Information Technology Specialist, Digital Extension Design Team International Consultant

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Thursday 22 Sep 2022 at 02:59 UTC

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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Job Title: Information Technology Specialist, Digital Extension Design Team

Mission: To support the Design Phase of the Togo Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)

Unit/Division: Programme Unit / CO Togo

Contract Type: International Consultancy / CST

Contract Duration: between 1 October 2022 and 15 December 2022 (2 months) with the possibility of longer-term engagement with the Togo ATA

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic is one of the smallest countries in Africa and home to 8.6 million people. Situated in the Gulf of Guinea, Togo serves as a critical corridor to enable the COVID-19 response to landlocked countries in the Central Sahel region.

Togo’s economy depends heavily on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, with both sectors providing employment for 60 percent of the labor force. Socio-political and economic turmoil coupled with devastating floods and now COVID-19 have seen a deterioration in its food and nutritional situation.

Agriculture and food systems are vital to food security, livelihoods, and development. The sector has proven to be more effective for poverty alleviation and job creation than others, and sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems can underpin economic development for many African countries. One innovative approach to spur transformational change is in the use of a Nodal Agency—successively leveraged by many Asian countries and beyond.

The nodal agency model was successfully leveraged by many Asian countries in the 1960s to 1990s to drive transformational growth and rapidly expand their economies. More recently, the nodal agency model was used successfully by the Government of Ethiopia when it established the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in 2010.

The nodal agency model leverages key characteristics to achieve impact:

  • Operates from a “center of government” position with strong links to senior government officials including the Head of State.
  • A high level of authority, independence, and responsibility that allow it to innovate, use evidence to inform decision making, work across public and private sectors, exert influence over actors, and ultimately manage and ensure effectiveness.
  • High organizational performance that enables efficient systems to be implemented, focuses on results, and ensures learning takes place within and across institutions and programs to adapt to changing contexts and take advantage of opportunities.

The Government of Togo (GoT), in its 2025 Roadmap, has positioned agriculture as a priority engine of growth for production, income, and job creation. The Roadmap specifically identifies mechanization, irrigation, and extension through public-private-partnerships as areas of significant opportunity.

To further support progress on the Roadmap and in recognition of the need for transformational growth in the sector, the GoT in March 2022 made the decision to leverage the Nodal Agency model and create an Agricultural Transformation Agency. The GoT has engaged TASC to support the scope, design, and establishment of this Agency by January 2023. Togolese stakeholders have worked with TASC to complete development of the scope of the Agency, which includes 5 priority focus areas for the new ATA: mechanization, irrigation, digital extension, ZAAPs (agricultural production areas), and value chains.

To further the development of the Togo ATA, the GoT seeks technical expert consultants to contribute to focus area teams and contribute to the development the Agency so that it can begin operations in January 2023.

JOB PURPOSE

The Government of Togo in partnership with WFP/FAO is now looking to form a high-performing design team that can develop these priority focus areas into a clear set of projects, initiatives, and workplans to enable the ATA to begin activities in January 2023.

Each priority focus area will be led by a Lead who is responsible for the design outputs within this phase of work. Additional IT analytical support is required for the digital extension priority focus area, which seeks to recommend and design an appropriate digital solution for the delivery of agricultural content to farmers, which would be piloted in Togo in 2023. An IVR/SMS system is one of the solutions being strongly considered.

The anticipated deliverables for the Digital Extension Team are:

  • Digital Outreach
    • Diagnostic and landscape review
    • Identify key user needs for a digital extension system
    • Identify the most suitably type of solution for Togo
    • National Digital Extension Strategy
    • Review the recruitment ToRs of the consultant for the development of the digital extension strategy and finalize them
    • Provide recommendations to be considered in the development of the strategy
    • Provide elements of improvement of the various documents produced in this context
  • System requirements
    • Develop a solution requirements document for technical build of the system
    • Include a view on potential private sector roles and future integration with other digital agriculture tools
    • Leverage existing capabilities of the GoT
  • User requirements
    • Develop a solution requirements document for design of the user interface
    • Develop a tool to measure impact of the digital extension system on users
  • Pilot project design
    • Recommend a delivery model option and technical partner(s) for 2023
    • Recommend geographic area, content focus, and evaluation criteria for a pilot project to be operationalized by the Togo ATA

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

The IT Technical Expert will be under the supervision of the Focus Area Lead who is responsible for the overall design of the digital extension focus area. The Lead in turn will report to an overall Design Phase Director.

The support required by the IT Technical Expert is envisaged as follows:

  • Work closely with Focus Area Lead and participate as a team member in coordinating and carrying out all activities
  • Work with other Focus Team technical experts as needed to understand content and user needs
  • Support/conduct an initial digital diagnostic of user needs and assess potential digital channels for extension to identify the most appropriate solutions for Togo’s farmers
  • Support/conduct a digital landscape review for Togo to identify potential local partners, as well as integration opportunities
  • Identify and liaise with potential international technical providers around partnership opportunities
  • Provide technical input and support the detailed development of a technical solution requirements document
  • Carry out a technical assessment of different delivery model options, make overall design and delivery recommendations, and identify a proposed technical partner(s) for this
  • Other general ATA setup and design tasks as required (developing the organizational structure, support recruitment, resource mobilization, etc.)
  • Identify existing capabilities and opportunities for leveraging existing capabilities within the GoT especially within the Extension System (ICAT) and the Ministry of Digital Economy
  • Recommend system requirements needed to expand the Digital Extension System to accommodate additional features in the future such as private sector marketplace, provision of services, data collection, webinars/trainings, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, GIS, Mathematics, Statistics, or another relevant field.

Experience****:

Junior to senior information technology professional (including knowledge of IVR/SMS solutions) with at least three (3) years’ experience of developing technical documentation (such as requirements) in a professional environment, and preferably direct build experience of relevant digital tools and platforms for delivery of information.

Experience and/or interest in digital tools for the public sector / international development, and in particular ICT for Agriculture is required.

Knowledge & Skills:

  • Plan, prioritize and manage the development of key technical outputs, including data collection, robust analysis and content development, stakeholder input and validation, and ensure required timelines and quality standards are met
  • Strong ability to lead interviews and verbally communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders (from prospective technical partners to key users [farmers] and other technical stakeholders across government)
  • Produce high-quality presentations and/or written documents on data, IT systems and other relevant analytical topics
  • Proactively and frequently engage with senior staff to seek input and enhance outputs, identify risks and issues affecting timely delivery of work streams, and promptly communicate upward with solution options and recommendations
  • Present ideas and respond to queries clearly and concisely in internal and external briefings and discussions
  • Effectively manage operational activities (e.g., scheduling, logistical and financial organization of field trips and workshops, procurement processes, etc.) for delivery of work streams

Language****:

Fluency (level C) in French and at least an intermediate knowledge (level B) in English (written and verbal).

WHY WORK WITH US?

This is an opportunity for an exciting and challenging position in a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary team, based in a unique location, on a topic with high relevance. In addition, we offer:

➡️Meaningful and impactful careers:

Our day-to-day work makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve

➡️Continuous learning and training:

We provide learning tools for our staff to continually develop their careers

➡️Multicultural and stimulating work environment:

We encourage gender and cultural diversity to make our teams stronger

Join us to make a difference, watch this video to know more about us!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnaxfnNKdsM&t=7s

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: September 21, 2022

All employment decisions are made based on organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: wfp.org