Regional Inclusive Agrifood Systems Advisor– We Can Work program

Internal/external vacancy announcement 

 Organization Overview:

Light for the World is a global development organisation. We empower people with disabilities and enable eye health services in low-income countries. Over the last three decades we improved health systems, enabled education for all, and amplified the voices of people with disabilities. We focus on the poorest and hardest to reach because that’s where we will have the biggest impact.

Our programmes include:

• Eye Health – preventing blindness and promoting eye health for all

• Inclusive Education – ensuring children with disabilities receive quality, inclusive education

• Inclusive Economic Empowerment – ensuring that barriers are removed for men and women with disabilities to access decent work 

Program Overview – We Can Work:

In line with its economic empowerment strategy, Light for the World with funding from Mastercard Foundation is implementing an 8 year project dubbed We Can Work, a regional signature disability program that uses a system and mindset change approach to impact the lives of at least 1,000,000 young women and men with disabilities and enables them to access dignified and fulfilling work. The program works with umbrella Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and Entrepreneurship Hubs in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria. 

With our partners, we effect change at the level of individuals (including households and communities), organizations and institutions. Young persons with disabilities act as change agents and provide disability inclusion advisory services and confidently advocate for disability-inclusive policies and practices among key system actors. 

Throughout the eight-year partnership intervention, the key ingredients of our work with young women and men with disabilities in the lead are: 

• engaging caregivers and communities through positive and empowering messaging around disability and inclusion; 
• driving co-creation processes to inform inclusive economic development;

• developing agency of young women and men with disabilities through the We Can Work Academy; and amplifying voices of young persons with disabilities.

In the We Can Work Program, agrifood systems are integrated across three pillars to ensure that youth with disabilities can meaningfully participate and thrive in this critical sector:

• Pillar One – Rural Academy: Through the Rural Academy, we target youth with high support needs to establish access self of waged employment in the agrifood value chains. Youth are supported with tailored training, mentoring, and resources and linked to business development support or job opportunities. 
• Pillar Two – Partnerships: We support Young Africa Works (YAW) agrifood partners in developing and implementing Disability Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs). Lessons and best practices from the Rural Academy are integrated into our technical support package to enhance disability inclusion in agrifood systems across value chains. This ensures that partner programs are accessible for and inclusive of youth with disabilities.
• Pillar Three – Advocacy and Systemic Change: Youth advocates work to drive mindset and systemic change across all sectors, including the agrifood sector, promoting policies and practices that enable youth with disabilities to participate fully. These advocates amplify the voices of young persons with disabilities and create enabling environments for inclusive agrifood systems.

Light for the World is therefore inviting applications from experienced, self-driven, innovative, and proactive professionals to offer regional technical support on disability inclusion in Agricultural Systems, working closely together with the Technical Team and the We Can Work country teams. 

Postion: Regional Inclusive Agrifood Systems Advisor– We Can Work (Regional Position)
Number of Vacancies: One (1)
Based in: Ethiopia 
Reports to:Head of Programs

Eployement type; contarct  

 Job Suammary

The Regional Inclusive Agrifood Systems Advisor will provide technical guidance across multiple countries in the region of operation, to operationalize agrifood-focused interventions across the We Can Work program with a focus on disability inclusion in agrifood programming under the Young Africa Works Strategy. In this role, the regional advisor also analyses the technical support we provide to Agrifood System actors to ensure that we respond to their needs, while extracting insights that will help shaping Light for the World’s strategy to support disability inclusion in agrifood systems. They will work closely together with the Expert Inclusive Agrifood Systems and provide advice on how to continuously improve our engagement strategies in this crucial sector for economic empowerment of persons with disabilities. This contribution will be rooted in action research and feed the development of knowledge products and services. 

