department of Fisheries.
• Lead the Integration of Fish in School Feeding Program.
• Realize synergies and assure complementarities with different projects (and all other value chain actors).
• Support the Team Leader in coordination and implementation of other project activities.
• Focal point of the project on strategic topics.

Qualifications or requirements 

• Master’s degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries, Agricultural Economics, Natural Resource Management, or a related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Chichewa.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Experience needed

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the aquaculture and fisheries sector.
• Demonstrated experience in the design, implementation, and coordination of aquaculture programmes and projects.
• Proven experience in aquaculture policy development, review, and/or implementation.
• Experience in conducting sector reviews, gap analyses, and providing technical advice to government institutions.
• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining effective working relationships with government institutions, development partners, private sector actors, and other stakeholders.
• Professional experience working in Development Cooperation (DC) projects and programmes.
• Experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives and facilitating collaboration among partners.
• Experience in school feeding programmes or nutrition-sensitive aquaculture interventions is an added advantage.
• Experience in fisheries management projects, including fisheries conservation and management initiatives, is an added advantage.

Personal and Interpersonal Competencies (Soft Skills):

• Strong teamwork skills with the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Demonstrated initiative, proactiveness, and the ability to work independently under minimal supervision.
• High level of socio-cultural sensitivity and competence when engaging with diverse stakeholders.
• Partner- and client-oriented approach, with efficient and results-focused working methods.
• Strong interdisciplinary thinking and the ability to integrate technical, policy, and development perspectives.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage effectively with government officials, political leaders, development partners, implementing agencies, private sector actors, and other stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail and a commitment to quality results.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.

• Provide policy advisory support to the Department of Fisheries on sustainable aquaculture development in Malawi.
• Support the development and review of aquaculture policies and regulatory frameworks.
• Provide technical advice on the development and review of policies, regulations, and guidelines for sustainable aquaculture, taking into consideration relevant FAO guidelines and best international practices.
• Support the review of relevant fisheries legislation, including the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, to strengthen the enabling environment for aquaculture development.
• Coordinate implementation and stakeholder engagement related to cage aquaculture.
• Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of cage aquaculture guidelines, including the development of training, implementation and monitoring tools.
• Facilitate engagement with national and regional stakeholders, development partners, and private sector actors, and document lessons learned for dissemination within Malawi and/or the SADC region.
• Lead sector analysis and knowledge management to inform aquaculture development.
• Conduct reviews and assessments of the aquaculture sector.
• Undertake sector reviews, gap analyses, and need assessments to identify opportunities and constraints affecting sustainable aquaculture development.
• Analyse emerging trends and provide evidence-based recommendations to support strategic planning and decision-making.
• Support knowledge generation and coordination within the sector.
• Coordinate the preparation of sector reports, briefs, and technical updates for the Department of Fisheries and relevant stakeholders.
• Promote collaboration and information sharing among government institutions, development partners, and regional platforms to strengthen sector coordination.
• Serve as the liaison between the project and the Department of Fisheries.
• Maintain regular communication with the Department of Fisheries, including the designated desk officer, to ensure effective coordination and implementation of project activities.
• Keep the project informed of relevant developments, decisions, priorities, and emerging issues within the Department of Fisheries, and recommend appropriate follow-up actions.
• Coordinate information sharing, meetings, and follow-up on action points between the project, the Department of Fisheries, and other implementing partners.
• Lead the Integration of Fish in School Feeding Program.
• a) Inter-ministerial & institutional coordination: Act as the primary focal point for the School Health, Nutrition, and Inclusive Education (SHNIE) department in the Ministry of Education to seamlessly integrate fish powder into existing school health and nutrition delivery systems.
• Collaborate closely with the Department of Fisheries to identify, mobilize, and manage local fish processor groups targeted for capacity building.
• Lead the coordination with the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to steer the fish powder value chain through product testing, quality assurance, and formal product certification.
• b) Value chain management & market linkages: Design and facilitate reliable supply chain linkages and commercial agreements between local fish processing groups (producers) and buyers (individual schools or intermediate procurement entities).
• Oversee training initiatives in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries to upgrade the technical skills, processing environments, and equipment of fish processors to meet national standards.
• Monitor production cycles to ensure the consistent availability and safety of fish powder batches.
• c) School-level capacity building & quality assurance: Coordinate the capacity-building for school authorities, caterers, and food handlers on hygienic storage, handling, and preparation of fish powder.
• Lead the operationalization of the localized standard operating procedures to maintain food safety and eliminate contamination risks at the institutional level.
• d) Stakeholder synergies & development partner alignment: Proactively foster synergies and complementarities with active stakeholders in the school feeding programming including FAO, UNICEF, WFP and other internal GIZ projects working on dietary diversity and food systems transformation.
• Participate in joint technical consultative sessions to align resources, avoid duplication, and maximize the impact of food system innovations in Malawi.
• e) Strategic representation & governance: Represent the project and provide technical expert insights in the national Technical Working Group (TWG) on school feeding.
• Serve as an active technical member of the steering committee on Integration of fish in school feeding, ensuring project updates align with national strategic goals.
• f) Operational research & evidence generation: Conceptualize, supervise, and coordinate targeted field research and data collection activities under this component.
• Synthesize research findings into actionable briefing papers, technical notes, and evidence packages to directly inform government decision-making, national nutrition guidelines, and future policy formulation.
• Realize synergies and assure complementarities with different projects (and all other value chain actors).
• Operationalize cooperation and supervise implementation.
• Monitor, evaluate and document processes and results.
• Networking with all relevant value chain actors.
• Organize meetings for synergies and complementarities with other projects.
• Support the Team Leader in coordination and implementation of other project activities.
• Organize and facilitate meetings, workshops, and consultations as directed by the Team Leader, including ensuring appropriate follow-up on agreed action points.
• Support the identification and development of proposals for potential funding opportunities and strategic partnerships.
• Provide policy and technical advice to the Department of Fisheries on broader aquaculture management issues, including the development and implementation of aquaculture management plans.
• Represent the project at national, regional, and international sector coordination meetings, technical working groups, and policy forums, as delegated by the Team Leader.
• Ensure that innovative approaches, strategic lessons, and good practices emerging from the project are adequately documented, disseminated, and shared with relevant stakeholders at national, regional, and international levels.
• Facilitate alignment of project interventions with global, regional, and national policies, strategies, and priorities, and support the development of reporting mechanisms to demonstrate the project’s contribution to these policy frameworks.
• Focal point of the project on strategic topics: Technical Steering committee on private sector and value chains at the Ministry of Industry, Business and Tourism.
• Other working groups as assigned.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Chichewa.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Strong teamwork skills.
• Demonstrated initiative, proactiveness, and the ability to work independently under minimal supervision.
• High level of socio-cultural sensitivity and competence.
• Partner- and client-oriented approach.
• Efficient and results-focused working methods.
• Strong interdisciplinary thinking.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Commitment to quality results.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.

• Master’s degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries, Agricultural Economics, Natural Resource Management, or a related field.