Youth Engagement and Green Jobs Facilitator

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing the Green Jobs for Rural Youth Employment" (GCP/INT/390/ROK) project in Zimbabwe’s 6 districts of Chegutu, Chimanimani, Kariba, Kwekwe, Marondera and Mazowe. This is a 4.5-year project (2019-2024), with two overall objectives, including (1) the provision of green jobs for rural youth and (2) supporting the government in its transition to the green economy by utilizing the full potential of the agriculture sector and rural areas. Across the identified districts, rural youth have been selected to participate in the project. Selected youth have undergone soft and sector-specific training and are engaged under the Green Entrepreneurship Track (GET) while others are engaged in the Wage Employment Programme (WEP). The latter consists of a waged employment opportunity for two years, where youth are provided with a monthly salary. On the other hand, under GET rural youths are provided with grants to finance youth-led green agribusiness startups in rural areas of Zimbabwe. Towards the end of the project, challenges and best practices will be widely disseminated among various stakeholders. The project results will be also used for developing national strategies for youth employment, agricultural and rural development, and transition to the Green Economy.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative for Zimbabwe, direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative-Programme and technical oversight of the National Project Coordinator. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with technical officers in the country office and in HQ.

Technical Focus

The facilitator will provide all necessary support and contribute to the promotion of decent employment and entrepreneurship for rural youth, including policy support knowledge development, youth engagement and communication, research and analysis of information, data and statistics, and the maintenance and updating of related tools, methodologies, and/or databases to support the delivery of the expected Green Jobs for Rural Youth Employment project objectives in Zimbabwe.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following tasks: • Facilitate communication channels and liaison with youths involved in Wage Employment Programmes (WEP) and Green Entrepreneurship Track (GET) via WhatsApp, e-mail, and other platforms; • Liaise with the mentors A and B to ensure a proper coordination between them for the effective delivery of the mentorship support to youth beneficiaries to achieve the expected impact; • With regards to the Green Entrepreneurship Track, assess compliance of information and documents shared by youth and mentors to ensure they meet requirements within the grant agreements; • Support the development, clearance, and signature process of project documents and agreements in line with MS703 as well as provide information required for FAO administration to process Grant Agreements, financial procedures, such as grants and salary disbursement; • Assist project implementation through periodic compilation of lessons learnt for sharing with the various programme management structures and stakeholders; • Collaborate with national youth groups, youth-focused organizations, and other organisations implementing similar youth employment and entrepreneurship-related activities in rural areas and participate in youth employment-related meetings with relevant stakeholders and partners; • Provide logistical support as required by the projects, including organizing missions, workshops and other relevant events, and actively participating in meetings and joint monitoring mission to the project sites in the country; • Communicating and liaising with relevant line ministries, research institutions, the local partners and participating youths in tracking the progress of the project, and reporting to the project team accordingly; • Monitor and regularly update the GJ4RYE WEP and GET database; • Assist with the processing of LoA payments, Purchase Requisitions (PRs), and other administrative and operational tasks such as the organization of green jobs related events and the facilitation of mission requests (e.g., ToRs, TAs, etc).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in international development, public administration, business administration, environmental studies, economics, agricultural, agribusiness, development studies, social sciences, or other related fields • 2 years of relevant work experience in green jobs (green economy), agricultural policy, agricultural business models, rural development, decent rural employment and youth employment issues or international development • Working knowledge (Level C) of English and of Shona • National of Zimbabwe

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, particularly in research and monitoring is desirable • Depth of experience with relevant approaches for promoting youth engagement on issues related to youth employment and entrepreneurship in agri-food value chains, both on farm and non-farm employment; • Familiarity with UN administrative, operational and financial procedures is an asset. • Knowledge of research methods, including statistical software; • Experience in working in multidisciplinary and multi-cultural teams; • Basic research skills (literature review, search and summary, etc.) • Excellent command of Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, Teams and others).

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.