National Specialist on Project Implementation Support and Monitoring

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

FAO Sub-Regional Office for Central Asia (SEC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing strategies for addressing food security, agriculture and rural development priorities in the sub-region; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Organization’s technical assistance includes institution building, development of knowledge and competencies, and exchange of experience among countries facing the challenges of transition. The National Expert on Project Implementation Support and Monitoring will be assigned in Astana, Kazakhstan and will сontribute to the implementation of the GCP/KAZ/005/GFF “Kazakhstan Resilient Agroforestry and Rangeland Project” project. Reporting Lines

The National Specialist on Project Implementation Support and Monitoring for the GCP/KAZ/005/GFF project will be working under the overall supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) of the project, the direct operational supervision of the Investment Support Officer/OiC FAO Kazakhstan, and with the support of a GEF project implementation Specialist,

Technical Focus

The technical focus of the role involves comprehensive coordination and management of project activities to ensure their successful and timely implementation. This includes overseeing Operational Partners Implementation Modality (OPIM) partner activities, ensuring effective use of GEF resources in line with FAO and GEF policy requirements, and providing guidance to the national project team. The position involves developing communication protocols, preparing annual work plans, and managing the recruitment and procurement processes.

Tasks and responsibilities

Main tasks/outputs: • Support project and monitoring activities to ensure the successful and timely implementation of the project; • Support in supervising the Operational Partners Implementation Modality (OPIM) partner to ensure that GEF resources are effectively used for the intended purpose and in line with FAO and GEF policy requirements; • Support in providing management guidance to the national project team involved in activities executed by FAO side and OPIM partner team in ensuring successful implementation of project activities and day-to-day management of the project; • Support in coordinating OPIM partner’s reporting framework by establishing an effective communication protocols and procedures for sharing relevant information and updates at all project levels; • Support the preparation of the annual work plan (AWP) to outline the roles and responsibilities of the parties involved in the coordination effort to ensure timely delivery of project activities executed by FAO provide all requested support and oversight for implementation of the prepared workplan; • Support the preparation of TORs for recruitment, procurement and travel needs for project support and monitoring team provided by FAO; • Support the country office in overseeing the project activities` implementation where FAO acts as the executor as per the project documentation, ie. in contracting of the executing partner (OPIM partner); recruitment of international consultants to provide technical assistance related to the project activities; contracting of Service Providers and purchase of goods in accordance with AWPs; • Ensure that project activities align with the project targets and the needs of project beneficiaries; • Support the FAO Country Office (CO) in maintaining the regular progress reporting system on project activities and outcomes at the national level in accordance with FAO/GEF requirements, e.g. Six Month Progress Report, Mid-Term Evaluation, Project Implementation Report (PIR); • Support in financial management and reporting of the entire Project implementation; • Support in contributing to strengthening the collaboration between the national project’s stakeholders and regional/international partners to ensure smooth implementation and delivery of the project activities; • Support the field visits to project areas (sites) to work with the OPIM partner, national and international staff/consultants as well as the project stakeholders on the development of project interventions in alignment with the project targets; • Support with establishing effective working relationships with national stakeholders and partners to ensure smooth project implementation; • Collaborate with the LTO and project team to ensure coordination and coherence of technical aspects within the project.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree/ University degree/technical diploma/high school diploma in agricultural sciences or project management or other related fields • 7 years of relevant experience in the fields above • National of the country or a resident of the country with valid work permit • Working knowledge of English, Russian, and Kazakh • Effective use of standard office software (MS Office: Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point);

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Excellent communication skills, experience in working with and maintaining effective partnership with national and international stakeholders from the government and non-governmental sector, experience with working district/oblast government, national and international experts and local communities;