Investment Operations Specialist

Consultant

Overview

Provide technical expertise for investment operations in agriculture and related fields.

You have:

• University degree in economics or related field.
• 1 to 15 years of relevant experience in agricultural sector studies or investment operations.
• Working knowledge of English, French, or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other languages or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.
• Demonstrated experience in investment design and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners.
• Advanced technical writing skills in official UN languages.
• Ability to work under pressure and willingness to travel frequently.

Contract

This is a PSA contract. More about PSA contracts.

Organizational Setting

The Investment Centre Division (DPI) promotes investment in food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing in developing countries and countries in transition, assisting governments and country stakeholders, main development partners, in particular international financing institutions with the strategic planning and implementation of their investments to achieve food security and nutrition, make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more sustainable and productive, reduce rural poverty, make food value chains more efficient and inclusive and promote climate change adaptation and/or mitigation.

DPI is a multidisciplinary division composed of three regionally focused services, namely Africa Service, Asia and the Pacific Service, and Europe, Central Asia, Near East, North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean Service

The purpose of this call is to provide FAO’s Investment Centre Division (DPI) with a list of qualified candidates for a number of profiles with different specializations as indicated below. The contract can be home based with required travel for field missions.

Requested Profiles (or Job Titles):

• Agribusiness, Agri-processing and Value Chain Specialist
• Agriculture Specialist
• Animal Husbandry, Health, Feed, and Processing Specialist
• Capacity Development and Extension Specialist
• Climate Change and Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist
• Credit and Rural Finance Specialist
• Digital Agriculture Specialist
• Economist – Agricultural Economist
• Expenditure Review Specialist
• Fisheries Specialist
• Food Safety Specialist
• Food Security and Nutrition Specialist
• Forestry Specialist
• Gender, Youth and Social Inclusion Specialist
• Impact Assessment Specialist
• Information and Communication Technology and MIS Specialist
• Institutional Development Specialist
• Irrigation Engineer
• Land Tenure and Land Tenure Information Management Specialist
• Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
• Natural Resources and Environmental Management Specialist
• On-farm Water Management Specialist
• Project Management Specialist
• Remote Sensing and GIS Specialist
• Resilience and Emergency Specialist
• Rural Area Water Supply Specialist
• Rural Infrastructure Specialist
• Rural Sociologist and Community-Driven Development

Reporting Lines

The Investment Operations Specialist will work under the overall technical supervision of the Service Chief and the direct supervision of a DPI Officer, in close collaboration with the FAO Representation in the relevant country of assignment.

Technical Focus

Provision of technical advice or expertise and capacity development for (i) provision of policy advice to member countries in collaboration with IFI partners; (ii) the design of investment operations, in collaboration with country stakeholders and cooperating partners, to mobilize resources for food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation; and (ii) implementation support and evaluation of investment operations, in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Lead, or participate in, multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification, assessment and preparation of investment operations in the fields of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, and participate in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions.
• Lead, or participates in, multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment operations.
• Advise governments, or provides technical expertise, in the preparation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation studies and strategies, and in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment plans and programmes. ( only for Consultants)
• Advise on developing, or supports the development, of inclusive and sustainable food systems, involving producers, their organizations, other private sector actors, civil society organizations and government.
• Lead the formulation, or formulates, and delivers monitoring and evaluation, communication and capacity development strategies and activities in the areas of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations.
• Prepare reports in accordance with government and financing partners’ requirements.
• Promote international cooperation and collaboration leading to new investment opportunities and cooperative agreements, advocates best practices and effective policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international meetings.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in economics, agricultural economics, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, agribusiness management, natural resource management, irrigation and drainage engineering, rural infrastructure engineering, communication and social sciences, international relations or a related field as appropriate for the specific profile
• From one to fifteen years of relevant experience in conducting agricultural/rural sector/subsector analytical studies, and/or in planning, design, supervision of agricultural and rural investment operations, including elaboration of feasibility studies and implementation of agricultural and rural investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian (for consultants). Working knowledge of English, French, Spanish, Arabic or Russian (for PSAs).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in leading, or participating in, multidisciplinary teams for the preparation of strategies and sector studies as well as formulation, implementation support or evaluation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investment operations
• Extent and relevance of experience in food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation analytical studies and programme evaluation
• Extent and relevance of experience in investment design, implementation support and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners, in particular the World Bank, the International Funds for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• Extent and relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investments
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with government officials, development partners and other country level stakeholders;
• Relevance of experience in different geographical areas;

Selection Criteria

• Advanced technical writing skills in official UN languages;
• Ability to work under pressure and willingness to travel frequently to developing or transition countries

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 5 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: fao.org