Project Impementation Manager

POSITION: PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER (PIM)

Project: Consolidating Agroecology, Seed Systems and Territorial Markets

Project Period: September 2026 – August 2027

Duration: 12 Months

Location: Malawi, South Africa, Zambia or Zimbabwe

Reporting To: SKI Director

PROJECT BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

The Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) functions as a collaborative regional partnership across Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its core mission is to champion agroecology and food sovereignty by empowering smallholder farmers to regain autonomy over their seed and production systems. A significant hurdle for smallholder farmers is the scarcity of market systems that can effectively scale agroecological practices. Without robust territorial markets, local value addition, and strong producer-consumer connections, farmers face challenges in transforming their agroecological efforts into sustainable livelihoods.

This 12-month project is designed to cultivate climate-resilient agroecology market systems and foster localized, circular economies for food and seeds, thereby addressing this critical market gap. The initiative proposes a catalytic, regional approach focused on building capacity, generating evidence, developing and testing practical agroecology territorial market systems for future scalability, and enhancing SKI’s long-term sustainability to continue coordinating and embedding this vital work across Southern Africa. Through collaborative pilot initiatives in Zambia and Zimbabwe, complemented by regional knowledge exchange across all four countries, the project will gather evidence on effective approaches that improve livelihoods while remaining firmly rooted in the principles of agroecology and food sovereignty.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Project Implementation Manager (PIM) will assume day-to-day management responsibilities, overseeing the coordination, execution, and monitoring of all project activities. The PIM will ensure that all deliverables are met on schedule, within budget, and in strict adherence to agroecological principles and partner expectations. The overarching goal is to support the development and strengthening of climate-resilient agroecology market systems and localized, circular food and seed economies throughout Southern Africa.

KEY SCOPE OF WORK & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Project Implementation Manager will lead daily operations, coordinate field execution, and manage stakeholder engagement across the two implementation countries. This project integrates participatory action research (PAR), peer-to-peer learning, and targeted technical support to empower farmers and partner organizations in identifying, testing, and refining livelihood and market strategies tailored to their specific contexts. This collaborative process ensures communities are active participants in designing, implementing, and evaluating solutions that can be adapted and replicated elsewhere.

Strategic Objectives

• Capacity Building: Provide training in Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), Financial Literacy and savings groups, business development, and the principles and practices of the circular economy.
• Co-design, Test and Refine: Develop and enhance practical training curricula, tools, and support methodologies designed to strengthen agroecology enterprises and market systems, making them applicable across the SKI network.
• Business Development: Create investment-ready business plans for two pilot Agroecology enterprises located in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Catalytic Funding: Disburse catalytic start-up funding and provide implementation support for two pilot projects.
• Evidence and Learning: Generate regional evidence and insights to inform future scaling and duplication efforts, ensuring traceability, verification, data integrity, and the capture of key innovations and lessons learned.
• Institutional Strengthening: Enhance SKI’s capacity to coordinate, resource, and scale agroecological market systems beyond the project's lifespan through strengthened partnerships, evidence generation, and resource mobilization.

Work Streams for the PIM Role

• Project Execution: Manage the 12-month project timeline by developing and maintaining an integrated project implementation and expenditure plan and tracker to ensure the seamless delivery of all project components.
• Field Oversight: Direct the initial landscape mapping study, stakeholder engagement processes, pilot site selection, and oversee the rollout of catalytic start-up funding for essential capital infrastructure, such as seed storage facilities.
• Partner Coordination: Manage and coordinate effectively with specialized technical partners, including Africa Circular, Tandem Consulting, and IFOAM, to ensure strong buy-in and ownership from SKI partners and communities.
• Capacity & Business Development: Oversee the delivery of training programs 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 associated tools to ensure process traceability, capture significant innovations, and package evidence effectively for regional policy advocacy.

OPERATIONAL MODALITY & TRAVEL LOGISTICS

Location / Hybrid Framework

The PIM will operate under a split remote and in-country deployment model. The applicant should be based in one of the SKI partner countries and ideally located near an International Airport to facilitate efficient ad-hoc travel to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and any other country necessary for project implementation.

On-Site Field Presence

Regular travel to rural pilot project sites in both Zimbabwe and Zambia will be essential for monitoring implementing partner activities, stakeholder engagement, community co-design sessions, and overseeing the installation of any capital infrastructure.

Travel Credentials

A valid, up-to-date international passport and all necessary regional travel documents or visas, with a minimum of 12 months' validity remaining, are mandatory requirements for appointment.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

We are seeking a highly experienced and adaptable project manager capable of providing strategic direction while effectively coordinating cross-border stakeholder implementation.

• Education: A Degree in Project Management, Development Studies, or a related field such as Agribusiness, Agroecology, or Environmental Science.
• Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience managing multi-disciplinary rural empowerment and economic development projects within Southern Africa.
• Communication: Exceptional cross-cultural communication abilities, strong report-writing skills, and proven stakeholder management expertise.
• Business Acumen: Demonstrated experience in developing agricultural business plans, establishing community savings schemes, and supporting rural enterprises.

The Following Would Be Beneficial

• Geographic Expertise: Direct field experience working within rural smallholder communities in Africa, coupled with existing links to smallholder farmers and networks in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
• Technical Knowledge: A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in smallholder farmer development, with a profound understanding of the challenges faced by these farmers, along with expertise in agroecology principles, food and seed sovereignty, the circular economy, financial literacy, savings group development, and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).
• Methodological Skills: Proven expertise in Participatory Action Research (PAR) and proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) methodologies.
• Networks: Candidates possessing established networks and prior experience in all partner countries will be given preference due to their ability to facilitate dialogue and stakeholder management.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested consultants or professionals are requested to submit the following documents to:

ruby@seedandknowledge.org

Please use the subject line: “Application: SKI Project Implementation Manager”

Applicants should include:

• A comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) that highlights relevant regional experience.
• A Cover Letter (maximum 2 pages) detailing your alignment with agroecological principles and readiness for immediate, cross-border field deployment.
• Contact details for three recent professional references who can attest to your project management background.
• Confirmation of complete availability for the duration of the project year.

Employment Type: Fixed-term contractor

Working Schedule: 3 days per week

Application Deadline: 28 August 2026

Planned Interview Date: 3 September 2026

Anticipated Start Date: 15 September 2026