Expert (with experience in Bolivia): Recovery, rehabilitation, and sustainable soil management

About the job

The objective of the GIZ SUAGRI Programme is: To improve the political, technical, and financial conditions for scaling up sustainable soil management and the restoration of biodiversity in the Altiplano region.

What you will do

• Strategic and operational guidance for the preparation, management, implementation, and monitoring of local subsidies with NGOs and foundations (5) for scaling up sustainable soil management, resilient agricultural production, and the use and production of bio-inputs.
• Strategic and operational guidance in the development and implementation of financing proposals - e.g. projects, technical proposals, business models, loan applications, among others - for soil recovery and resilient agricultural production, submitted to public and private financial mechanisms (50 financing proposals prepared and at least 30 approved).
• Technical and operational guidance for the capacity-building process of agricultural extension workers - e.g. national and subnational - and productive organizations - e.g. producer families, individual and associative entrepreneurs, social enterprises: rural communities, producer associations, etc. - in the following areas: recovery, rehabilitation, and sustainable soil management; restoration of ecosystems and native varieties in partnership with educational institutions, technological institutes, NGOs, or academia.
• Support for the competency-based certification process for the skills acquired by producers/promoters and rural extension workers.
• Ensuring the provision of agricultural incentives for rural competitions on soil recovery, resilient agricultural production, and the use of bio-inputs.
• Development of field days and experience-sharing exchanges among producers within the framework of projects promoted by NGOs and foundations (local subsidies).
• Development of regional or national events, conferences, and symposiums on soil recovery and resilient agricultural production in coordination with NGOs, foundations, academia, and other strategic actors.
• Laboratory analysis of soil samples - including eDNA: soil microbiome - as envisaged in Packages 1 and 2 of this tender, approximately 250 soil samples.
• Capacity building in sustainable soil management for extension workers and local promoters - producers and rural leaders.
• Support for the development of cooperation projects with the private agricultural sector.
• Strategic advice and technical assistance to local productive actors in resilient agricultural production; regenerative agriculture and livestock farming in the strategic value chains of the Altiplano.
• Coordination with local NGOs and foundations implementing the local subsidies.
• Coordination with private companies for the formulation of cooperation proposals with the private sector (iDPP).
• Support in the systematization of experiences, lessons learned, and good practices from scaling up sustainable soil management and resilient agricultural production through the different financial mechanisms - public and private.
• Support to the team coordination in establishing partnerships with other donors to leverage funds for Components 3 and 4.
• Monitoring using Capacity WORKS.

Your qualifications

• University degree: “Master’s” or German “Diplom” in Agricultural Engineering, Rural Development Engineering, with postgraduate studies in sustainable soil management or climate change.
• Spanish language skills at C2 level (7 out of 10 points) and English language skills at C1 level (3 out of 10 points) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
• 8 years of professional experience in scaling up sustainable soil management or ecosystem restoration (5 out of 10 points), strengthening value chains, and developing programmes and projects for resilient agricultural production (5 out of 10 points).
• 6 years of professional experience in the recovery and rehabilitation of degraded land, and in preparing financing proposals for national or international funding sources - e.g. GEF, GCF, AF - (5 out of 10 points).
• 24 months of experience in projects to improve soil health/fertility through regenerative practices and climate-change adaptation and mitigation measures within the last 5 years (5 out of 10 points).
• 4 years of experience in project management, companies, or other organizations involving coordination responsibilities for at least 3 people and annual budget responsibility of EUR 250,000.
• 3 years of professional experience in a country of the Andean region outside Bolivia.
• 8 years of professional experience in Bolivia.
• 5 years of experience in development cooperation projects (4 out of 10 points).
• 2 years of experience in applying Capacity WORKS (2 out of 10 points).
• Experience using Ex-Act or NEXT - tools for estimating emissions or carbon sequestration in agricultural or sustainable soil management projects - (2 out of 10 points).
• Experience in private-sector strengthening projects (iDPP) or management of local subsidies (2 out of 10 points).

Offer details

Estimated start date (depending on contract award): 1/03/2027 Project duration: 32 months