Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, May 24, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
National Project Personnel – Agribusiness Specialist
Organizational Setting
The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
Under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF), FAO in Zambia has collaborated with the European Union, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) to implement a 4.5-year program on Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ). The project focuses on building demonstrable synergies between research and promotion of appropriate sustainable agriculture intensification practices.

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Specifically, The Agribusiness Strategy Of The SIFAZ Project Will Achieve The Following
As part of the activities for the SIFAZ project, an agribusiness strategy is put in place to establish economically viable, cost effective and cooperative based business models to sustainably allow smallholder farmers continued practicing of SIPs.
• To facilitate organisation of smallholder farmers into effective groups that can effectively participate in selected farming value chains for selected crops
• To facilitate smallholder farmer and community level availability and access to critical inputs for ensuring farmer practice of recommended SIP packages
• To facilitate effective partnerships between smallholder farmer groups and small to medium enterprises that undertake input and output marketing for selected crops and services by smallholder farmers
Reporting Lines
The Agribusiness Specialist will work under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative in Zambia and directly reports to the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). The incumbent will work in close collaboration with implementing partners from Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), NGOs and relevant FAO technical units in headquarters, at regional level (RAF) and sub-regional level (Sub regional Office for Southern Africa (SFS) and in close collaboration with Administrative and technical units in FAO Zambia.
Technical Focus
The incumbent will support development of a Partnership Framework for linking smallholder farmers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). This activity is part of the of the implementation of Agribusiness Strategy of the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) project.
Tasks And Responsibilities
Provision of operational services to implementation of the SIFAZ program
• In collaboration with the SIFAZ technical team, outline information-packaging needs highlighting smallholder farmer’s agribusiness performance critical for SME decision making and linkage. Such information packaging to highlight scope, content and frequency of information taking into account the SIFAZ information management framework already in place and the smallholder farmers business plans
• Contribute to the support for development of agribusiness knowledge products, including analytical work and practical tools, related to the project agribusiness initiatives; promote knowledge sharing and best practices at meetings and conferences, and interacts national partners
• Facilitate engagement of provincial and district SMDOs, Cooperative Inspectors and DMDOs to identify key milestones, cooperative preparedness and partnership with SMEs. The focus is to ensure the provincial marketing team has clear plan for private sector engagement and facilitation of farmer and SME partnership. This will include supporting provincial and district teams to organize and undertake smallholder farmer and SME partnership facilitation events
• Facilitate in consultative process to identify and engage potential SMEs operating in farmer locations targeted by the project (identified at national, provincial and district level) to partner with farmer cooperatives in produce off taking, financing, input provision and mechanization needs for smallholder farmers. This will include identification of SMEs relative to the functional collaboration required by the project (off taking, financing, mechanization, etc)
• Support drafting and negotiating of partnership framework involving smallholder farmers, the SIFAZ project and identified private sector (SMEs). This framework to clearly outline the key contribution of each stakeholder (smallholder farmers, the SIFAZ project, the Private Sector) into the partnership and key commitments to be upheld by each stakeholder to ensure the successful management of the partnership. This activity will include highlighting key requirements for each of the SME category (off taking, financing, mechanization, etc)
• Support any other activities critical to ensuring that the agribusiness strategy of the SIFAZ project is responsive to successful partnering of smallholder farmers and SMEs

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against the Following,
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in public or business administration, finance, accounting, economics, social sciences or other fields related to the FAO mandate;
• At least Five years of relevant experience in project management/operations and support;
• Working knowledge of the English language [ie. spoken and written]
• Should be a Zambian National
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FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills
• Extent and relevance of experience in supporting, advising and guiding the implementation of complex, multi-stakeholder projects;
• Ability to develop plans for the implementation and coordination of project operations in developing countries, in partnership with UN agencies, NGOs and other concerned actors;
• Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project formulation, analysis, planning and implementation
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset;
• Extent of experience in formulation, implementation and monitoring of projects;
• Familiarity with UN administrative, operational and financial procedures is an asset.
Additional Information
• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org
• 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. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required. Vaccination status will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
• 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

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Job application procedure
To apply for this job please visit jobs.fao.org

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