Organizational Setting

FAO's office for Iraq is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing countrywide food, agriculture and rural development. It develops and maintains relations with the relevant government entities and Ministries at country level. The post is located in Basra, Iraq.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO-Representative and the corresponding technical division in RNE and HQ, and in close collaboration with the Deputy Representative, Senior Resilience Team Leader, technical experts, and support staff, the Specialist will be responsible for the implementation of the vegetable (tomato) component under project GCP/IRQ/004/EC entitled: “Restoration and Strengthening the Resilience of Agri-Food Systems in Southern Iraq.” Moreover, the Specialist will assume overall management responsibilities for the project from Basra, Iraq.

Technical Focus

The International Vegetable Production and FFS Specialist will be responsible for the strategic and operational planning, management and implementation of the project component of tomatoes. He/she will provide technical support and ensure a good implementation of the project activities in line with the project result framework, work plan and approved budget.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Responsible for the overall technical guidance for implementation of the project component on the tomatoes value chain, as defined by the logic framework and work plan to be elaborated during the inception phase. In particular:
  • Develop a detailed project implementation plan, including procurement, training and M&E in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders during the inception phase;
  • Ensure that the project fosters technical consensus with key partners by convening partner meetings;
  • Develop and oversee implementation of the capacity development of the project in the three governorates participating in the project through context specific meetings, trainings, technical support and mentoring
  • Provide technical advice as required to project experts, government staff and consultants and help to organize and supervise consultant inputs;
  • Plan, design and elaborate workshops in support of the project activities, including their programmes and provision of recommendations on key expertise needed for the specific topics;
  • Ensure that latest and best international practices and approaches are reflected in the design and planning, and implementation of project activities;
  • Participate in the selection, supervision and evaluation of the project staff;
  • Prepare annual work plans in collaboration with Project Field Coordinator and lead technical experts and ensure the timely preparation of an Inception Report, Progress Reports and Final Report;
• Provide managerial, operational and strategic guidance to the whole project while ensuring excellent internal communication with the FAO project team in Basra and Baghdad;
• Supervise the work of the local support team in FAO’s Sub-national Office in Basra;
• Liaise with government counterparts in the south (three governorates) through the Project Field Coordinator based in Basra and liaise with national Ministries through the FAO Office in Baghdad (only for Consultants);
• Liaise closely with the FAO Senior Resilience Team Leader in Baghdad for the external EU programme partners such as GIZ, IOM, ILO, ITC, and UNESCO and work directly with these partners in the south to give impetus to value chain development, including finance, SME development and marketing/sales;
• Organize coordination meetings and regular briefings to discuss results with key partners, including donors – starting with EU;
• Provide technical advice and assistance to the mid-term and final evaluations of the project; and
• Propose an approach to managing and sharing knowledge, and to identifying and disseminating lessons learned;

• Facilitate project progress reporting and communication of results.

• Draft reports and briefings for the project donor;

• Ensure timely reporting in line with FAO rules and regulations;
• Liaise with international organizations and with the donor community for possible future funding of project proposals developed in course of project implementation;
• Perform other related duties and activities upon instructions.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in a field related to agronomy sciences, economics, rural development, food sciences, biology, natural resources management, environment management, international relations and cooperation and/or other related fields;
• At least 12 years of experience in agricultural/ rural development projects, with local communities and/or in the agricultural sector;
• Working knowledge of English (level C) and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) for Consultants. For PSA.SBS working knowledge of English;

=

FAO Core Competencies

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

Selection Criteria

• Extent and relevance of working experience in agriculture and value chain development - particularly vegetables (tomatoes) in the country/ region;
• Extent and relevance of experience in project management and in particular results-based management;
• Demonstrated previous experience working with the farmer field school approach or rural extension services or with similar approaches;
• Familiarity with FAO strategic objectives and their alignment with SDGs is required.