SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER – PRODUCTION SPECIALIST

OVERVIEW

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is an international non-governmental organisation working in more than 30 countries to support communities in overcoming poverty and injustice. Its work includes emergency assistance, long-term development and advocacy for just decisions by public authorities, businesses and religious leaders.

NCA has been working in Malawi since 2002, with strategic priorities including Gender-Based Violence, Economic Development and Food Security, Climate and Environmental Stewardship, Fighting Inequality, and Humanitarian Response.

In 2021, NCA merged with DanChurchAid (DCA) to form the Malawi Joint Country Programme (JCP), which aims to strengthen collaboration, promote sustainable development among poor and marginalised communities, reduce costs and improve programme efficiency and effectiveness.

NCA-DCA invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced professionals for the position of Senior Programme Officer – Production Specialist, based at its Country Office in Lilongwe.

JOB TYPE: Full Time

Application Deadline: Friday, 13th November 2026, at 12:00 noon

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

Tisangalale ndi Chuma (Transforming Last-mile Farmers in Agriculture for Economic Growth) is an agricultural commercialisation programme working to strengthen Farmer Organisations and improve market access for smallholder farmers.

The programme focuses on soybean, groundnut and bean value chains. It aims to improve agricultural production, strengthen farmer organisations and connect last-mile farmers to structured markets and commercial buyers.

POSITION: SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER – PRODUCTION SPECIALIST

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Programme Officer – Production Specialist will provide technical leadership in agricultural production, climate-smart agriculture, quality assurance, mechanisation, post-harvest management and farmer organisation commercialisation.

The successful candidate will ensure that participating Farmer Organisations (FOs) produce sufficient volumes and quality of soybean, groundnut and bean commodities required by structured markets and commercial buyers.

The role will also involve working closely with the Malawi Agriculture Commercialisation Initiative (MACI) to link last-mile farmers to available markets.

DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Programme Officer – Production Specialist will be responsible for:

• Working closely with implementing partners to implement all production-related activities under the Tisangalale Programme.
• Facilitating the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).
• Promoting access to quality seed, fertilisers, inoculants, mechanisation, irrigation technologies and other productivity-enhancing inputs.
• Coordinating training in soybean, groundnut and bean production, agronomy and quality management.
• Strengthening post-harvest handling, storage, grading, sorting and quality assurance systems.
• Leading interventions on aflatoxin management, moisture control, traceability and commodity quality compliance.
• Working closely with Government Extension Services, MACI, AGCOM, NASFAM and private-sector actors to strengthen agricultural value chains.
• Providing technical oversight of production-related digital extension initiatives.
• Contributing to project work planning, budgeting, reporting and performance monitoring.
• Documenting lessons learned, success stories, innovations and best practices.
• Ensuring the integration of gender, youth inclusion, safeguarding, environmental sustainability and disability inclusion in all programme activities.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Academic Qualifications

Applicants must possess:

• A Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Crop Science, Agricultural Extension, Rural Development or a related field.

Added Advantage:

• A Master's degree in Agribusiness, Project Management, Rural Development or a related discipline.

Professional Experience

Applicants should have:

• A minimum of five (5) years' experience implementing agricultural development projects.
• Demonstrated experience in farmer organisation strengthening and agricultural commercialisation.
• Strong understanding of Climate-Smart Agriculture, value chain development and Market Systems Development approaches.
• Experience working with government agricultural structures, NGOs and private-sector actors.
• Experience in project planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting.
• Working experience in Malawi's agricultural sector is essential.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong technical expertise in crop production and agricultural commercialisation.
• Excellent facilitation and adult learning skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work effectively with Farmer Organisations and private-sector actors.
• Strong report-writing and documentation skills.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills.
• Competence in Microsoft Office applications and digital data collection platforms.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the programme districts.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent written and spoken English communication skills.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND CULTURAL AWARENESS

The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to work effectively in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested and suitably qualified candidates should submit the following documents:

• An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• A statement explaining why they are suitable for the position.
• Names and contact details of two (2) traceable referees.

Applications should be addressed to:

The Country Director

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)

P.O. Box 30793

Lilongwe 3

Malawi.

Email: malawi@nca.no

Closing Date: Friday, 13th November 2026, at 12:00 noon.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

NCA-DCA is an equal opportunity employer. Men, women and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.