Agronomist

Organizational Setting

FAO assists governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to address hunger and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to respond to cries. FAO in collaboration with the Government of Malawi and with support of multiple development partners is implementing a wide range of activities to improve livelihoods of small-scale farmers as well as assisting a more inclusive and sustainable development in the country. FAO Malawi is currently supporting the Government to strengthen community-based resilience in vulnerable rural areas, facilitate a more sustainable management of natural resources and supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Likewise, FAO provides and mobilizes technical assistance required by the country in areas related with agriculture production, agriculture economics and other areas relevant.

Reporting Lines

The Agronomist will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, through the Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes), and the direct operational supervision of the Head of Technical Section, and close collaboration with the Project Coordination Section

Technical Focus:

The Agronomist will ensure quality assurance of the good agricultural practices in the implementation of the FAO projects, including community outreach activities.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will more specifically:

• Design, develop and facilitate Aflatoxin Management sessions;
• Provide technical support in the design and management of training sessions;
• Support the review of existing training materials and facilitate the production of IEC materials to be used in training courses and the community outreach;
• In collaboration with the project coordination section, provide support to DARS to ensure timely and adequate availability of necessary requirements for the smooth running of projects;
• Identify training needs and provide technical backstopping to government extension workers and NGOs implementing the community outreach and ensure that the minimum non-negotiable quality assurance principles are adhered to and ensuring that seed multiplication standards are adhered to;
• Participate in strategic program discussions on the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects;
• Provide technical guidance in identification of appropriate inputs and generate technical specifications to facilitate procurement processes;
• Facilitate DAESS stakeholders to create demand for FAO intervention through innovative household and community mobilization, adoption/adaptation and replication of best practices that contribute towards building resilience of communities;
• Support ongoing community based surveillance activities ensuring rapid confirmation, notification and response to any pest and disease outbreaks
• Facilitate the documentation and sharing of lessons learned and good practices contributing to enhanced production, productivity and livelihoods in general.
• Gather, synthesise and disseminate key information relating to quality assurance of the good agricultural practices.
• Provide any other duties which may be identified and agreed upon with the relevant FAO technical units.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agriculture or relevant field
• At least 5 years working experience working on programmes supporting production and productivity of smallholder farmers.
• National of Malawi.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO languages.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrable experience and knowledge in climate smart agricultural practices
• Solid experience in developing and carrying out training
• Demonstrated writing skills.
• Proven ability to work as a member of a team with diverse backgrounds;
• Ability to pay attention to detail;
• Computer literacy
• Ability to be multi-tasked and to handle large volumes of work in an effective and timely manner.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.