Senior Markets and Trade Analyst, FEWS NET, East and Southern Africa (ESAF)

Chemonics is seeking a Senior Markets and Trade Analyst for The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). 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 senior 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 senior markets and trade analyst is part of a team of technicians based in Washington, D.C., though U.S.-based remote options may be considered for well qualified candidates. The senior M&T position works under the direct supervision of the FEWS NET M&T advisor and works closely with other members of the M&T home, regional, and field office teams. The senior M&T analyst is required to travel domestically and internationally, security permitting. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world

The Senior Markets and Trade 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 M&T 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 senior 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.

Responsibilities:

The main responsibilities of the senior 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's 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.
• Leading on macroeconomic analyses and identifying key trends that influence food security outcomes, including but not limited to responsibility for drafting global markets and trade assumptions.
• Leading on the development and delivery of markets and trade focused trainings. Supporting the quality assurance and methods advisor on the development of markets and trade related methods and tools, as needed.
• Leading on analysis for international (non-regular FEWS NET countries) staple food commodities, including but not limited to the production of the international section of the monthly Price Watch, completion of a monthly briefing for the M&T team, identifying and reviewing data sources, and oversight of international data in the FEWS NET Data Warehouse.
• Overseeing subcontractors as assigned, including review and approval of deliverables, and relationship management.
• Overseeing the development of data collection tools.
• Delivering briefings and other high-level, public-facing decision support of sectoral relevance.
• Under the direction of the M&T advisor, and in collaboration with other members of the M&T team and field offices, liaising with external partners in designing and implementing joint activities of sectoral relevance.
• Under the supervision of the M&T advisor, the senior 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 senior 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 senior 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 senior 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 markets and trade advisor, collaborate with partner and the wider FEWS NET mechanisms including IFPRI and SPADe.
• At the discretion of the supervisor, this position may be expected to manage a limited number of staff
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility and integrity.

In addition to items listed, incumbents are expected to follow organization policies, adhere to organization processes and programs and perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Minimum five years of relevant experience, including working on food security information systems, food security analysis, early warning, or other related fields; experience working with UN agencies and/or NGOs is desirable.
• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent work experience) in a disciplinerelevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as economics, agricultural economics, agronomy, nutrition, climatology, anthropology, or social geography is required. An advanced university degree (Master's degree or higher) in a discipline relevant to the work of FEWS NET, such as economics, agricultural economics, statistics, or social geography is preferred.
• Fluency in English required; French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language skills are desirable.
• Previous experience living and working in a region or country in which FEWS NET project staff work is desirable
• Experience building and using large databases to analyze market trends, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods 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.
• Database managementskills 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
• Previous experience using PowerQuery features of Excel and experience developing Excel-based analysis tools is required.
• Experience developing dashboards and reports in Power BI and conducting time series analysis in STATA is desirable.
• Experience building and using large databases to analyze market trends through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is required.
• Previous experience working on donor-funded activities, preferably USAID-funded, is desirable
• Substantive knowledge of the humanitarian landscape and policy trends as they relate to food security information systems, food security analysis, early warning and/or other areas relevant to the work of the EWT is required.

Application Instructions:

Please apply by 11:59 PM EST May 25, 2025. No telephone inquiries, please. All internal applicants are required to notify their supervisor(s) before applying. As outlined in Section 1(Q.) Intra-Company Transfers and Rotations in Chemonics Policy Manual, Chemonics expects all employees to remain in their divisions for at least 12 months.

Chemonics is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Chemonics is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics. Military veterans, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
Chemonics will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by Chemonics, or (c) consistent with Chemonics legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)