The Regional Advisor will be the focal point for the Mastercard Foundation program leads and Young Africa Works program partners and strategically guide them on how to meaningfully include persons with disabilities in their Agrifood Programming. The Regional Expert will work closely with country-level Agrifood Disability Inclusion Advisors (DIAs), Disability Inclusion Facilitators (DIFs), and Expert Inclusive Agricultural Systems and provide them with technical expertise, guidance, mentoring, and coaching. The Advisor will further lead on knowledge sharing, and capacity building on disability inclusive agrifood programming in the countries that are in their portfolio and ensure consistency and quality of disability inclusion interventions in agrifood systems across the region

Key Responsibilities

Networking & Partnerships

• Represent Light for the World and We Can Work in national and regional agrifood networks.
• In their region of coverage, be the lead point of contact for Mastercard Foundation, Young Africa Works (YAW) agrifood partners, other consortium partners, government actors, and Organizations for Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
• Guide and engage private sector agrifood actors to promote inclusive business practices and create opportunities for youth with disabilities.
• Coordinate and lead multi-stakeholder consultations and co-creation processes for disability-inclusive agrifood solutions.

Advising, Training & Capacity Building

• Provide hands-on technical support, coaching, and mentoring to Disability Inclusion Advisors (DIAs), Disability Inclusion Facilitators (DIFs), and YAW partner organizations on disability-inclusive agrifood systems.
• Lead and provide strategic guidance to Young Africa Works partners in the development and implementation of agrifood Disability Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs) for country and multi country agrifood programs, ensuring alignment with program objectives and best practices.
• Organize learning sessions, workshops, Communities of Practice (CoPs), and working groups focused on agrifood systems and disability inclusion in coordination with the Expert Disability Inclusion in Agrifood systems 
• Strategize with DIAs and DIFs to tailor interventions to organizational and contextual needs.

Facilitator Pool Management

• Provide quality assurance for the recruitment, training, and mentoring of DIFs in agrifood systems.
• Ensure high-quality and consistent implementation of advisor and facilitator-led activities through monitoring, learning, and refresher trainings.

Training Material & Tool Development

• Take active part in co-creation processes for developing training manuals, tools, and learning content for agrifood-focused disability inclusion.
• Identify gaps and propose additional resources or tools to enhance learning, uptake, and impact.

Knowledge, Monitoring & Information Management and Research

• Take a leading role on the documentation, and dissemination of insights, lessons learned, case studies, and success stories from agrifood inclusion initiatives.
• Lead on action research initiatives to contribute to the knowledge base on disability inclusion in agrifood systems and rural economies
• Initiate knowledge sharing across countries to strengthen regional impact, technical coherence, and adoption of best practices.
• Conduct an analysis of program data to inform decision-making and continuous improvement of interventions.

Regional Coordination & Alignment

• Facilitate alignment of agrifood disability inclusion approaches across countries to ensure consistency and adoption of lessons learned.
• Support regional planning, reporting, and coordination with country teams and the Expert Inclusive Agricultural Systems.

Qualifications & Skills requirent

• University degree or higher in development studies, agriculture, agronomy, agribusiness, program management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in NGOs, OPDs, or development programs, with a focus on agrifood systems.
• Proven experience with applying adult learning/participatory training methodologies in training sessions.
• Practical understanding of barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing opportunities in agricultural value chains and solutions to overcome them.
• Proven experience as a trainer, facilitator, or mentor in capacity-building workshops.
• Excellent interpersonal, networking, and communication skills.
• Commitment to local capacity building and engaging stakeholders in project design and implementation.
• Knowledge or experience in livelihoods, agrifood systems, and disability inclusion is highly desirable.
• Experience working across Francophone and Anglophone countries or multi-country programs.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and documentation of lessons learned.
• Experience supporting advocacy initiatives or influencing policy and systemic change.
• Proficiency in digital tools for remote training, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work independently and in a team.
• Ability to deliver high-quality outputs within deadlines.
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication in English is a requirement, and additional knowledge of French is desirable 

How To Apply

interested candidates who meet the above requirements are invited to submit the following: please send a non-returnable CV and a cover letter mentioning how your experiences match with the job advertisement until April 18,2026. Please mention your Salary expectations and your level of Disability in your application letter and include 3 professional references into your CV. Applications should be sent to www.ethiojobs.et. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Light for the World is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Note: Qualified women and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for written exam an Interview. Successful candidates may be required to undergo background checks in line with safeguarding policies