Introduction

Since 2023, the Scottish Government has funded the Climate Just Communities (CJC) project in Zambia, a flagship programme under its Climate Justice Fund in Zambia. The CJC project is ending in March 2026, but Scottish Government is running a Request for Proposals for a final year of support to CJC communities from April 2026 – March 2027. The project will develop and deliver, through a participatory approach, a series of interventions that build inclusive and climate change resilient communities in some of the most climate-vulnerable districts of Zambia.

The objectives of the project are to:

• a) Empower communities to identify their own priorities to be addressed through climate justice support and build resilience to the local material and social impacts of climate change;
• b) Empower the most marginalised within communities (including but not limited to marginalisation for reasons related to gender, age, disability or indigenous status) to participate and take action in building resilience to the local material and social impacts of climate change;
• c) Empower communities to advocate for climate justice and local equity;
• d) Create long-term, sustainable change within communities in line with the pillars of climate justice.

NIRAS Group (UK) Ltd is tendering to deliver this follow-on phase of the CJC project in Zambia. To deliver the assignment, NIRAS has developed a consortium of national and international organisations. Local Zambian NGOs function as the Community Delivery Partners (CDPs), responsible for delivering interventions and facilitating community participation at the district level.

The project, if awarded, would be implemented across four of the most climate-vulnerable districts in Zambia: Luangwa, Sinazongwe, Shangombo, and Sioma. CJC Zambia to date has delivered interventions to over 30,000 direct beneficiaries in areas including water access, climate-resilient agriculture and livestock management, natural resource management (NRM); disaster risk reduction (DRR); economic development (access to finance, business development); gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI); and climate advocacy.

Role Description

This position will be to enhance the marketing of agricultural produce, non-timber and wild products. The clients will include farmers growing field and vegetable crops under rain-fed conditions, farmers cultivating on wetlands, irrigators, and producers of non-wood forest products such as honey, wild fruits, horticultural crops, vegetables and baskets. The Lead will facilitate the building of the necessary economies of scale through collective marketing arrangements. They will facilitate market linkages, build strategic partnerships, and networking opportunities for agricultural producers, cooperatives, and VSLAs to access markets, buyers, retailers, and value chain actors in a collective marketing arrangement. This will also entail supporting farmers in developing marketing strategies, pricing mechanisms, distribution channels, and sales promotion activities so as to enhance the marketability of value-added products.

In addition, they will collaborate with the Market Development Officers of GRZ, Short-term Technical Assistance and the community producer group leaders.

The Market Development and Access Coordinator role is a 100% FTE role based in the NIRAS Zambia Office in Lusaka from 1 April 2026 – 28 February 2027. Some upcountry travel to project sites is anticipated.

The role will report to the Team Leader.

Key Responsibilities:

• Overall workstream design, leadership and coordination, supporting CDPs in the prioritisation and design of selected market facilitation and economic development activities, including securing community collaboration for action, as well as overseeing technical delivery of Short-Term Technical Assistance.
• Identify and target local, district, and national markets:
  • Working with the clients gain a profound understanding of the products/services that can be offered by small rural businesses based on resources available and their capability and identify target markets where there is demand for their products or their derivatives.
  • Conduct periodic participatory assessments to identify local markets, regional markets, potential buyers, wholesalers, retailers, and other market actors relevant to the businesses to reflect changing market dynamics
  • Facilitate meetings and networking sessions between the clients and potential buyers, distributors, retailers, or value chain partners.
  • Arrange one-on-one introductions, business pitches, and product demonstrations to establish connections and explore collaboration opportunities.
• Build business relationships and networking opportunities.
  • Establish relationships with key stakeholders such as buyers, distributors, retailers, industry associations, and government agencies (Ministries of SMEs, Agriculture, ZDA, etc.) who can facilitate market access.
  • Organize networking events, trade fairs, and business/marketing expos in rural areas or nearby towns for the clients to showcase their products, interact with potential buyers, and understand market dynamics.
• Product Development and Quality Assurance:
  • Oversee Short-term Technical Assistance and Market Development Officers of GRZ to small business groups in product development, packaging, branding, and quality control to meet market standards and customer expectations.
  • Encourage innovation, product diversification, and value addition to enhance the competitiveness of rural businesses in local and regional markets.
• Capacity Building and Training
  • Strengthen the skills of the producers in business development, marketing strategies, financial management, and entrepreneurship skills tailored to the needs of rural small business groups. This should be done through mentorship, coaching, and skills development opportunities offered by other partners and GRZ entities.
  • Oversee Short-term Technical Assistance to strengthen group governance needed for organising collective marketing groups after a capacity assessment to identify the producer groups, VSLAs and cooperatives requiring support.
• Discovering, Learning, and Revising Marketing Strategies Oversee a training programme for the Community Business Coaches (previously trained under CJC) to:
  • Conduct market research to identify market trends, consumer preferences, and competitive landscape relevant to the products/services offered by rural small businesses.
  • Analyse pricing strategies, distribution channels, and market positioning to develop targeted marketing approaches that resonate with the target market
• Risk Mitigation
  • Identifying and mitigating risks associated with honouring off-taker agreements.
  • Collaborate with the Environmental Management staff on mitigating the impact of climate change on the marketing cycle.

