Organizational Setting

For more than four decades, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines

The National Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist reports to the National Technical Assistance Coordinator (Climate Change Adaptation Specialist) and will work under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative of the Philippines.

Technical Focus

FAO in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) will be implementing a seven-year Green Climate Fund (GCF) project entitled “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change” (APA project). APA aims to increase the resilience of rural men and women who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods in areas vulnerable to climate change while transforming the country agriculture toward climate resilience. This will be achieved through improved capacity of farmers to develop Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) enterprises and adopt financially and economically viable CRA practices, and of the government & private sectors to build supporting systems for scaling up. The project aims to directly benefit 1.25 million farmers and indirectly reach another 5.0 million people across 9 provinces in 5 regions in the Philippines.

The project will be executed by DA and PAGASA through FAO Operational Partners Implementation Modality (OPIM) and FAO Philippines providing technical assistance to achieve its objective and expected outcomes.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will undertake the following tasks and duties:

•    Develop a comprehensive plan for monitoring and evaluating the project’s progress and impact and its learning agenda.
•    Contribute to the development of the project analytical plan and tools including but not limited to the design and implementation of baseline, mid and endline surveys.
•    Work closely with the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) team to ensure Environment and Social Management Framework, Gender and IP Action Plan become part of the project MEAL framework
•    Provide training and coaching for project field staff on MEAL
•    Ensure timely collection of data on project activities and outcomes, and analysis of this data to assess and report on the project’s progress, results and impacts.
•    Regularly reports on the project’s progress to the project team and other stakeholders.
•    Based on their analysis of the data, provide recommendations for improving the project’s implementation and outcomes.
•    Ensure that all M&E activities comply with the donor’s and FAO requirements.
•    Coordinate the planning and implementation of midterm and final evaluations of the project. This includes working with FAO OED and GCF in developing evaluation methodologies, selecting and managing external evaluators (if needed), and ensuring that the evaluations are conducted in a timely and rigorous manner.
•    Perform routine spot checks and field visits to assess the project’s progress and identify any potential risks or issues. These activities should be guided by the project’s risk management plan, which outlines the key risks and mitigation measures for the project
•    Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree in Economics, Development Economics, Agriculture, Agriculture Economics, and other related fields
•    At least seven (7) years of work professional and practical experience in monitoring and reporting and evaluation of development projects
•    Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
•    National of the Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•    General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point).
•    Familiarity with FAO operational procedures is an advantage
•    In line with FAO policy, commitment to placing accountability to people affected by disaster framework at the core of FAO’s emergency policy and practice, from preparedness up to the onset of an emergency in all phases of the programme cycle

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION