Investment Operations Specialist

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

The Investment Centre Division (CFI) promotes investment in food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing in developing countries and countries in transition, assisting governments and country stakeholders, main development partners, in particular international financing institutions with the strategic planning and implementation of their investments to achieve food security and nutrition, make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more sustainable and productive, reduce rural poverty, make food value chains more efficient and inclusive and promote climate change adaptation and/or mitigation.

CFI is a multidisciplinary division composed of four regionally focused services, namely Eastern, Central and Southern Africa Service, Asia and the Pacific Service, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean Service, and Near East, North Africa and West Africa Service.

The purpose of this call is to provide FAO’s Investment Centre (CFI) with a list of qualified candidates for a number of profiles with different specializations as indicated below. The contract can be home based with required travel for field missions.

Requested Profiles (or Job Titles):

Agribusiness, Agri-processing and Value Chain Specialist
Agriculture Specialist
Animal Husbandry, Health, Feed, and Processing Specialist
Capacity Development and Extension Specialist
Climate Change and Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist
Climate Finance Specialist
Credit and Rural Finance Specialist
Digital Agriculture Specialist
Economist – Agricultural Economist
Expenditure Review Specialist
Fisheries and Aquaculture Specialist
Food Safety Specialist
Food Security and Nutrition Specialist
Forestry Specialist
Gender, Youth and Social Inclusion Specialist
Impact Assessment Specialist
Information and Communication Technology and MIS Specialist
Institutional Development Specialist
Irrigation Engineer
Knowledge Development Specialist
Land Tenure and Land Tenure Information Management Specialist
Livestock Specialist
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Natural Resources and Environmental Management Specialist
On-farm Water Management Specialist
Project Management Specialist
Quality Label Specialist
Remote Sensing and GIS Specialist
Resilience and Emergency Specialist
Rural Area Water Supply Specialist
Rural Infrastructure Specialist / Cold-storage Specialist
Rural Sociologist and Community-Driven Development
Veterinarian / One Health Specialist / Zoonotic disease

Reporting Lines

The Investment Operations Specialist will work under the overall technical supervision of the Service Chief and the direct supervision of a CFI Officer, in close collaboration with the FAO Representation in the relevant country of assignment.

Technical Focus

Provision of technical advice or expertise and capacity development for (i) provision of policy advice to member countries in collaboration with IFI partners; (ii) the design of investment operations, in collaboration with country stakeholders and cooperating partners, to mobilize resources for food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation; and (ii) implementation support and evaluation of investment operations, in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Tasks and responsibilities

Lead, or participate in, multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification, assessment and preparation of investment operations in the fields of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, and participate in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions.
Lead, or participates in, multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment operations.
Advise governments, or provide technical expertise, in the preparation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation studies and strategies, and in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment plans and programmes. ( only for Consultants)
Advise on developing, or support the development, of inclusive and sustainable food systems, involving producers, their organizations, other private sector actors, civil society organizations and government.
Lead the formulation, or formulate, and delivers monitoring and evaluation, communication and capacity development strategies and activities in the areas of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations.
Prepare reports in accordance with government and financing partners’ requirements.
Promote international cooperation and collaboration leading to new investment opportunities and cooperative agreements, advocates best practices and effective policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international meetings.
Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

University degree in economics, agricultural economics, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, agribusiness management, natural resource management, irrigation and drainage engineering, rural infrastructure engineering, communication, social sciences, international relations or a related field as appropriate for the specific profile
From one to fifteen years of relevant experience in conducting agricultural/rural sector/subsector analytical studies, and/or in planning, design, supervision of agricultural and rural investment operations, including elaboration of feasibility studies and implementation of agricultural and rural investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition
Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian (for consultants). Working knowledge of English, French, Spanish, Arabic or Russian (for PSAs).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Extent and relevance of experience in leading, or participating in, multidisciplinary teams for the preparation of strategies and sector studies as well as formulation, implementation support or evaluation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investment operations
Extent and relevance of experience in food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation analytical studies and programme evaluation
Extent and relevance of experience in investment design, implementation support and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners, in particular the World Bank, the International Funds for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Extent and relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investments
Demonstrated experience in dealing with government officials, development partners and other country level stakeholders;
Relevance of experience in different geographical areas.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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