Socio-Economic Specialist

Organizational Setting

In line with the Organization’s Strategic Objectives and United Nations’ global and Government of Egypt’s national Sustainable Development Goals, the main aim of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) Representation in Egypt, which is headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist the Government of Egypt to develop policies, programmes and projects to improve food security and nutrition, promote sustainable agricultural development, reduce rural poverty, develop inclusive agri-food systems and strengthen livelihood resilience of vulnerable communities. FAO Egypt is currently in the launch phase for a rural development project that targets the smallholder farmer households in selected Haya Karima villages in Assiut, Sohag and Qena Governorates. Through the upscaling of tested and validated modern irrigation techniques, climate-smart water management (CSWM) practices, land use consolidation, good agricultural practices (GAP) and enhancement of strategic crops value chains, the project will work towards achieving increased crop yields per unit of irrigation water used over time and improving food security and income generation for small scale producers. The selected candidate for this role will be based in one of FAO intervention governorates in Southern Egypt (Assiut, Sohag and Qena). She/he will work closely with the governorate coordinator, the national project coordinator based in FAO Egypt in Cairo, project beneficiaries, government and non-government agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure the project's objectives are met.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of FAOR-EGY, the direct supervision of the project coordinator, the chief technical advisor, the technical senior land and water officer located in Cairo-based FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa (FAO-RNE) and in close collaboration with the governorate coordinator, FAO country office and project personnel as well as Government counterparts and all stakeholders.

Technical Focus

The Socio-economic Specialist will be responsible for implementing the socioeconomics related activities of the project within the assigned jurisdiction and provide recommendations on how the project can be improved to maximize its impact on the target beneficiaries. She/he will ensure monitoring of project progress is conducted as per the project reporting requirements. The selected candidate will carry out the following tasks:

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Support in the implementation of required assessments in the assigned governorate to identify the major constraints to irrigation modernization, crop productivity and issues related to access to inputs, markets, and financing. • Ensure that the socio-economic activities within the target region is implemented as per agreed work plan details and timelines. • Support development of Letters of Agreement for implementation of project activities in the area of responsibility and monitor implementation including timely reporting. • Collaborate with the communications team to ensure proper documentation of project activities, events and successes. • Support the strengthening of partnership and linkages with public and private institutions that generate relevant information and technologies related to the establishment and enhancement of income generating activities. • Support the preparation of quality and timely briefs and reports on in the area of responsibility for internal and external use for clearance by the governorate coordinator. • Liaise with M&E team and implementing partners to conduct relevant assessments to gather feedback and comments to support programme reviews and improve delivery. • Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of different interventions proposed by the project stakeholders to enhance crop productivity, value addition interventions, capacity building of key actors in the supply chains of interest and market linkages. • Provide guidance and advice to beneficiaries and other stakeholders on issues related to agricultural productivity and sustainable agriculture. • Collaborate with local organizations and stakeholders to develop and implement agricultural projects that promote sustainable agriculture and enhance productivity. • Ensure that gender is mainstreamed within all project activities. • Conduct a risk assessment to identify potential risks associated with the project interventions and develop mitigation measures. • Provide recommendations to beneficiaries on the most effective elements to include in a feasibility study to ensure maximum benefits potential impacts and minimal risks. • Contribute to regular and terminal project reporting by providing field data and lessons gathered from the fields during project implementation. • Provide guidance to farmers on how to reduce post-harvest losses and maximize the use of agricultural wastes thorough ides/projects for transformation into valuable secondary products. • Prepare reports, briefings, and other written materials on socioeconomic issues related to agriculture.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• An advanced university degree in agriculture economics, Agribusiness Developments, social sciences, agriculture sciences, Agricultural Statistics, economics or statistics or other related fields. • At least 5 years of experience in similar functions designing, implementing and reporting on socio-economic activities. • Working knowledge of English. • National of Egypt or a legal resident in the country.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governemental bodies and multi-disciplinary teams. • Excellent organizational and analytical skills. • Experience in report writing and data analysis. • Computer literacy in standard office software and proficiency in project management tools and software.