FAO: National Stakeholder Engagement and Liaison Specialist (2601292) – Apia

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. The FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) was established in 1996 in Samoa to coordinate the FAO work in the Pacific and covers 14 – Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Tokelau (one Associate Member). SAP is responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing programmes and projects to address food security, nutrition, agriculture, natural resources management, and rural development priorities, in which gender, climate change adaption, and anticipatory action are important cross-cutting issues. SAP develops and maintains relations with subregion wide institutions and entities.

Reporting Lines

The National Stakeholder Engagement Specialist will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator (SRC) for the Pacific and will directly report to the project’s Lead Technical Officer (LTO) / Natural Resource Officer and day to day supervision of the Technical Advisor. He/she will also liaise with other technical, operational and administrative Colleagues.

Technical Focus

The Stakeholder Engagement Specialist will lead the development and execution of the stakeholder engagement map and plan to ensure the success of all project activities. She/he will also provide support to and engagement with the project’s stakeholders, partners and participants, including with industry and government stakeholders to broaden awareness, support and engagement in the project activities. He/she will also work with professional service providers who bring specific expertise to the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Plan and develop, edit, review and support stakeholder engagement plan for the implementation of the Samoa Readiness Project.
• Work with FAO, Samoa Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Samoa Readiness Team to support project stakeholder engagement needs.
• Work with the SAP Communications Specialist to ensure messaging, outreach, contacts and materials align with stakeholder activities and interests.
• Work with the SAP Communications Specialist to ensure content shared in media inquiries, articles, interviews, press releases aligns with Samoa and FAO messaging and stakeholder activities and interests.
• Provide advice to the Technical Advisor on community relations.
• Work with third-party service providers to source strategic stakeholder engagement expertise to support project and corporate needs.
• Track and report on the actual performance relative to the stakeholder engagement plan.
• Lead the planning, review and development of different stakeholder engagement strategies and tactics.
• Operate the various existing tools and systems to manage stakeholder outreach.
• Assist in managing the growing stakeholder community including engagement, partner support and outreach.
• Ensure timely response and follow-up to stakeholder requests and inquiries.
• Plan, develop and execute various stakeholder surveys, using web, telephone and live data collection.
• Summarize and analyse the results to provide key findings and recommend suggestions, or action plans based on collected feedback.
• Identify follow-on project opportunities and referrals from the existing contact base and support meetings and events as required.
• Coordinate project stakeholder engagement activities, including with the Readiness Needs Assessment and Country Programme through both institutional communication and participatory approaches, including by effectively engaging local stakeholders, with a focus on young women and men, and apply participatory methods to facilitate the mobilization and equal participation of young women and men in project activities.
• Establish relationships with communication focal points of, and other stakeholders in the project”s area of intervention to facilitate inclusive and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
• Support the Liaison Assistant to coordinate communication between stakeholders, the NDA, relevant ministries and FAO SAP on development and finalisation of the Concept Note.
• Support the development of informational and communication materials in various formats, including audiovisual materials for social media, newsletters and other FAO institutional channels. Support the country office and the project team in identifying, documenting and disseminating results, success stories and learnings, including good practices and lessons learned from a gender perspective.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Agronomy, horticulture, agriculture engineering, or closely related field.
• Minimum of three years of proven experience in designing, building, and managing commercial hydroponic systems
o Strong knowledge of water chemistry, plant nutrition, greenhouse climate control, and agribusiness modelling.
o Experience in environmental health, including a significant portion (at least 3 years) specifically focused on climate change and its health implications.
• Working Knowledge of English.
• National of Samoa

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extensive experience in nutrient management and chemistry.
• Extensive experience in system design and engineering.
• Extensive experience in environmental control.
• Extensive experience in crop and substrate management.
• Extensive experience in facility operation and data management.
• Experience working with international organizations and managing climate change and health projects, including proposal writing and reporting. Managing projects and developing proposals; developing capacity building materials; conducting health vulnerability and adaptation assessments; and working with communities to build resilience to climate-related health risks.
• Good knowledge of situation in Nauru and familiarity with Pacific Small Island Developing States.
• Experience working with a cross-section of stakeholders, including senior government officials in small and vulnerable states (SIDS and LDCs).
• Experience in working in Nauru or Pacific region will be an advantage.
• Strong writing skills and language proficiency

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.