National Agricultural Value Chain Development Specialist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programs 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.

FAO is currently supporting the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in piloting Integrated Agro-Industrial Parks. The Government of Ethiopia identified the creation of agro-industrial parks as one of the key mechanisms for accelerating the development of the agro-industrial sector in Ethiopia, and it expects this sector to play key role in economic growth of the country over the Second Growth and Transformation Plan 2015/16-2019/20.

Within this framework, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation have allocated resources to support the implementation of the project GCP/ETH/095/ITA “Technical Assistance for inclusive and sustainable development in Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR)”.

The project GCP/ETH/095/ITA aims to promote efficiency and competitiveness of selected agricultural value chains in Oromia and SNNP. To ensure adequate support to the planned project activities, FAO is seeking to recruit one National Value Chain Specialist, who will be based in Addis Ababa.

Reporting Lines

The position is under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative in Ethiopia, and the technical supervision of the International Agribusiness Specialist.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will provide technical and operational support, management and coordination to project GCP /ETH/095/ITA and other projects related to Agribusiness development in Ethiopia.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent candidate will be in charge of the following specific tasks:

• Assist the Senior National Value Chain Expert to carry out research and analyze technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional, and technology related information, data and statistics and/or related policy issues to support the delivery of the projects;
• Support the implementation of different activities related to technical support/analysis to various assessments, studies and initiatives and provides technical backstopping to field projects;
• Participate on multi-disciplinary teams, and/or leads working groups/teams collaborates with other departments and agencies on work groups and committees and promotes best practices;
• Support the implementation of the projects’ Inclusive value chain development in Oromia and SNNP in consistent with the project documents and contribute to the monitoring and evaluation against deliverables;
• Assist the Agribusiness team in monitoring of annual work plans in accordance to the project plans;
• Provide required assistance to the Agribusiness team to foster close collaboration with Government institutions (in particular with the federal Ministry of Agriculture and with regional bodies in Oromia and SNNP) and with development partners;
• Contribute to the preparation of reports in accordance with FAO and donor’s requirements;
• Assist the Agribusiness team to prepare Letters of Agreements ( LoA) and Contract documents with partner organizations and ensure that contractual terms are met, especially with respect to timing and quality of deliverables;
• Contribute to the support for development of knowledge products, including analytical works and practical tools, related to the projects and other agribusiness and agro-industry initiatives;
• Provide required technical assistance to the Agribusiness Team to promote knowledge sharing and best practices at meetings and conferences, and interacts with international and national partners;
• Participate in multidisciplinary teams such as the Steering Committee and the technical Task Force for the Integrated Agro-Industrial Parks (IAIP) initiative;
• Maintain close communication with other project consultants to ensure that all components and activities are interlinked;
• Assist the Agribusiness team to ensure coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and with other development partners in Ethiopia; and
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Candidates should be national of Ethiopia;
• University degree in agriculture, agricultural development, agricultural economics, or closely related field;
• Five years of relevant experience in the fields of agribusiness, rural development, value chains, support to producers’ organizations, and market linkages development;
• Working knowledge of English;

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work (cooperatives development, access to finances, small scale farmers market linkages), particularly in field positions
• Extent and relevance of experience in technical fields related to agribusiness and value chain development
• Extent and relevance of knowledge of development of agro-industrial parks in emerging countries e.g. IAIP initiative in Ethiopia
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with government officials, development partners and other stakeholders in Ethiopia
• Demonstrated capacity to write technical reports in English

Selection Criteria

• Extent and relevance of experience in technical fields related to agribusiness, agro-industry and value chain development
• Familiarity to work with UN agencies in general and FAO similar assignment, Government and other partners; Ability to work under pressure and willingness to travel frequently to rural areas of Ethiopia (Sidama SNNPR and Oromia)Quality of both oral and written communication skills

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
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.