Market and Trade Analyst FEWS NET 8

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,990 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good. Action Against Hunger USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network. As an independent NGO, Action Against Hunger USA currently manages operations in 8 countries: Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Haiti.

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage of acute food insecurity.

Chemonics implements FEWS NET’s Decision Support (DS) Team, which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) policy and programmatic decisions. The DS Team operates through a Washington-based technical office and regional and select local FEWS NET offices established in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and eastern Europe.

The Market and Trade Analyst is preferred to be based in the Home Office in Washington, D.C. (though remote options may be considered for well-qualified candidates) and works under the supervision of the FEWS NET M&T Advisor, or their designee and will collaborate closely with the Washington, D.C.-based technical team, regional technical experts, and other technical staff in the field. The Market and Trade Analyst will be required to travel domestically and internationally, security and public health conditions permitting.

I. Job Summary

FEWS NET food security analysis, early warning, and decision support for emergency food assistance relies on the monitoring and analysis of markets and prices associated with staple foods, cash crops, livestock, labor, and more. The markets and trade analyst supports the Washington, D.C. and project office operations for the markets and trade (M&T) sector. Key duties include analyzing international, regional, and national food, fuel, and fertilizer commodity market trends, preparing technical reports on market trends, contributing to the technical oversight of the project’s analytical approaches, supporting the review and maintenance of a database of price and other economic indicators in collaboration with the data team, and providing technical M&T support to FEWS NET DS home, regional, and country offices and technical partners. The M&T analyst is part of a team of technicians based in Washington, D.C.

The M&T analyst works within an assigned geographic and/or thematic portfolio and in close collaboration with members of home, regional, and field office technical teams to:

• Prepare and/or provide technical oversight to M&T-focused reports and decision-support products.
• Contribute to maintenance, review, population and expansion of FEWS NET’s data sets used for markets and trade analysis, with a focus on domains including prices, exchange rates, consumer price indices, cross-border trade, production, and balance sheet data.
• Analyze primary and secondary market data as inputs to FEWS NET EWT integrated food security analysis. Follow and analyze commodity trade flow data and forecasts.
• Contribute to the development of sector-relevant analytical tools and train technical staff on the use of those tools.
• With oversight from the M&T advisor, the markets and trade analyst will work with the rest of the M&T team to support quality control for the M&T deliverables of the project and will help ensure that M&T-related activities and products are delivered in a timely manner.

II. Essential Job Duties

The main responsibilities of the M&T analyst in their assigned geographic and/or thematic portfolio include, but are not limited to:

Provide M&T related analysis to support the food security early warning in a portfolio of countries across FEWS NET’s over 42 presence countries and, as needed, up to 125 non-regular countries covered under the FEWS NET DS Expanded Global Early Warning (EGEW). This analysis may be through formal monthly reporting, standardized mechanisms that support the timely monthly reporting of other technical sectors, or ad hoc requests. This will include, but is not limited to:

• Liaising with M&T staff and other FEWS NET EWT members to assure the timely publication of the monthly deliverables reporting on trends in staple food markets in countries the FEWS NET EWT monitors including the Price Watch and Annex.
• Providing technical oversight for the production of the FEWS NET EWT’ staple food supply and market outlook reports.
• Providing technical assistance and guidance to home, regional, and country office teams on market and policy analysis relevant to food insecurity early warning and associated decision support. Technical assistance to the field may be done remotely or may require domestic and/or international travel, as security and public health considerations allow.
• Participating in regular reviews of the consistency and accuracy of price projections and other M&T-related forecasting in FEWS NET EWT analyses and assist in incorporating associated learning into sector methods, processes, and products.
• Conducting literature reviews, analyzing data, and drafting reports on market trends and policies in support of the early warning work and in close collaboration with other members of home, regional, and field office technical teams.
• Liaising with relevant research institutions to support market-related research relevant to food insecurity early warning analysis in FEWS NET reporting and Market Watch countries.

