Senior Project Specialist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the country offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), that are headed by a FAO Representative, is to assist the Government 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. A long history of collaboration between Guyana and FAO has served to promote sustainable agrifood systems and contribute to hunger and poverty alleviation in the country. Cooperation has increased since the reopening of FAO’s country office in 2009, with a growing emphasis on technical and policy assistance as well as capacity building, advocacy, and knowledge exchange.
In 2016, the Government of Guyana requested FAO to implement jointly with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), the (GCP/GUY/003/GRI) Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Development and Management (SLDM) Project, investing in institutional capacity development, provision of technical assistance, and focusing on land administration, governance of tenure and sustainable land management as a basis for resilient land use/agrifood systems.

Reporting Lines

The Senior Project Specialist reports to the FAO Representative in Guyana and the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in FAO Headquarters, ESP Division.

Technical Focus

The Senior Project Specialist will be responsible for the overall planning, daily management, leadership and technical support and coordination of all the remaining activities of the SLDM Project, in close consultation with the national project coordinator, designated by the Government and guided by the Commissioner of GLSC, so as to achieve timely delivery of all project outputs /results with special focus on Outcome 3 and the Next Generation Lease Management System (NGLMS), guided by a national Project Steering Committee. The incumbent will be supported by FAO Country Representation and a cross-disciplinary Project Task Force comprising experts from FAO Regional and Sub-regional offices and FAO Headquarters.

Tasks and Responsibilities

•    Plan, execute and monitor implementation of all project activities based on the signed project document and results framework, through close consultation with the national project coordinator and supported by a team of consultants and the FAO task force members in regional offices and FAO Headquarters.
•    Develop the workplan and the budget for the project extension with the national team and FAO task force members to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery of expected outputs that, are duly endorsed by the project steering committee.
•    Review relevant documents, supervise consultants and monitor progress in implementing the project workplan, identifying problems and issues to be addressed and initiating corrective actions, in close liaison with the national project coordinator and relevant parties (stakeholders, partners).
•    Organize regular and scheduled meetings of the Project Steering Committee and the follow up and implementation of its recommendations and decisions; as well as ad hoc meetings between FAO Representative/Budget Holder, the GLSC Commissioner and the LTO as needed to address issues arising.
•    Share project progress reports and plans and facilitate workshops with policy and technical staff of GLSC and partner agencies at national and decentralised levels, supported by FAO consultants/experts, and as required, organize other interactive sessions (webinars, seminars, training) to support project implementation with stakeholders.
•    Organize meetings during technical missions of FAO task force members and/or VC/skype discussions with GLSC staff and national institutional focal points as required to support project implementation.
•    Participate in meetings of FAO-Guyana and GLSC for information exchange and synergies across projects and programmes.
•    Provide substantive backstopping to the project in his/her area of expertise including supporting consultations, training sessions with partners, etc., (agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of technical documents and presentations, development and follow up of recommendations.
•    Develop two project implementation reports (3 months after on-boarding and three months before project closure [NTE date]) and prepare the SLDM Terminal Report to document/report on the progress and results in implementing project activities including problems arising and how they are being addressed, backed up by consultants’ reports, products such as manuals, guidelines and research and analysis of information gathered from relevant sources.
•    Support the organization and conduct of field missions by consultants and FAO staff members, together with government officials and other parties, providing technical supervision/guidance and facilitating execution of training workshops, seminars, backed up by task force members.
•    Manage the project on a daily basis with the national project coordinator through the development of partnerships inter-institutional coordination, development and monitoring of Letters of Agreement with contracted parties and planning and execution of surveys and analysis of findings, as appropriate.
•    Oversee the development of outreach and communication activities, to ensure visibility of the project and promote sharing of project reports and results and lessons learned in consultation with stakeholders.
•    Ensure continuous project monitoring and reporting in line with FAO procedures, development of the participatory M&E plan and process with stakeholders including periodic visits to project sites, advise to partner agencies to mitigate risks, and the conduct of the final evaluation missions.
•    Coordinate activities related to project budget management, project revisions and financial analysis and reporting including through annual progress reports and financial statements for clearance through the FAO Representative for submission to the World Bank using agreed reporting formats.
•    Ensure sustainability of the M&E system activities after the end of the project, to enable long-term impact assessment.
•    Perform other relating duties to the assignment.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING 

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in a discipline relevant to land administration, land management and development, geography, governance of tenure, land/ agricultural planning and/or natural resources management, or other related disciplines
•    At least ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in project management/operations and support preferably in one or more of the above technical fields.
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English

FAO Core Competencies

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

Selection Criteria

•    Limited knowledge (level B) of Spanish is considered an asset.
•    Availability to work in Georgetown, Guyana full time and to travel within the country to relevant meetings in the Region(s) for information exchange.
•    Relevance of experience in Implementation of Land Administration Systems and working with multiple stakeholders.
•    Extent and relevance of experience of technical assistance provision to field projects on land administration.
•    Proven ability to redact clear and concise technical reports.
•    Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary team and including multiple partners.
•    Familiarity with FAO or other UN agency policies, administrative and financial procedures is considered a strong asset.