International Project Coordinator - Agriculture and Food Value Chain Specialist

Organizational Setting

The cooperation between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Ukraine has been designed to reinforce national capacities and to contribute to a broader development of agriculture, sustainable management of forests and fisheries, and animal and plant disease control. FAO is providing technical support for climate change adaptation, as well as working with civil society to mitigate soil erosion and degradation. FAO is also contributing to building resilience and boosting development in conflict-affected regions by supporting the economic recovery of farmers and rural communities. FAO’s presence in Ukraine is distributed by offices in Kyiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, and Lviv under the overall responsibility of the Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia and managed by the Head of the FAO Office in Ukraine.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Representative and of the de-facto Head of the Office/Budget Holder, the direct supervision of the Head of Office/Programme Officer in Ukraine, the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer, the International Project Coordinator, Agriculture and Food Value Chain Specialist will work in in close collaboration with FAO international and national experts and consultants working for the implementation of project UNFA/UKR/011/UND and other projects in the East.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Coordinate the preparation of project reports, detailed work plans, monitor progress of activities and identify corrective measures to overcome operational constraints and ensure that the budget is properly monitored;
• Lead and coordinate the implementation of project activities and supervise the field offices of Kramatorsk and Mariupol in close collaboration with the project staff;
• In line with the project budget and work plan, identify the need for international and national consultants, drafts terms of reference for the selection and participates in the recruitment process;
• Provide inputs and technical feedback to develop modalities for the project implementation;
• Provide technical support to and analysis of assessments, studies and missions, and conduct technical support missions to field activities;
• Lead organization of extension trainings, workshops, seminars; make presentations on topics/ activities; prepare training manuals, curricula and training reports;
• Ensure the flow of communication with FAO offices (FAOUA, REU, HQ);
• Supervise the work of local technical consultants and ensure the accomplishment of tasks and deliverables;
• Ensure liaison and collaboration with the other UN Agencies, donor(s) and with institutional and non-institutional partners concerned, including cooperatives and beneficiaries;
• Initiate and participate in project meetings;
• Identify opportunities for addressing agricultural sustainable development issues;
• Feed the monitoring & evaluation system with data and provides technical guidance;
• Perform other duties as required

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, food value chains or relevant fields;
• At least 5 years’ relevant experience in agriculture and food value chain development projects;
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian);

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in project management and in running large-scale projects, preferably on sustainable agriculture management, climate change, and sustainable and resilient agriculture;
• Knowledge of internationally accepted best practice, , climate change and sustainable agriculture;
• Ability to develop and implement capacity development programs and activities, including training events at project region level;
• Capacity to promote new approaches and practices as well as demonstrated commitment in promoting participatory and bottom-up approaches;
• Ability to take initiative and accomplish tasks with minimum supervision;
• Ability to perform in a multi-cultural team.
• Excellent computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)