Biogas and Circularity Markets Specialist

GROWTH POLES PROJECT VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Position Title: Biogas and Circularity Markets Specialist
Project Name: Growth Poles Project 2.0
Duty Station: Lilongwe, Malawi
Department: Programs & Partnerships
Reporting to: Senior Manager, Market Systems Development
Hours of Work: 40 per week (Full time)
Anticipated Grade: Specialist
Anticipated Start Date: January 2027
Apply to: [email protected]
Deadline to Apply: 24 November 2026 by 17:00hrs CAT

About Palladium

About Palladium. Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact, creating enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, investors and communities to address complex development challenges and improve economies, societies and people’s lives.

Project Overview

The Ireland-funded Malawi Growth Poles Project (GPP) is a five-year programme that accelerates sustainable, resilient and inclusive wealth generation in Malawi by mobilising rural private-sector investment and partnerships with anchor firms, smallholders, cooperatives and MSMEs. It uses market systems development (MSD) approaches to facilitate sustainable commercial models without replacing the functions of businesses, service providers, government or communities.

Job overview

Based at the GPP office in Lilongwe and reporting to the Senior Manager, Market Systems Development (MSD), the Biogas and Circularity Markets (BCM) Specialist is primarily responsible for delivering two activities in the Soil Health portfolio of the Growth Poles Project Year 4 (FY27) Annual Work Plan and is a key member of the soil health portfolio team.

Activity 1: Scale household-level biodigesters, bioslurry buy-back and climate-results monitoring. Broker partnerships between bio-energy/bio-fertilizer (BE/BF) partners and Anchor Agribusinesses (AAs) to establish and expand biodigester clusters on commercial terms. Targets include agreements with at least three AAs, at least 100 new households, and documented results on fuelwood avoided, trees conserved, greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions reduced and bioslurry generated. The Project funds brokering and climate-results monitoring, not equipment.

Activity 2: Support circularity conversion investments of AAs and other agro-processors. Identify and vet pilot sites, and recruit and manage the consultancy that assesses and designs commercially viable conversion of agro-processing waste (fruit waste, bagasse and molasses, poultry and other livestock waste) into biogas, compost and biofertiliser. Firms co-finance and operate their own equipment; the Project funds baseline assessment, solution design, monitoring and limited strategic equipment co-financing.

Success depends on technical credibility and strong partner management. The BCM Specialist facilitates and brokers rather than replacing market actors, and works within approved plans, budgets and cost-share principles.

Success and Key Results

• Partnership agreements are in place between BE/BF partners and at least three AAs, with at least 100 new households in clusters installed and served on commercial terms.
• Fuelwood avoided, trees conserved, GHG emissions reduced and bioslurry generated are measured with credible methods, verified with MEL and reported on time.
• At least four circularity assessment reports are completed, resulting in at least three circularity pilots underway.
• The technical quality, safety and environmental compliance of installations are reviewed, and timely reports inform scale, adapt, graduate or exit decisions.

Duties and responsibilities

Activity 1: Biodigester Clusters, Bioslurry Buy-Back and Climate-Results Monitoring

• Lead Activity 1. Agree work plans and milestones with BE/BF partners and keep regular contact with their leadership, technical and sales teams.
• Broker partnerships between BE/BF partners and at least three AA outgrower networks (candidates include Tropha, Pyxus, Malawi Mangoes and Lilongwe Water Board), exploring FUM and AGRA networks, and support negotiation of agreements that define roles for installation, farmer access and bioslurry buy-back.
• Review the technical quality and safety of installations, servicing and bioslurry handling, and work with MEL to run climate-results monitoring consistent with carbon-finance requirements.
• Test and document whether households keep buying systems and selling bioslurry, and whether AAs and BE/BF partners recruit customers independently. Recommend when and how Project support should end.

Activity 2: Circularity Conversion Investments with AAs

• Lead Activity 2. Screen and prioritise AAs and other agro-processors by feedstock volume, capacity to use or sell outputs and willingness to co-finance.
• Lead baseline assessments (waste streams, emissions baselines, energy demand, site conditions, environmental and safety considerations) and solution design (technology options, sizing, costs, returns and financing).
• Prepare terms of reference for consultants and technical service providers, supervise their work and review deliverables, working with Procurement and Subawards.
• Monitor the commercial and GHG results of each pilot, ensure environmental, health and safety compliance, and document replication criteria for other agro-processors.

Portfolio Contribution, Partner Management and Reporting

• Provide environmental engineering input to other soil health partners (composting, processing, feedstock security, production capacity and facility compliance) and contribute technical evidence to portfolio reviews, scorecards and scale, adapt, graduate or exit decisions.
• Provide technical input to scopes of work and milestones for partner agreements and verify completed milestones. The BCM Specialist has no authority to make contractual or financial commitments.
• Collect and check evidence using MEL-approved tools, maintain partner action and milestone trackers, and prepare concise field-visit reports and quarterly progress and learning updates.
• Coordinate with MSD, MEL, Subawards, Finance, Procurement, Operations and Communications colleagues; apply safeguarding, ethical conduct and environmental, health and safety requirements; and perform other reasonable duties assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering or a closely related engineering discipline; a master’s degree is preferred.
• At least three years of proven partner and client management experience, including brokering partnerships and agreements with private-sector companies, managing consultants or service providers, and handling senior stakeholders.
• Professional and/or academic experience in the design, assessment, implementation or technical oversight of biogas/anaerobic digestion, waste-to-energy, composting or organic-waste conversion systems.
• Practical understanding of MSD, private-sector facilitation and cost-share models; exposure to agribusiness, agro-processing or soil health fertilizer value chains is an advantage.
• Strong planning, analytical, communication, negotiation and report-writing skills; proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint; fluent English, with Chichewa strongly preferred.
• Willingness to travel frequently out of Lilongwe to rural project locations and agro-processing sites.

Additional experience in the following is preferred but not required:

• Feasibility studies, baseline assessments and technical-economic analysis for energy, waste or agro-processing investments.
• GHG accounting and climate-results monitoring, carbon finance, and environmental and social safeguards; professional registration as an engineer.