Horticulture Specialist

Overview

Provide technical expertise in horticulture management for project outputs.

You have:

• Master’s degree in agronomy, agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, floriculture or related field.
• 8 years’ experience in development projects in the horticulture sector, or private sector horticulture plantations and operations or related fields, and knowledge of the Sindh fruit and vegetable varieties and production and marketing systems.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English. Fluent Sindhi and Urdu. Knowledge of other languages spoken in Sindh is an asset.
• National of Pakistan

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.

This position relates to the outputs for which FAO is responsible in Sindh under the European Union-funded Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project. The position is located in the FAO Sindh provincial office in Karachi with travel to other districts of Sindh.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Pakistan and the direct supervision of the Sindh Provincial International Program Coordinator in Karachi, the Horticulture Specialist will report on a day to day basis to the relevant Project Coordinator. The Horticulture Specialist will work as part of a team of sector specialists in Sindh on the outputs for which FAO is responsible under the GRASP project.

Technical Focus

The Horticulture Specialist will provide technical expertise on horticulture production and management to achieve the project outputs, including backstopping to the field teams. The Horticulture Specialist will work collaboratively with horticulture and crop experts from other FAO projects to ensure best practices are adopted throughout the provincial program.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Liaise with relevant stakeholders including other implementing partners of the GRASP project, horticulture variety developers, nursery stock, disease management and harvesting service providers, horticulture product processing businesses, horticulture marketing entities and government agencies and research institutions;
• Provide specialized technical assistance in the implementation of the project activities and supervision/monitoring of horticulture production methods, disease management and harvesting processes for improving commercial gain;
• Provide technical support in response to the priority needs of community organizations, producer marketing groups, farmer business schools and other groups established or supported under the project;
• Provide capacity building of the FAO field teams in Sindh in horticulture production and disease management including advice and guidance to the field teams on formation and facilitation of groups in the project targeted area for dissemination of set of sustainable agriculture practices for adaptive research and participative learning in the target districts;
• Collect and collate information on horticulture growing, harvesting and marketing conditions in the project areas;
• Draft technical specifications for the procurement of agricultural inputs, and plan the quantities of inputs to be procured under the project;
• Prepare relevant manuals and information, communication and education materials for horticulture producers on the best plantation and field management practices;
• Provide hand on assistance during the course of implementation of horticulture producer training program through close collaboration and coordination with the field facilitators;
• Contribute to baseline and end line assessment surveys and analyses of the overall status of the horticulture sector for the areas targeted by the project;
• Assist in the preparation of project reports, case studies, success stories; Contribute to/edit reports, manuals, guidelines, other specialized publications as they relate to animal production, protection, good farming/agronomic practices, producer’s organizations;
• Provide cross-sectoral technical support to other FAO teams and projects in the Sindh province
• Provide technical guidance in the broader areas of the horticulture program and its impact on food security
• Perform any other relevant duties as requested by the FAO Representative in Pakistan.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in agronomy, agriculture, horticulture, silviculture, floriculture or related field.
• 8 years’ experience in development projects in the horticulture sector, or private sector horticulture plantations and operations or related fields, and knowledge of the Sindh fruit and vegetable varieties and production and marketing systems.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English. Fluent Sindhi and Urdu. Knowledge of other languages spoken in Sindh is an asset.
• National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Remain open to change and ability to manage complexity.
• Ability to work and act under pressure and with discretion in multicultural environment.
• Ability to deal with stakeholders from a broad range of backgrounds.
• Demonstrate capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time to meet goals in a high-pressure environment.
• Maturity and confidence in dealing with high-ranking official of government institutions, international institutions and non- government institutions.
• Familiar with FAO procedures, possess strong supervisory, communication, team building and computing skills (word processing, spreadsheets and data-bases).

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above.

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
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

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Potential interview questions

Added 6 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: fao.org