Investment Support Officer

The FAO Investment Centre (CFI) provides investment and finance solutions that lead to more efficient, sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems. Working in over 120 countries, the FAO Investment Centre provides a full suite of investment and finance support to FAO Members. It partners with governments, international and national financing institutions, the private sector and farmers, research institutions and academia to improve the quality and quantity of agrifood investment. The Centre’s four main areas of work include support to strategic investment planning and policy, public investment, private investment, and innovative finance. These are complemented by the knowledge for investment and capacity development for investment programmes that serve to share knowledge, learn and build capacities at country level. For additional information on the FAO Investment Centre, its activities, partners and the organizational structure please visit the following link. 
Key Functions

• Participates in, and eventually leads multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification and preparation of investment and finance support initiatives in the fields of food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resources management and agro-processing, and participates in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions.
• Participates in, and eventually leads multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment and finance support solutions.
• Provides technical expertise for the preparation of food and agriculture, rural development, natural resources management and agro-processing studies and strategies, in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment policies, plans and programmes.
• Supports the development of inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems involving producers, their organizations, other private sector actors and civil society organizations and governments.
• Formulates and delivers capacity development initiatives in the areas of food and agriculture, rural development, natural resources management and agro-processing investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations.
• Prepares documents in accordance with FAO, governments’ and financing partners’ requirements.
• Provides support in task organization, selection of consultants, preparation of terms of reference and in ensuring the quality of outputs.
• Promotes 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.
• Establishes, promotes and maintains relationships with relevant Programme Priority Areas, FAO technical units and Decentralized Offices in order to ensure best synergies between investment, policy and innovation work in support to Member Nations.
• Participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate Strategy.
• Provides guidance and advice to junior staff.

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following:
Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in economics, agricultural economics, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, agribusiness management, natural resources management, irrigation and drainage engineering, rural infrastructure engineering, social sciences or a related field.
• Seven 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 (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Technical/Functional Skills:

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Extent and relevance of experience in participating in multidisciplinary teams for the preparation of strategies and sector studies as well as formulation, implementation support or evaluation of food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resources management and agro-processing investment and finance support solutions.
• Extent and relevance of experience in food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resources management and agro-processing analytical studies and programme evaluation.
• Extent and relevance of experience in investment design including monitoring and evaluation frameworks and project implementation manuals, implementation support and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners, in particular the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other partner International Financial Institutions (IFIs).
• Knowledge of the context as well as partners and institutions of the specific subregion would be an asset.
• Relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resources management and agro-processing investments.
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with government officials, development partners and other country stakeholders.
• Demonstrated capacity to write technical reports in English.

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2400516