Value chain analysis is a major approach for assessing the performance and impacts of the production, marketing, and consumption of tropical agricultural, livestock, and forestry products. This approach provides objective and quantitative evidence to address a wide range of multidimensional issues such as the inclusion and remuneration of the poorest populations, contribution to economic growth, casual and informal labor, unequal power relations, depletion of natural resources, and others. It therefore constitutes a powerful tool for reflecting on the sustainability of value chains at global, national, and local levels, as well as on their interfaces with territorial development.

Over time, CIRAD has developed expertise in assessing the economic sustainability of tropical value chains, primarily to support public policy choices and private-sector strategies. The objective of this position is to strengthen this body of knowledge, methods, and techniques along three main axes.

First, the successful candidate will enhance existing methodological tools, including the AgriFood Chain Analysis (AFA) software, in order to strengthen CIRAD’s and its partners’ capacity for economic value chain analysis. In collaboration with other value chain economists, the candidate will contribute to demonstrating how value chains address the major issues tackled by CIRAD. The successful candidate will mobilize theoretical frameworks from development economics, value chain economics, ecological economics, and institutional economics to contribute to discussions within CIRAD’s economics community and beyond, in interaction with other disciplines such as agronomy and technology sciences.

Second, a significant part of the position will involve providing expertise to public and private decision-makers, based on rigorous fieldwork. Beyond this, the candidate will be expected to maintain strong relationships with CIRAD’s partners, either to contribute to technical and policy debates on the role of value chains within the agendas of major international donors, or to disseminate research findings to a wide range of relevant stakeholders.

Third, in collaboration with researchers in the social and environmental sciences, the successful candidate will strengthen transdisciplinary analyses on value chain sustainability, particularly through approaches such as Value Chain Analysis for Development (VCA4D). Knowledge of multicriteria assessment methods and openness to interdisciplinary approaches are therefore considered important assets.

You hold a PhD in Economics, with doctoral research related to development issues, and/or you hold a Master’s degree with substantial experience (at least 10 years) in economic evaluation within or for international institutions addressing development challenges.

You are proficient in data processing and statistical analysis tools supporting economic assessment. In particular, you are comfortable with quantitative methods for evaluating income distribution within value chains, the integration of value chains into regional and national economies, and the viability of value chains within the international economy. You are familiar with tools such as national accounting input-output matrices and the conversion from financial prices to economic prices.

You have experience working across disciplines in support of public decision-making and within multicultural contexts. You have conducted research activities in developing countries. You possess strong communication skills and, ideally, proven experience engaging with decision-makers. You are well informed about international debates on value chain sustainability and have developed a collaborative network with stakeholders influencing these public policies.

You are able to design and deliver training activities for diverse audiences, including value chain actors, leaders of organisations, decision-makers, students, experts, and project beneficiaries.

You have a strong command of both French and English. Proficiency in a third United Nations language would be considered an asset.

Please include in your CV references from supervisors in previous positions whom we may contact.