Technical Coordinator

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Project anagers currently implementing a number of projects and is looking to recruit an experienced Technical Coordinator to be responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the project. The Technical Coordinator is expected to lead a project team consisting of national technical experts and consultants in addition to short-term international consultants. The Technical Coordinator will be responsible for the overall planning, coordination of project’ activities, implementation and monitoring of project results. Accordingly, the Technical Coordinator will be working closely with the Programme, Operations and Administration Units at the FAO Representation in Lebanon and will be collaborating with the National Project Coordinator (NPC) and the Project Steering Committee (PSC).

Reporting Lines

The Technical Coordinator will perform his/her tasks under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Lebanon and working under the direct and technical supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) / Liaison and Resilience Officer FAO Representative in Lebanon, the overall technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer of the project, in close collaboration with the concerned technical divisions at FAO headquarters.

Technical Focus

Project management, coordination.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Adequately and effectively manage, coordinate and monitor all project activities in line with FAO rules and regulations, through work planning, budget management, recruitment of consultants, procurement of goods and services, monitoring and evaluation and follow-up with project partners to ensure all activities are implemented in accordance with the project logframe; • Collaborate with FAO units and project partners, including the National Project Coordinator, for the effective and timely planning and implementation of project activities, liaise with concerned project stakeholders, and make the necessary arrangements and alignments for the successful and timely implementation; • Prepare, review and keep updated detailed project work plan and project implementation plan, and follow up on the timely implementation of all activities; • Oversee and coordinate the smooth implementation of the project and ensure consistency among the various components of the project and related activities, as foreseen in the project document and log-frame; • Provide timely and manage appropriately FAO inputs foreseen as part of FAO contribution, in close relation with the FAOR/Budget Holder, the CTA/Liaison and Resilience Officer, and the LTO, for the optimum utilization of the budgetary resources in line with FAO rules and regulations; • Organize the project inception and coordination workshops; • Provide support to the Project Steering Committee under the coordination of the FAOR; • Organize and/or contribute to the organization of the Project Steering Committee and Technical Committee and other related project meetings; • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with officials from national government, development partners, and other organizations and project partner institutions; • Ensure that all meetings with project counterparts and external institutions/organizations are adequately minuted and that transmission of reports, documents, etc. are officially made to all those concerned; • Establish contacts and seek collaboration and synergies with other initiatives and activities within and outside FAO that are relevant to the project and its objectives; • Ensure a cost-effective use of the financial and human resources allocated to the project; • Monitor the project budget and prepare regular expenditure plans with support from FAO Operations Unit; • Prepare budget revision, when and if needed, in close collaboration with the FAO Operations Unit; • Support the FAO Operations Unit in preparing and submiting request of funds in a timely manner; • Support the recruitment of project consultants including preparation of Terms of Reference; • Oversee the work of and provide the necessary guidance to project consultants and personnel ensuring quality control and relevance of consultancy; and support to all consultants, and report on their performance; • Discuss, review, comment and provide preliminary clearance as appropriate to all technical reports and consultant reports prior to their transmission to concerned technical units for technical clearance; • Verify that all final documents (reports, technical documents, publications, etc.) produced by the project and its consultants be submitted to FAO in excellent English and in line with FAO’s official editorial guidelines; • Prepare project procurement plans and submit yearly procurement plans to the Procurement Unit; • Support the procurement process of all goods, works and services for the project, and in the preparation of tender documents, specifications, contracts and agreements for the outputs in the proposal that will be implemented in partnership with FAO contractors and service providers while ensuring compliance with both agencies corporate policies, criteria and procedures; • Review and update all lists of equipment and all non-expandable equipment, prior to their procurement, and ensure they are opportune and required; • Liaise with FAOR/budget holder, CTA/Liaison and Resilience Office, and LTO, as appropriate, for all operational matters and approval of expenditures; • Provide the necessary support to FAO backstopping technical officers and the FAO Representative; • Keep close contacts with the Lead Technical Office (LTO) and with concerned technical officers members of the Task Force, to obtain advice and orientation, and ensure that the recommendations relating to project activities made by technical backstopping officers are respected and implemented; • Liaise with relevant UN agencies, technical assistance projects and NGOs and prepare collaborative agreements as required and submit them to FAOR and LTO for approval; • Monitor project progress to ensure that the project time frame is met; • Liaise with FAO’s contractors and service providers and conduct field visits to monitor the implementation of project outputs across different regions in Lebanon; • Initiate regular dialogue with MOA to ensure alignment, address challenges and provide support; • Support monitoring and evaluation exercises, including reporting and contribute to project reviews and evaluations; • Inform promptly the FAOR, the CTA/Liaison and Resilience Officer, and the LTO of any difficulties or delays faced during the execution of project activities and propose viable solutions; • Support the FAO Communication Unit in preparing and submitting project communication plan and its implementation according to FAO rules and with the appropriate clearances from FAO; • Support the FAO Communication Unit in preparing information material to be distributed to concerned target groups, organizations and institutions; • Provide clearance as to the appropriateness of any translation undertaken by the project into Arabic or into English/French of any document and its readiness for printing (absence of any typos, grammatical mistake, errors in calculations, errors in references, appropriate use of images and of their digital formats for printing, etc.) including the conformity to official FAO editorial standards; • Ensure project visibility and regular communication with all project stakeholders and partners; • Attend regular meetings with keys stakeholders and partners as needed; • Participate in large and complex field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.; • Prepare regular progress reports as needed in line with FAO guidelines and donor requirements maintaining quality control; • Prepare draft terminal report summarizing achievements, challenges and lessons learnt, etc. in line with FAO guidelines and donor requirements; • Contribute to technical material or working documents prepared by FAO; • Perform any other related duties as may be required by FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced University degree in Agriculture Sciences, Agricultural Economics, Food Security, or other related fields; or University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses; • Minimum of seven years of relevant experience in management / coordination position in the agriculture and food security sectors; • Working knowledge of English and Arabic; • National of Lebanon.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work; • Extent and relevance of experience in project management and familiarity with the development of results frameworks project work plans and budget; • Extent and relevance of experience in agriculture development projects and similar projects; • Extent and relevance of experience with FAO and other UN agencies; • Extent and relevance of experience in collaborating with international and national experts and ability to work in a team and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds; • Ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts including host population, donors, NGOs and other UN agencies; • Extent and relevance of experience working with the Government agencies at the national level and regional level; • Extent and relevance of experience in working with a diverse group of stakeholders and develop consensus and joint working; • Extent and relevance of experience in facilitation and communication including high-level coordination and chairing of meetings; • Good analytical skills; • Good reporting skills; • Computer literacy of the Microsoft package; • Good team building and leadership skills; • Good organizational skills and ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under his/her supervision; • Understanding of the international humanitarian response architecture, including coordination mechanisms, humanitarian reform and action, and funding mechanisms; • Ability to undertake internal and external travels as may be required by FAO and project activities; • Experience in Social Sciences / Protection, and/or Environmental Sciences is an asset; • Resourcefulness; initiative, maturity of judgement, tact, and strong negotiating skills; • Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.