Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert - Papua New Guinea

Aninver Development Partners SL (www.aninver.com) is looking for a Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert - Papua New Guinea for a energy, private sector consultancy assignment financed by UNDP in Papua New Guinea.

Aninver Development Partners SL is seeking a qualified Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert for an upcoming UNDP-supported consultancy assignment in Papua New Guinea. The initiative focuses on the agricultural energy and private sector domains, specifically evaluating climate-efficient post-harvest processing solutions to enhance the sustainability and market competitiveness of the national cocoa industry.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in bridging technical teams with local communities, farmer cooperatives, and regional authorities. By facilitating robust consultations and coordinating fieldwork across key agricultural provinces, the expert will ensure strong community ownership and smooth execution of feasibility assessments for solar-assisted cocoa drying technologies.

Aninver is preparing a proposal for this assignment. The selected expert will be part of the proposed team; the engagement is conditional on the contract being awarded to Aninver. The full Terms of Reference for the position are shared with shortlisted candidates.

Objectives of the assignment

• Facilitate meaningful engagement with local communities, farmer cooperatives, and producer organizations.
• Coordinate comprehensive field assessments and stakeholder consultations across target cocoa-producing regions.
• Support the integration of local perspectives, gender considerations, and socio-cultural dynamics into project deliverables.
• Build effective communication channels between national authorities, private sector actors, and rural stakeholders.

Scope of work

• Support the inception phase by helping design culturally appropriate data collection tools and stakeholder engagement methodologies.
• Conduct field consultations with provincial governments, cocoa exporters, farmer cooperatives, and rural communities.
• Assist in organizing community meetings, focus groups, and validation workshops across project sites.
• Facilitate assessments addressing social adoption barriers, labor dynamics, and gender and youth participation in cocoa processing.
• Contribute to the identification and prioritization of pilot sites through localized community engagement.
• Assist in drafting reports and recommendations that accurately reflect stakeholder feedback and local operating realities.

Your role as Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert - Papua New Guinea

• Lead the implementation of the stakeholder engagement plan and community consultation strategies.
• Coordinate logistics, scheduling, and execution of field visits and focus group discussions with smallholder farmers.
• Liaise directly with local authorities, cooperatives, and community leaders to secure active participation in the assessment.
• Document feedback, concerns, and insights gathered from rural stakeholders and translate them into actionable project inputs.
• Support technical specialists in communicating proposed solar drying technologies to non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to social and operational assessments, highlighting user adoption barriers and local capacity needs.

Requirements

• Relevant university degree in social sciences, communications, rural development, community engagement, or a related field.
• Demonstrated professional experience in stakeholder engagement, community mobilization, or rural development projects in Papua New Guinea.
• Strong understanding of the agricultural sector, rural livelihoods, and farmer cooperative structures in the country.
• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills, with proven ability to engage effectively with diverse rural and institutional stakeholders.
• Fluency in English and local languages (such as Tok Pisin) is essential for effective field communication.
• National of, or based in, the project country

Desirable

• Prior working experience with UNDP or other international development organizations in Papua New Guinea.
• Familiarity with renewable energy, climate change, or sustainable agricultural value chain projects.

An experienced community engagement professional with deep knowledge of Papua New Guinea's rural dynamics, exceptional facilitation skills, and a strong track record of coordinating participatory fieldwork with smallholder agricultural cooperatives.

Assignment details

• Location: Papua New Guinea
• Financed by: UNDP
• Sector: Energy, private sector
• Estimated duration: 3 months
• Contract: individual consultancy (conditional on award)

About Aninver Development Partners

Aninver is an international development consulting firm headquartered in Spain. It supports governments, development banks, UN agencies and bilateral donors with feasibility studies, technical assistance, evaluations and capacity building across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia-Pacific, working with a network of international and national experts.

Why apply

• Join a multidisciplinary team on a UNDP-financed project in Papua New Guinea.
• Individual consultancy: flexible, output-based engagement with an experienced proposal team.
• Your CV stays in Aninver's expert network for future assignments that match your profile.

How to apply

Sign in (or create a free account) and upload your CV in English. Add your LinkedIn profile, indicative daily rate and availability to speed up the assessment. Aninver will contact the shortlisted candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Is the position confirmed? The engagement depends on the contract being awarded to Aninver. Shortlisted experts are included in the proposal with their consent.

Can I apply if I am not based in the country? This position requires a national of, or a professional based in, the project country.

What happens with my CV? It is used to assess your fit for this and future positions and is not shared with third parties without your consent.