Organization: ifarmer Ltd.

Vacancy: 1 position

Employment Nature: Contractual

Project: Breaking Barriers for Women in Agriculture, SNV-IAP

Time Period: 24 days over 3 months (8 days per month), starting mid-September

Job Location: Dhaka with frequent field visit

Team: Impact & Partnership

Reporting Persons: Development Project Coordinator & Impact Evaluation Manager

Salary: BDT 10,000/- per day (Gross)

Project Overview:

The inclusive business (IB) project of iFarmer- Breaking Barriers for Women in Agriculture, is funded by the Innovations Against Poverty (IAP) challenge fund of SNV Netherlands Development Organization,
seeks to enhance agricultural productivity, strengthen farmers’ livelihoods, and promote sustainable farming practices. Its proposed business model is designed to ensure that marginalized women farmers in Bangladesh gain access to formal financial services, receive quality agricultural inputs, benefit from tailored farming advice, and improve their market access. By actively engaging women in sustainable agricultural practices, the initiative aims to foster resilience and enable them to build a more secure and sustainable future.

iFarmer Centres are intended to serve as trusted community-based hubs where women farmers can register, access advisory support, participate in training, obtain agricultural inputs, access finance and
receive services relevant to homestead vegetable production and livestock rearing. Women currently represent a significant share of iFarmer’s farmer network, and iFarmer management has identified
women as an important customer segment for livestock finance, livestock health advisory and climate-tolerant vegetable seeds.

1.1 Rationale for the assignment:

Recent field insights show that iFarmer already has a strong foundation for supporting women farmers through an integrated service model that combines inputs, advisory support, finance, weather information, training and market linkage. Women users value the iFarmer Centre model because it offers practical support through one platform and is seen as a trusted source of advice, inputs and finance. However, the insights also show that women’s effective use of iFarmer services is still constrained by mobility limitations, household responsibilities, limited control over phones and income, and discomfort in male-dominated service spaces. The potential beneficiaries of iFarmer are generally aware of iFarmer Centres but do not yet fully understand the complete service package and practical benefits. Some women also need stronger evidence that using iFarmer services will improve productivity, profitability and access to reliable support.

The assignment is therefore needed to help iFarmer move from a broad commitment to women’s inclusion towards a practical, measurable and centre-level women-friendly service delivery model. The consultant will support iFarmer to strengthen women-focused outreach, clarify the value proposition, improve inclusive service delivery, build the capacity of staff and retailers, and develop feedback and monitoring systems that better track women’s access, repeat use, satisfaction and decision-making outcomes.

Objective of the Assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to support iFarmer to operationalise gender equality and social inclusion within the iFarmer Centre model by developing practical tools, standards, training materials and feedback systems that make iFarmer services more accessible, relevant, trusted and useful for women farmers.

Specifically, the consultancy will support iFarmer to:

• Develop a practical Women-Friendly iFarmer Centre model and implementation framework.

• Strengthen women's acquisition, onboarding, engagement and retention within iFarmer services.

• Improve women-focused market engagement, communication and outreach approaches.

• Strengthen gender-responsive service delivery, advisory systems and customer engagement practices.

• Build the capacity of iFarmer staff, field teams and retailers to deliver more inclusive services.

• Develop monitoring, feedback and learning mechanisms to track women's participation, service utilization and outcomes.

• Support institutionalization of GESI within iFarmer's operations and future business growth.

1.2 Responsibilities:

The consultant will provide technical assistance to strengthen gender equality and social inclusion across iFarmer's products, services and delivery channels, with a particular focus on increasing women's access to, use of and benefits from iFarmer Centres and related services.

The consultant shall:

• Conduct a practical Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) assessment of iFarmer's business model, customer journey, products and services and identify key barriers, opportunities and priority actions for strengthening women's participation and inclusion.

• Develop a Women-Friendly iFarmer Centre framework, including practical standards, guidelines, tools and implementation recommendations to improve accessibility, service delivery, outreach, customer experience and engagement with women farmers.

• Review and strengthen customer acquisition, onboarding and retention approaches to ensure they respond to the needs and realities of women farmers and women agri-entrepreneurs.

• Develop a Women-Focused Market Engagement and Outreach Strategy and accompanying Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to strengthen awareness, onboarding, customer engagement and retention.

• Support iFarmer in refining and communicating its value proposition for women farmers, including access to inputs, advisory services, finance, training, climate-smart agriculture solutions and market opportunities.

• Develop practical recommendations and action plans to strengthen women's access to finance,

  agricultural inputs, advisory services, digital solutions, information and markets.

• Design and facilitate training and coaching programms for iFarmer staff, field teams, advisory teams and iFarmer Centre retailers on gender-responsive service delivery, customer engagement and inclusive business practices.

• Develop and/or revise gender-responsive capacity-building materials on climate-smart agriculture, livestock, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and women's economic empowerment.

• Support the integration of gender-responsive approaches into customer service systems, advisory services, outreach campaigns, operational procedures, marketing activities and technical assistance interventions.

