National Project Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) is located in Apia, Samoa and covers 14 Pacific Island countries. The project “Reducing COVID-19 Related Food Insecurity in the Pacific Region” is funded by the Government of Canada for a two-year period and includes five Pacific island countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Niue, Palau, Solomon Islands).

The project includes the following components:

Outcome 1: Enhanced COVID-19 impact analysis, including rapid gender analysis to identify gender gaps, to inform gender-sensitive national and regional response plans, strategies, policies and actions.

Outcome 2: Strengthened household gender-sensitive agriculture production and resources management for more resilient to disasters in the selected countries.

Outcome 3: Strengthened national and regional coordination on gender-sensitive food security and agriculture in the Pacific.

Reporting Lines

The National Project Specialist will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator (SRC) for the Pacific and will directly report to the Project Manager of “Reducing COVID-19 Related Food Insecurity in the Pacific Region” project. He/she will also liaise closely with the project’s Lead Technical Officer (LTO), the FAO Emergency and Resilience Expert, regional Pacific Food Security Cluster Coordinator and other technical, operational and administrative colleagues.

Technical Focus

The role of the National Project Specialist is to ensure the effective implementation of the project activities in Niue, utilising effectively the resources and inputs of the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Project Specialist will have the following tasks and responsibilities:

• Prepare a detailed work plan for the project activities in Niue in close collaboration with national counterparts and guidance from the Project Officer and LTO. • Contribute to the identification of potential consultants and contractors • Contribute to the drafting and review of the terms of reference for consultants and contractors, Letters of Agreements, and service contracts • Advise on technical specifications for procurement of equipment, inputs and materials. • Organise, facilitate and/or attend national meetings, forums and workshops. • Monitor progress of project activities and outputs in Niue and alert the project team to potential problems which could delay implementation. • Provide inputs for communication pieces related to the project. • Maintain regular coordination and communication with project partners’ personnel in charge of project activities. • Prepare high quality narrative progress reports, utilising inputs from project partners and stakeholders. • Provide regular oral and written updates to the Project Manager and LTO, as well as to the SAP SRC, SAP programme team, Emergency and Resilience Expert and Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) on project progress, upon request. • Provide technical guidance and support to the international and national experts, government counterparts and project partners in the implementation of activities and in carrying out their terms of reference related to the project. • Conduct regular field missions within Niue to monitor and ensure smooth implementation of project activities and provide assistance to the implementation and training activities at the country level, as required. • Any other duties required to support a successful implementation of the project in Niue. • Any other duties as relevant and requested by supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum requirements

Candidates will be assessed based on the following criteria. • Degree in International Development Studies, Food Security, Agriculture, Fisheries, Gender Studies, Economics, Political Sciences, or other relevant field. • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the development sector. Experience in managing or coordinating development projects or components financed by international organizations would be a plus. • Excellent oral and written skills in English. • National of Niue.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical functional skills

• Experience in supporting or managing projects in a field related to food security, including agriculture, fisheries, nutrition and/or livelihoods. • Competency and experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs and donors. • Ability to travel frequently within Niue to project sites.

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
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/