Key Deliverables and Appraisal Process

Deliverables will be determined on a quarterly basis and reflected in the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The Lead will be responsible for the delivery of programme targets and achieving client KPIs around intervention delivery (e.g. timeliness, quality, inclusivity, etc) in line with agreed workplans.

Required Expertise

• Master’s degree in agriculture, Agribusiness, Locally led Economic Development
• 5 years of experience developing market access for small producers in rural areas of Zambia
• Ability to impart practical knowledge to rural producers
• Good networking skills and ability to impart such skills to rural producers.
• Experience delivering development projects in line with donor standards for anti-corruption, anti-fraud, ethical conduct, and value for money.
• Knowledge of local languages (

• Overall workstream design, leadership and coordination, supporting CDPs in the prioritisation and design of selected market facilitation and economic development activities, including securing community collaboration for action, as well as overseeing technical delivery of Short-Term Technical Assistance.
• Identify and target local, district, and national markets:
• Working with the clients gain a profound understanding of the products/services that can be offered by small rural businesses based on resources available and their capability and identify target markets where there is demand for their products or their derivatives.
• Conduct periodic participatory assessments to identify local markets, regional markets, potential buyers, wholesalers, retailers, and other market actors relevant to the businesses to reflect changing market dynamics
• Facilitate meetings and networking sessions between the clients and potential buyers, distributors, retailers, or value chain partners.
• Arrange one-on-one introductions, business pitches, and product demonstrations to establish connections and explore collaboration opportunities.
• Build business relationships and networking opportunities.
• Establish relationships with key stakeholders such as buyers, distributors, retailers, industry associations, and government agencies (Ministries of SMEs, Agriculture, ZDA, etc.) who can facilitate market access.
• Organize networking events, trade fairs, and business/marketing expos in rural areas or nearby towns for the clients to showcase their products, interact with potential buyers, and understand market dynamics.
• Product Development and Quality Assurance:
• Oversee Short-term Technical Assistance and Market Development Officers of GRZ to small business groups in product development, packaging, branding, and quality control to meet market standards and customer expectations.
• Encourage innovation, product diversification, and value addition to enhance the competitiveness of rural businesses in local and regional markets.
• Capacity Building and Training
• Strengthen the skills of the producers in business development, marketing strategies, financial management, and entrepreneurship skills tailored to the needs of rural small business groups. This should be done through mentorship, coaching, and skills development opportunities offered by other partners and GRZ entities.
• Oversee Short-term Technical Assistance to strengthen group governance needed for organising collective marketing groups after a capacity assessment to identify the producer groups, VSLAs and cooperatives requiring support.
• Discovering, Learning, and Revising Marketing Strategies Oversee a training programme for the Community Business Coaches (previously trained under CJC) to:
• Conduct market research to identify market trends, consumer preferences, and competitive landscape relevant to the products/services offered by rural small businesses.
• Analyse pricing strategies, distribution channels, and market positioning to develop targeted marketing approaches that resonate with the target market
• Risk Mitigation
• Identifying and mitigating risks associated with honouring off-taker agreements.
• Collaborate with the Environmental Management staff on mitigating the impact of climate change on the marketing cycle.

• Ability to impart practical knowledge to rural producers
• Good networking skills and ability to impart such skills to rural producers.

• Master’s degree in agriculture, Agribusiness, Locally led Economic Development
• 5 years of experience developing market access for small producers in rural areas of Zambia
• Experience delivering development projects in line with donor standards for anti-corruption, anti-fraud, ethical conduct, and value for money.
• Knowledge of local languages (