The Investment Centre Division (TCI) promotes investment in food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development (FSNARD), sustainable natural resource management (NRM) and climate change mitigation and/or adaptation (CCM/A) in developing countries and countries in transition, assisting governments and country stakeholders, main development partners, in particular international financing institutions with the strategic planning and implementation of their investments to achieve growth, poverty alleviation, food security and nutrition goals.
TCI is a multidisciplinary division composed of three regionally focused services, namely Africa Service, Asia and the Pacific Service, and Europe, Central Asia, Near East, North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean Service, as well as FAO’s coordination unit for the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The post is located in TCIB.
Reporting lines
The Agricultural Officer reports to the Chief, Asia and the Pacific Service.
Technical Focus
Design, implementation support and evaluation of investment operations (projects and programmes) in FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A, as well as strategic and policy work, with a focus on sustainable agricultural development, agricultural services, rural institutions, resilience and risk management, and access to markets.
Key Results
Provision of technical expertise and capacity development for (i) the design of investment operations, in collaboration with country stakeholders and cooperating partners, to mobilize resources for FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A; and (ii) implementation support and evaluation of investment operations, in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.
Key Functions
· Participates in, and eventually leads multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification and preparation of investment operations in the fields of FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A, and participates in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions;
· Participates in, and eventually leads multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment operations.
· Provides technical expertise for the preparation of FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A studies and strategies, in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment plans and programmes.
· Supports the development of inclusive and sustainable food systems involving producers, their organizations, other private sector actors, and civil society organizations and government.
· Formulates and delivers capacity development strategies and activities in the areas of FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations.
· Prepares reports in accordance with governments and financing partners’ requirements;
· Provides support in task organization, selection of consultants, preparation of terms of reference and in ensuring the quality of outputs.
· Promotes international cooperation and collaboration leading to new investment opportunities and cooperative agreements, advocates best practices and effective policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international meetings.
· Participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate strategy.
· Provides guidance and advice to junior staff.
Specific Functions
· Provides contributions to FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A strategies, plans and operations for their investment implications, technical and environmental feasibility and compliance with national policies and priorities.
· Assesses the constraints and opportunities of enhancing the productivity of agricultural production systems with emphasis on sustainability of farming practices and environmental impact, cross-sectoral interactions, access to, and functioning of, markets, relevance and quality of agricultural services, institutions and organizations; risk management systems, as well as role and engagement of commercial private sector.
· Participates in, and eventually leads, the design of agricultural activities and components of investment operations, including systems of implementation support and monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of agricultural and rural development projects.
· Provides technical expertise for practical productivity and sustainability improvements to existing farming systems, formulates crop budgets and defines the technical parameters for the establishment of farm models for financial and economic analysis.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
· Advanced university degree in agriculture or a closely related field
· Seven years of relevant experience in planning and implementing agricultural development programs, including experience in the formulation and/or implementation of FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition;
· Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese or Russian.
Competencies
· Results Focus
· Teamwork
· Communication
· Building effective relationships
· Knowledge sharing and continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
· Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable
· Extent and relevance of experience in major technical fields related to rain-fed and irrigated agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry, in developing countries and countries in transition, including in the development of sustainable production and food systems, and agricultural services
· Extent and relevance of experience in participating in multidisciplinary teams for the preparation of strategies and sector studies as well as formulation, implementation support or evaluation of FSNARD, NRM and CCM/A investment operations
· Extent and relevance of experience in investment design, implementation support and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners, in particular the World Bank, the International Funds for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the GEF
· Extent and relevance of experience in developing, implementing or evaluating investment projects and programmes in support of implementing sustainable food and agriculture policies and strategies
· Relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of FSNARD, NRM and/or CCM/A investments
· Demonstrated experience in dealing with senior government officials, development partners and other country stakeholders
· Demonstrated capacity to write technical reports in English
· Relevance of experience in the Asia and the Pacific region
· Ability to work under pressure and willingness to travel frequently to developing countries and countries in transition
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
· All candidates should possess computer/word processing skills.
· As part of the evaluation of your application for this position, you may be requested to undergo written assessment, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
· Your application will be screened based on the information you have entered in your iRecruitment profile (see below under the How to Apply section). Before applying for a vacancy, we strongly recommend that the information you have provided in all sections of your profile are accurate and complete, including employment record, academic qualifications and skills.
· Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution that is recognized or in the IAU/UNESCO list.
· Other similar positions at the same level may be filled from this vacancy notice and the endorsed candidates will be considered for the Employment Roster for a period of 2 years.
· Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments.
REMUNERATION
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply, visit the iRecruitment website at http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/ and complete the on-line application. Only applications received through iRecruitment will be considered.
Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.
Vacancies will be removed from iRecruitment at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help, or have queries, please contact: iRecruitment@fao.org
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
