National Project Mid-term Review Expert

Organizational Setting

FAO’s approach to development assistance in Mindanao focuses on supporting the rehabilitation of agriculture and fisheries-based livelihoods, accelerating agriculture-based enterprises and increasing access to sustainable energy, and resilience to risk in municipalities affected by natural disasters and conflict. FAO interventions will include, among others:

• Introduction of various productivity enhancing technologies to improve household incomes and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

• Technical assistance to government in reviewing existing policies that promote equitable agribusiness venture arrangements between farmers and agribusiness firms and capacity building activities for farmers that are anchored on the value chain approach.

• Capacity building on enterprise development and agribusiness that will allow farmers, fisherfolk and local government units to maximize potential market opportunities.

• Restoring and increasing the productivity of agriculture and fisheries-based livelihoods of smallholder farmers and marginalized fishers, decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their families

Enhancing the competitiveness of farm households, particularly women, to establish and manage microenterprises

• Facilitating the establishment of agribusiness enterprises with production-market contract agreements or similar arrangements

Reporting Lines

The National Project Mid-term Review Expert/Team Leader will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and Assistant FAO Representative for Programme, and direct supervision of the Mindanao Emergency Preparedness and Response Group Team Leader.

Technical Focus

FAO has been implementing various projects in Mindanao which are guided by the FAO Mindanao Strategic Programme for Agriculture/Agribusiness and an emergency/rehabilitation project for Marawi City and other affected municipalities. The MSPAA strategies for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are in line with the Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP, 2015) which FAO has also provided technical assistance in crafting the Economy and Livelihood component of the BDP. FAO will provide support to BARMM Ministries in areas related to our technical fields of expertise, including provision of technical support to the sectoral planning, capacity building for officials and local extension workers, and the development/implementation of socioeconomic packages and job generation/quick impact agricultural and environmental livelihood interventions for affected population and combatants.

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Project Mid-term Review Expert/Team Leader will coordinate the MTR team’s activities, ensure that the methodology foreseen in the ToR is fully implemented and organize the division of labour within the team according to respective areas of expertise.

The National Project Mid-term Review Expert/Team Leader will carry out the following tasks:

1. Review relevant background documentation made available by FAOPH and the project team, including the project document, the project’s log frame, progress and final reports, workshop and technical reports, among others as listed in the MTR ToR;
2. Review and complement the methodology described in the ToRs, contribute to the preparation of data collection tools, including questionnaires, checklists and interview protocols as appropriate;
3. Coordinate preparation and drafting of the MTR Inception Report, including an MTR matrix, and insofar as possible, participate to the finalization of the team’s work programme;
4. Lead and coordinate the collection of primary data by the MTR team through, inter alia, interviews and meetings, face to face or virtual, with FAO concerned officers in FAOPH, and during the field visit, with the as well as the project coordination unit, government agencies and other key stakeholders as described in the ToR for the MTR;
5. Coordinate the collection of primary data by the MTR team during the field visits and relevant secondary data, according to the methodology presented in the overall ToR for the MTR and detailed in the Inception Report;
6. Lead the analysis and discussion of evidence collected during the MTR within the MTR team to identify key findings and preliminary conclusions that answer all MTR issues and questions, as well as to formulate preliminary recommendations in line with findings. Ensure that all the findings are sufficiently triangulated and validated;
7. Lead, coordinate and prepare all deliverables planned in the MTR ToR, according to specifications provided in the ToRs;
8. Coordinate the participation and contribution of team members in all deliverables as required;
9. Present the preliminary MTR findings to key stakeholders as required;
10. Prepare the first and second drafts of MTR report, integrate comments received as appropriate from the FAOR, other FAO staff and government agency staff and other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate; and
11. Lead on the finalization of the MTR report with inputs from other members of the MTR team as needed.

Minimum Requirements

• The candidate must have an Advanced University Degree in Agriculture Economics, Rural Development, Economics or related fields
• The candidate should have at least 10 years practical experience in strategic planning, programming, or results review/monitoring and evaluation related to Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Natural Resources Management, Peace and Development
• A national of the Philippines or with a regular working permit in the Philippines.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Project and process management, with technical understanding on development of agriculture and agribusiness as strategy for poverty reduction and promotion of inclusive growth
• Project and program evaluation, review of agriculture, value chain development, gender and conflict-sensitive programming is an asset
• Language requirement: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• He/she must have intermediate to advance computer skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point