مطلوب خبير في التنمية التعاونية

الوصف الوظيفي:
JOB TITLE: Cooperative Development Expert 

SECTOR: Food security, agri-food development, livelihoods 

CONTEXT: Fragile areas under military occupation, with access restrictions and human rights violations 

GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: Salfit and Tubas governorates, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)  

JOB DETAILS   
Type of contract: Fixed-term employment for 4 months with possibility of renewal based on available funds and project extension. 

Deadline: 19 September 2026 (note that applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and the COSPE might close the selection process before the deadline) 

Location: Ramallah, with regular field visits to project areas in Area C, West Bank   

Job Type: Full-time fixed term contract 

Salary: N/A    

ABOUT COSPE  
COSPE has been operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since 1995, promoting sustainable development and community empowerment in partnership with local civil society and public institutions. The organization works to strengthen inclusive, grassroots processes as key drivers of lasting social change.  

COSPE’s core interventions focus on economic support and socio-economic empowerment of women, sustainable agriculture and access to resources, human rights protection, and the promotion of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) models. Through these areas, COSPE contributes to enhancing resilience, social justice, and equitable development across communities.  

COSPE is implementing the Project: “SUMOUD: Protecting and Strengthening the Resilience and Local Food Systems in Palestine” (AID 012966.01.3) in the framework of the “Emergency initiative to protect the most vulnerable displaced persons or persons at risk of forced transfer” funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).    

PROJECT DESCRIPTION 
The intervention aims to support communities in Tubas and Salfit governorates through the improvement of food security levels by strengthening the production and distribution capacities of agri-food goods; increasing the agricultural self-production capacities of the most vulnerable groups; promoting legal protection mechanisms in the governorates of Salfit and Tubas through the following results:   

R1 - Community production and distribution capacities are strengthened through support for sustainable agri-food systems and local markets.  

R2 - The agricultural and horticultural self-production and self- al capacities of economically vulnerable women and households have improved.   

R3 - Community and individual mechanisms for legal protection, monitoring and reporting of violations of the right to access land and resources necessary to ensure food security are strengthened.  

RESPONSIBILITIES:   
Support in the profiling of the cooperatives within the community profile exercise in Tubas and Salfit through: 
- conduction of the surveys with the cooperatives and analysis of data collected about the governance, organizational model, sustainability of their business model, capacity building and technical needs, familiarity with social and solidarity economy principles and practices, profile of cooperative members. 

Lead in delivering technical support to 10 cooperatives (5 in Salfit, 5 in Tubas) in the agri-food production sector in Tubas and Salfit governorates including on their production capacities, distribution of agri-food products and access to the local markets. 
Lead on the capacity building of the cooperatives through ongoing training and mentorship on developing a sustainable business model, on cooperative management, legal requirements, good governance and strategic planning. 
Provide technical guidance to the cooperatives on applying the Social and Solidarity Economy approach within their business plan and ways of working. 
Track cooperative performance indicators (e.g., membership growth, sales volume, profit distribution) and write technical reports 
Liaise with COSPE and partners’ project team in-country and COSPE’s expert on Social and Solidarity Economy in the headquarter. 
Support the cooperatives in building connections and linkages with key stakeholders to access local markets, including local authorities, community-based organizations, private actors. 
Mentor and support the cooperatives in improving their opportunities for access to local markets related to secure markets (market outlets capable of providing stable demand) and community markets, through the application of the principles of the social and solidarity economy. 
Lead on the implementation of round tables in both Salfit and Tubas governorates involving cooperative members and representatives of the main institutional stakeholders and local and international organisations, to match the demand for agri-food products requested by institutional actors and organisations with the supply provided by cooperatives. 
 Identification and application of fair and innovative mechanisms to strengthen local markets and opportunities for access to them 
Conduct regular field visits, to supervise activities and provide technical advice to the cooperatives in close coordination with partners’ project team. 
Ensure coordination with the Food Security Cluster to avoid duplication and foster the complementarity of the response with actors from the sector.  
Supervision: The job holder will be under the supervision of the Project Manager of the Sumoud Project and the COSPE Country Representative and will respond to the Project Coordination Unit.  
متطلبات الوظيفة:
KEY QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:  

Education:  
Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agribusiness, Business Administration, International Development, or a related field. (Master’s degree is preferable). 
Experience:  

At least 3–5 years of direct field experience in cooperative development, value chain strengthening, or rural microenterprise management, preferably in the West Bank, or in fragile or humanitarian contexts. 
Experience in local economic development and livelihoods support. 
Solid experience in working with agricultural cooperatives and small producers, in the access to local markets and agri-food value chains in fragile and unstable contexts.  
Technical Skills:  
Deep understanding of agricultural cooperative business models, agricultural economics, supply chain logistics, and Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) frameworks.  
Capacity to understand agri-food production, processing, and distribution systems. 
Knowledge of local markets and short value chains. 
Ability to link cooperative development and food security needs in the project targeted areas. 
Familiarity with gender and inclusion approaches in economic development 
Technical expertise in contributing to context analysis, market studies, and needs assessments, with attention to the links between market access, food security, and gender. 
Ability to analyse the impact of structural restrictions, human rights violations, and limited access to productive resources on production capacity, market access, and income generation for vulnerable communities.  
Soft Skills: 

Proven cross-cultural communication, community mobilization, participatory facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills. 
Strong analytical and synthesis skills. 
Experience working in multidisciplinary teams and with MEAL staff. 
Participatory approach and field-oriented attitude. 
Ability to adapt to rapidly changing contexts. 
Good communication and report-writing skills. 
Strong verbal and written communication skills.   
Languages:  

Professional fluency in Arabic and English is mandatory, spoken and written.   
Preferred requirements: 

Previous experience working in Area C of the West Bank in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). 
Knowledge of or experience with Social and Solidarity Economy and Agroecological approaches. 
Experience working in projects coordinated with humanitarian clusters (especially Food Security). 
TYPE AND DURATION OF THE CONTRACT   

A fixed-term employment contract is established for 4 months from the date of beginning of the collaboration expected by mid-September 2026, with the possibility of renewal according to performance and budget review.   
The proposed contract is an employment contract aligned with the COSPE Procurements and code of ethic.  
تفاصيل الوظيفة:
المسمى الوظيفي: Cooperative Development Expert
آخر موعد للتقديم: 19.09.2026.
المكان: رام الله والبيرة، سلفيت وبديا، طوباس
طبيعة العمل: مكتبي أو ميداني (مقر العمل)
نوع الوظيفة: دوام كامل
المستوى المهني: متوسط الخبرة
الدرجة العلمية: البكالوريوس
الخبرة: 3 سنوات
التصنيف: الإدارة والأعمال العمليات والدعم اللوجستي الزراعة والبيئة التنمية الاقتصادية والتعاون الدولي
آلية التقديم:
Interested candidates should submit:   

​Resume (CV) of max 4 pages in English   
Letter of motivation with salary aspiration (max 1 page).   
   The required documents must be sent to the email jerusalemoffice@cospe.org with reference in the subject “Name Surname –  Cooperative Development Expert - SUMOUD”.   

Given the urgent need to cover role, applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.   

COSPE reserves the right to close the recruitment process as soon as a valid candidate is identified for the position. 

Applications that do not meet these criteria will be automatically excluded. We apologize in advance if we are unable to respond to all applications.   

COSPE is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace in accordance with its non-discrimination policy. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, including those with diverse backgrounds and those with disabilities. COSPE is an organization that promotes equal treatment and gender equity.