• Review existing feedback and customer engagement mechanisms and recommend practical systems for capturing, analyzing and responding to women's feedback and experiences.

• Develop gender-responsive tools, guidelines, communication materials, implementation frameworks, SOPs and learning products to support institutionalization of inclusive practices

  across the organization.

• Support the development and monitoring of gender-sensitive indicators, targets, feedback systems and performance tracking mechanisms.

• Facilitate stakeholder consultations, validation workshops and review sessions throughout the assignment.

• Document lessons learned, case studies, success stories and good practices related to women's economic empowerment, inclusive service delivery and inclusive business development.

• Contribute to planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and learning processes related to the project.

Ensure all deliverables and recommendations align with principles of gender equality, social inclusion and safeguarding.

1.3 Qualifications:

Educational Qualifications & Required Experience

• Master's degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Public Administration, Rural Development, or any other relevant discipline.

• At least 7–10 years of demonstrated experience in gender equality, women's empowerment, gender mainstreaming, gender analysis, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship development, and capacity building within development programs in Bangladesh.

• Equivalent combinations of education and extensive relevant experience may be considered.

• Proven ability to prepare high-quality technical manuals, training materials, SOPs, guidelines, and case studies.

• Demonstrated experience supporting inclusive business, private sector development, agricultural value chains, agribusinesses, or market systems development programs.

• Experience facilitating stakeholder consultations, validation workshops, co-creation sessions and capacity-building processes with private sector actors and field teams.

• Experience supporting women's economic empowerment, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship development, market access and business growth initiatives.

• Experience translating research, assessments, and gender analysis findings into practical business recommendations and implementation plans.

• Demonstrated experience in designing and facilitating training programs for farmers, field staff, service providers, and other stakeholders.

• Experience in conducting gender assessments, developing gender action plans, and monitoring gender-related project outcomes will be an advantage.

Additional Requirements

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

• Proficiency in MS Office and basic data management tools (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

• Willingness to travel frequently to field locations as required.

• Strong proficiency in both English and Bengali, with the ability to produce clear and accurate technical documentation in both languages.

• Commitment to iFarmer’s values, including inclusion, gender equity, and ethical financial management.

• High level of integrity, accuracy, and attention to detail.

1.4 Deliverables:

Expected Deliverables

• Inception Report and Detailed Workplan.

• Inception and Alignment Session.

• One Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Analysis Report, including prioritized recommendations and an agreed roadmap for subsequent deliverables.

• GESI Analysis Validation

• 4 training modules developed/revised

• One Women-Friendly iFarmer Centre Guideline, including minimum service standards, implementation recommendations and monitoring checklist.

• One Women-Focused Market Engagement and Outreach Strategy and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for implementation and communication guidance

• Deliverables Review Session before full-force implementation and training (validation before staff are onboarded)

• 4–6 staff training sessions conducted

• Assist in developing 1 quarterly progress report

• 5 case studies/success stories

• One Final Consultancy Report

  
  

2. Copyright and intellectual property rights

All materials, tools, templates, reports, datasets, and other outputs developed under this assignment shall be submitted to SNV and iFarmer in editable formats. Intellectual property rights, ownership, and use of assignment outputs shall be governed by the consultancy contract. The consultant shall not use or share confidential company information or assignment outputs without prior written approval from SNV and Tetra.

3. Evaluation criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below:

Relevant work experience - 15
Experience with similar assignments - 15
Technical expertise - 20
Approach and methodology - 20
Understanding of SME and social enterprise context - 15
References and past performance - 10
Financial proposal - 5
Total 100

4. Contract project fees and duration

The assignment duration and level of effort will be confirmed during contracting based on the agreed methodology, workplan, and scope of support. The assignment is expected to cover assessment, roadmap development, capacity strengthening, toolkit development, coaching, and final reporting within the agreed contract period.

5. Payment terms

Payment will be linked to approved deliverables and agreed milestones as defined in the consultancy contract. Payments shall be made upon satisfactory submission and approval of agreed outputs by iFarmer and SNV. Any advance payment, if applicable, shall be kept to a minimum and shall not exceed the limit allowed under SNV procedures. Tax and VAT will be deducted as per Govt. Policy.
The consultant will maintain a monthly timesheet, and Payment will be made based on the approved timesheet.

6. Key compliance issues

The consultant shall maintain confidentiality of company information, adhere to professional and ethical standards, comply with safeguarding requirements, prevent Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH), comply with data protection and information security requirements, and report any ethical concerns immediately to SNV, through the reporting personnel.

7. Due diligence instructions

The selected consultant may be required to complete SNV due diligence requirements before contract award, including submission of registration documents, tax compliance documentation, references, relevant policies, and any additional information required by SNV procurement procedures.

8. Submission requirements

If you think you are suitable for the position, you are requested to send your detailed CV to
career@ifarmer.asia by mentioning "Application for the Consultant-Gender Equality & Social Inclusion-SNV IAP Project" in the subject line by August 31, 2026. Women are highly encouraged to
apply.