1. Project Background & Context

The Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) operates as a regional partnership across Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, promoting agroecology and food sovereignty by empowering smallholder farmers to reclaim control over their seed systems and production systems. A critical smallholder farmer challenge is the lack of transformative agroecology market systems capable of scaling agroecology. Without viable territorial markets, local value addition and stronger producer-consumer linkages, farmers struggle to translate agroecological gains into sustainable livelihoods. This 12-month project aims to build climate-resilient agroecology market systems and localised, circular food and seed economies to address this market gap. The project proposes a catalytic regional approach to build capacity, generate evidence, develop and test practical agroecology territorial market systems that can later be scaled, and strengthen SKI's long-term sustainability to continue to coordinate and embed this work across Southern Africa. Through participatory pilot initiatives in Zambia and Zimbabwe, combined with regional learning and knowledge sharing across all four countries, the project will generate evidence on approaches that strengthen livelihoods while remaining rooted in the principles of agroecology and food sovereignty.

2. Primary Objective of the Assignment

The Project Implementation Manager (PIM) will have the day-to-day management responsibility to lead the coordination, execution, and monitoring of all project activities. The PIM will ensure that deliverables are completed on time, within budget, and in strict alignment with agroecological principles and partner expectations. The goal of the project is to support the emergence and strengthening of climate-resilient agroecology market systems and localised, circular food and seed economies across Southern Africa.

3. Key Scope of Work & Responsibilities

The Project Implementation Manager will lead day-to-day operations, field execution coordination, and stakeholder coordination across both implementation countries. The project combines participatory action research (PAR), peer-to-peer learning and targeted technical support to enable farmers and partner organisations to identify, test and refine livelihood and market approaches that are appropriate to their own contexts. Through this process, communities remain active partners in designing, implementing and evaluating solutions that can be adapted and replicated elsewhere.

The strategic objectives of the project are:

• Capacity Building through training in Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), Financial Literacy and savings groups, business training and circular economy principles and practice.
• Co-design, test and refine practical training curricula, tools and support approaches that strengthen agroecology enterprises and market systems and can be applied across the SKI network.
• Develop investment ready business plans for two piloted Agroecology enterprises in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Provide catalytic start-up funding and implementation support for two pilot projects.
• Generate regional evidence and learning to support future scaling and duplication to ensure traceability, verification, data and evidence, and the capturing of key innovations and insights.
• Strengthen SKI's capacity to coordinate, resource and scale agroecological market systems beyond this project through strengthened partnerships, evidence and resource mobilisation.

The following work streams apply to the PIM role:

• Project Execution: Manage the 12-month project timeline by developing an integrated project implementation and expenditure plan and tracker to ensure seamless delivery of project components.
• Field Oversight: Direct the initial landscape mapping study, stakeholder engagement, pilot site selection, and the rollout of catalytic start-up funding for capital infrastructure (e.g., seed storage facilities).
• Partner Coordination: Manage and coordinate with specialized technical partners (Africa Circular, Tandem Consulting, IFOAM) to ensure SKI partner and community buy-in and ownership.
• Capacity & Business Development: Oversee training rollouts in financial literacy, savings groups, and circular economics; guide the development of investment-ready business plans for agroecology enterprises.
• M&E and Learning: Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation framework and tools to ensure process traceability, capture key innovations, and package evidence for regional policy advocacy.

4. Operational Modality & Travel Logistics

Location /Hybrid Framework: The PIM will work via a split remote and in-country deployment. The Applicant should be based in one of the SKI partner Countries with preference given to an existing, established office near an International Airport to streamline ad-hoc travel to Zimbabwe and Zambia and or any other Country required for project implementation purposes.

On-Site Field Presence: Ad-hoc travel to rural pilot project sites in both Zimbabwe and Zambia will be required to monitor implementing partner and stakeholder engagement, and community co-design sessions potential capital infrastructure installations oversight.

Travel Credentials: A valid, up-to-date international passport and necessary regional travel documents/visas with at least 12 months validity remaining are strict prerequisites for appointment.

5. Required Qualifications & Experience

We are seeking a highly experienced, adaptable, project manager who can balance strategic guidance with cross-border project stakeholder implementation coordination.

Education: Degree in Project Management / Development Studies, or a related field such as Agribusiness, Agroecology, Environmental Science.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years' experience managing multi-disciplinary rural empowerment and economic development projects in Southern Africa

Communication: Exceptional cross-cultural communication, report-writing, and stakeholder management skills.

Business Acumen: Demonstrated experience developing agricultural business plans, community savings schemes, and rural enterprises.

The following would be beneficial:

• Geographic Expertise: Direct field experience working within rural smallholder communities in Africa including existing smallholder farmer and network links in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
• Technical Knowledge: 5 years working experience with smallholder farmer development and deep understanding of rural smallholder farmer challenges, agroecology principles, food and seed sovereignty, circular economy, financial literacy and saving group development and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)
• Methodological Skills: Proven expertise in Participatory Action Research (PAR) and qualitative/quantitative M&EL.
• Networks: Preference for candidate with existing networks and experience in all partner countries to facilitate dialogue and stakeholder management

• Manage the 12-month project timeline by developing an integrated project implementation and expenditure plan and tracker to ensure seamless delivery of project components.
• Direct the initial landscape mapping study, stakeholder engagement, pilot site selection, and the rollout of catalytic start-up funding for capital infrastructure (e.g., seed storage facilities).
• Manage and coordinate with specialized technical partners (Africa Circular, Tandem Consulting, IFOAM) to ensure SKI partner and community buy-in and ownership.
• Oversee training rollouts in financial literacy, savings groups, and circular economics; guide the development of investment-ready business plans for agroecology enterprises.
• Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation framework and tools to ensure process traceability, capture key innovations, and package evidence for regional policy advocacy.

• Exceptional cross-cultural communication skills
• Report-writing skills
• Stakeholder management skills
• Demonstrated experience developing agricultural business plans
• Demonstrated experience developing community savings schemes
• Demonstrated experience developing rural enterprises
• Proven expertise in Participatory Action Research (PAR)
• Proven expertise in qualitative/quantitative M&EL

• Degree in Project Management / Development Studies, or a related field such as Agribusiness, Agroecology, Environmental Science.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience managing multi-disciplinary rural empowerment and economic development projects in Southern Africa
• Direct field experience working within rural smallholder communities in Africa including existing smallholder farmer and network links in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
• 5 years working experience with smallholder farmer development and deep understanding of rural smallholder farmer challenges, agroecology principles, food and seed sovereignty, circular economy, financial literacy and saving group development and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)
• A valid, up-to-date international passport and necessary regional travel documents/visas with at least 12 months validity remaining.