National Specialist on Breeding and Novel Crops

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 sustainably. FAO has provided policy and technical assistance in promoting sustainable development of the country’s agriculture and rural sectors. More recently, the interventions have been focused on policy advice, capacity building and planning for increasing agricultural productivity and improvements to forestry. Another key area of cooperation is the development of sustainable small-scale agriculture based on agro-ecological and climate-smart approaches. The post is home-based with partial presence at the FAO Representation in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran). All FAO-Iran employees shall follow the UN workweek (from Sunday to Thursday) and holiday schedule.

Reporting Lines

The Specialist reports to FAO Representative to the I.R. Iran, the Project Operations Officer and the Lead Technical Officer.

Technical Focus

• Agriculture (Breeding and Novel crops)

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative to the I.R. Iran, direct supervision of the Project Operations Officer and technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer, in close contact with the other FAO colleagues and in collaboration with the Deputy Minster Agronomy Department, Ministry of Agriculture Jahad, the incumbent will perform the following tasks and duties:

• Attend the stakeholders’ meetings and workshops to present and discuss the outputs of the studies and the draft strategies formulated.
• Prepare a summary (two pages for each) of 10 good practices on breeding and novel crops.
• Organize a study tour for the relevant authorities and experts to learn from the experiences of other countries on development and implementation of policies and strategies on dryland agriculture.
• Provide technical guidance for demonstration farms in the project targeted areas to act as an exemplary site.
• Draft and produce training materials for best practices of climate smart crop production including sustainable cropping pattern
• In collaboration with the project’s technical team, assist with the co-design of suitable interventions for the project’s pilot site.
• Provide assistance to Service Provider to evaluate the newly introduced cultivars within the project pilot sites and advice for their suitability in future cultivations and upscaling the cropping area.
• Prepare the list of the crop management tasks that should be done at project pilot sites.
• Prepare the project's output level documents and contribute to reports mentioned in the project document including ad-hoc progress and the final report.
• Report the outcomes of the work at the workshop/meetings to increase the awareness of stakeholders on the tools/solutions available to preserve and sustainably manage agriculture practices.
• Perform any other tasks as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, ecology, or other related fields as appropriate for the specific profile.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in sustainable monitoring, rehabilitation, and management of agriculture practices.
• Working knowledge of English and Persian.
• National of Iran or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge and familiarity with institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks of national entities.
• Ability to interact tactfully and effectively with multiple institutional actors in diverse sectors and at diverse levels, to communicate messages and to promote dialogue.
• Experience in developing scenarios and plans in the area of technical expertise.
• Experience in capacity needs assessment and design and delivery of trainings/capacity development programmes including hands-on coaching.
• Proven capacity to conduct fieldwork and the ability to work in teams and establish working relationships central and local government institutions and civil society organizations.
• Good command of computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet).
• Excellent knowledge of and working experience with government institutions at all levels.
• Capacity to draft concise and strategic documents.