Under the supervision of the M&T advisor, the M&T analyst will closely collaborate with other FEWS NET mechanisms, namely IFPRI, to ensure the integration of available markets and trade related analyses into the EWT’s regular and ad hoc decision support.

• Support the M&T advisor in meeting USAID’s expectations on timely delivery of decision support products, which includes, but is not limited to: responding to urgent questions within one day; providing briefings within one week of request; and contributing markets and trade analysis to requests for acute food insecurity analysis in EGEW countries that will be delivered within one week of request.

Under the direction of the M&T advisor, the M&T analyst will support the collection, organization, and storage of primary and secondary data and information for submission to the FEWS NET Hub and USAID. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Liaising with FEWS NET EWT project staff and partners to facilitate timely data flows.
• Contributing to the regular collection, organization, and storage of data as set out by the FEWS NET Senior Management Team in collaboration with the FEWS NET Data, Knowledge, and Learning Hub.
• Providing support to field teams, the FEWS NET EWT Data sector, the broader M&T team, and Mobile Data Transmission System subcontractors to improve data quality and integrity.
• Liaising with other technical sectors of FEWS NET, including the Quality Assurance and Methods sector and Data sector, as well as the FEWS NET Data, Knowledge, and Learning Hub, to enhance the functionality of various data domains, including but not limited to online and offline analytical tools.

Liaising with country and regional office staff to plan monthly M&T work planning and coordination meetings that take place approximately one week prior to the Regional Office coordination call with the Home Office. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring calendar invitations are sent, agendas are circulated in advance of the meetings, and comprehensive notes and action items are documented and circulated.

Assisting the M&T advisor, as needed, in implementing other M&T activities as laid out in the annual work plan or as developed on an as needed basis.

As needed, the M&T analyst will be expected to contribute to the FEWS NET EWT’s decision support efforts to identify as early as possible potential or emerging markets and trade crises. The M&T analyst will be expected to demonstrate the ability to respond quickly to sudden increases and decreases in analysis needs globally by, under the direction of the markets and trade advisor, re-orienting work plans and initiating new lines of monitoring and reporting outside of traditional areas of coverage.

Under the guidance of the M&T advisor, collaborate with partner and the wider FEWS NET mechanisms including IFPRI and SPADe.

III. Physical demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.
• Travel to humanitarian contexts will be required. To travel to the field, the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

IV. Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• The duties of the job require regular job attendance of at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required by contact with the missions, mission security, or other obligations.
• Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the missions if appropriate. While visiting the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well is to infectious diseases.

V. Gender Equality Commitments & Zero Tolerance to Abuse

• Foster an environment that reinforces values of people of all genders equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where people of all genders must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for community members, particularly children, other stakeholders, and staff
• Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.
• Respect community informants, women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
• Value and respect all cultures.

Requirements

VI. Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with at least 5-years of work experience relevant to economics, agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography; pervious FEWS NET experience is a plus
• Relevant experience with food security information systems, food security analysis, early warning, or other related fields; experience working with UN agencies and/or NGOs is desirable.
• Previous experience living and working in a region or country in which FEWS NET project staff work is desirable
• Experience in market analysis, including reviewing and analyzing large amounts of complex data is required; this could include data on trade, commodity prices, production, and more.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work well with field-based, local staff via telephone and e-mail is required.
• Experience carrying out or supporting market assessments for emergency response, or food supply chain mapping is highly preferred.
• Excellent writing, editing, and presentation skills is required.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft office suite is required.
• Experience building and using large databases to analyze market trends, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is desirable.
• Fluency in English required; French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language skills are desirable.
• Database management skills and experience using Adobe Creative Suite is desirable.
• Familiarity with ESRI ArcGIS mapping and statistical software is desirable.
• Previous experience working on USAID-funded activities is desirable

Benefits

Action Against Hunger-USA provides all staff with an attractive salary & benefits package. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees & qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Action Against Hunger-USA complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

This position is not eligible for employment sponsorship. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.