Gender Specialist/Project Coordinator

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Reporting Lines

The national consultant will be working under the overall supervision of the Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia/FAO Representative to Albania, and the technical guidance of the REU Gender and Social Protection Specialist, as well as in close liaison and consultation with the Assistant FAO Representative in Albania.

Technical Focus

Gender Specialist/Project Coordinator will be responsible for the implementation of the FAO component under the UNJP/ALB/015/UNJ (649818) “Gender Rural Equality and Tourism” (GREAT) Project.

The overarching goal of the FAO-UN Women joint GREAT Project is to contribute to rural women’s empowerment in Albania and to facilitate as well as to strengthen women’s roles and contribution to rural development in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its core principle of leaving no one behind. UN Women is an implementing party for the GREAT, responsible for the overall coordination and delivery of the project results. FAO is an implementing party for a project component, with a defined set of activities and outputs as defined in Project Documents and Preparatory Assistance Guidance.

The incumbent will be recruited with the responsibility to ensure overall management of the FAO component, by: (1) leading the process of the project component’s inception and overall implementation; (2) partnering with the principal implementing agency (UN Women) and coordinating activities in efficient manner; (3) managing and monitoring timely and efficient delivery of the FAO component; (4) providing technical guidance to the project implementation team, as required

Tasks and responsibilities

• Lead the process of preparing a detailed Workplan, in coordination with UN Women and national partners;
• Ensure the coordination and timely communication regarding the project activities between FAO and UN Women;
• Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as other national partners and stakeholders to ensure the project’s desired impact;
• In accordance with the Programme Monitoring Framework (PMF), finalize the baselines and targets towards the end of the inception phase;
• Under the guidance of FAO Albania, draft the TORs and ensure selection and recruitment of the project staff and relevant external experts and consultants. Supervise the relevant external experts and consultants to ensure timely delivery of their outputs and their quality;
• Lead the process of the development of three traditional products incubators for women. For this, organize gender-sensitive value chain and market assessment of selected products in target municipalities and develop a strategic plan for the development of these value chains;
• Guide the assessment of bottlenecks for advancing towards SDG target 5.a and contribute to the organization, implementation, and monitoring of training and capacity development events on SDG indicators 5.a.1 and 5.a.2;
• Lead the process and provide technical and organizational support in improving capacities of rural advisory services, municipal authorities and related institutions, by coordinating and guiding the assessment of existing bottlenecks for gender responsive rural advisory services and business development services in pilot municipalities using the FAO GRAST (Gender-responsive advisory service tool);
• Organize and support visibility and communication action plan, including the Media campaign activity
• Perform other duties and activities as required to ensure successful implementation of the GREAT Project

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in gender, sociology, development studies, social anthropology and other related areas.
• A minimum five years of demonstrated experience in mainstreaming gender in agriculture and rural development.
• Excellent/working knowledge of English and Albanian.
• National of Albania or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Knowledge of national context on mainstreaming gender into the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector;
• Proven team leadership skills and ability to work independently as required;
• Prior experience of project cycle management, including strategic planning, budgeting, reporting, monitoring and evaluation;
• Prior experience of successful partnerships with the UN agencies;
• Ability and self-initiative to carry out the assigned tasks under short deadlines, leading a team, and under minimal supervision;
• Diplomacy, tact and negotiating skills. Good interpersonal and communication skills;
• Excellent knowledge and regular use of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)