Agriculture Officer

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Compassionate and Development Services (CODES)

Position: Agriculture Officer (1 Post)

Duty Station: Blantyre, with 70% travel to Traditional Authority Maseya, Chikwawa District

Employment Type: Full-time (Project-Based Contract)

Contract Duration: Up to April 2027 (renewable subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance)

Application Deadline: Friday, 21 August 2026

Compassionate and Development Services (CODES), the relief and development arm of the Brethren in Christ Church (BICC), invites applications from qualified and motivated individuals for the position of Agriculture Officer.

Project Background

CODES is implementing a three-year Food Security and Climate Resilience Project in Traditional Authority Maseya, Chikwawa District. The project promotes Conservation Agriculture while addressing climate change adaptation, environmental conservation, household income improvement, gender equality, market access, and resilient seed systems to strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable farming communities.

Position Summary

The Agriculture Officer will coordinate and oversee the implementation of Conservation Agriculture and climate-smart agriculture activities within the project area. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership and support to project volunteers, lead farmers, and beneficiary households to promote sustainable agricultural practices that improve productivity, climate resilience, household food security, and income generation.

Reporting to: Technical Team Lead (TTL)

Key Responsibilities

Coordinate and supervise Conservation Agriculture and climate-smart agriculture interventions.

Provide technical guidance and mentorship to volunteers, lead farmers, and community structures.

Organize and facilitate farmer trainings, demonstration sessions, field days, and exchange visits.

Establish and monitor demonstration plots promoting minimum tillage, crop rotation, mulching, cover cropping, agroforestry, integrated soil fertility management, and sustainable water management practices.

Conduct routine field monitoring, collect and analyze project data, and prepare high-quality technical reports.

Document project achievements, lessons learned, best practices, challenges, and success stories.

Collaborate with government extension officers, community leaders, farmer organizations, and development partners.

Mainstream gender equality, environmental sustainability, safeguarding, and climate resilience across project activities.

Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and relevant government regulations.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, Crop Science, or a related field.

A Master's Degree will be an added advantage.

Experience

Minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience in agricultural development, preferably within an NGO.

Proven experience implementing Conservation Agriculture or Climate-Smart Agriculture programmes.

Experience working with rural farming communities.

Experience supervising field staff or volunteers will be an added advantage.

Knowledge and Skills

Strong technical knowledge of Conservation Agriculture and sustainable farming practices.

Good understanding of climate change adaptation and resilience-building approaches.

Excellent facilitation, communication, training, and interpersonal skills.

Strong analytical, planning, report writing, and problem-solving abilities.

Experience in project data collection and analysis.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Excellent written and spoken English, with fluency in Chichewa.

Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate should demonstrate integrity, professionalism, accountability, initiative, teamwork, and a strong commitment to serving rural communities while upholding the mission, vision, and values of CODES.

Application Procedure

Interested candidates should submit the following documents:

Cover Letter

Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) with at least three traceable referees

Copies of academic and professional certificates

Applications should be addressed to:

The Executive Director

Email: codesrecruitments@gmail.com

Application Deadline: Friday, 21 August 2026

Please note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

CODES is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified women and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Disclaimer: Never pay any fee at any stage of the recruitment process. Genuine employers do not request payment from applicants. Stay alert and protect yourself from recruitment fraud.