National Digital Agriculture Policy Specialist

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• 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
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

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 Albania is responsible for leading FAO’s response to the national priorities for food security, agriculture and food systems including forestry and fisheries in the country. The Country Programme Framework (CPF) agreed between the Government of Albania and FAO defines the response to the priorities FAO Albania works in close collaboration with the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and relevant Headquarters division in the implementation of the CPF including the private sector, academia and the civil society organizations.

The FAO Office in Albania is multi-accreditation country of FAO and the FAO Representative for Albania is the Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia residing in the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia in Budapest, Hungary.
The FAO Office in Albania leads efforts with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to support the sustainable digital transformation of Albania’s agriculture and rural areas with an ambitious 3-years joint programme (JP): “Digital Agriculture and Rural Transformation (DART)” funded by the SDG Fund – Digital Transformation Window call.

DART aims to increase agriculture productivity, advance socio-economic growth, and enhance rural livelihoods in Albania by 2027. It harnesses the potential of digitalization to transform the agri-food sector from national level to underserved rural areas in Albania delivering on three components: 1) the formulation of Albania’s National Digital Agriculture Strategy and Action Plan (led by FAO) 2) the farmer-centric design and delivery of digital services via the recently launched national Farmers’ Portal (Portali i Fermerit) (led by FAO) 3) the development of digital capacities among national public workers, TVET schools and centres; smallholder farmers and other vulnerable groups in rural areas (led by ILO).

The Digital Agriculture Policy Specialist (DAPS) will play a prominent role in the formulation of an inclusive, gender-responsive, and human-rights based National Strategy and Action Plan for Albania’s Digital Agriculture and Rural Transformation. Under the supervision of the DART’s Technical Advisor (TA) and in liaison with the DART’s National Programme Coordinator (NPC), this role involves the engagement of a wide range of relevant stakeholders throughout the participatory policy design process, as well as the elaboration of a comprehensive policy strategy and action plan which address sustainability challenges, aligns a broad range of actors towards common goals, and supports Albania in meeting the EU pre-accession requirements.

The incumbent will be based in Tirana, Albania, with the FAO country office. The assignment is of initially 11 months, with the prospect for extension for the entire duration of the project, totalling three years, contingent upon the individual’s satisfactory performance.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative in Albania, the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer/ Head of Digital Agriculture and the technical leadership of the DART Technical Advisor, the National Digital Agriculture Policy Specialist will work in synergy with national and international consultants, stakeholders and partners to deliver on the DART programme’s components and outputs, and more precisely on the tasks and responsibilities outlined below.

Technical focus

Digital agriculture policies and strategies, agriculture and rural development, information and communication technologies applied to food system transformation, digital services, e-government, technical assistance, and project implementation.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Revise and update previously-conducted baseline assessments with new and existing data about the state of digitalization in Albania’s agriculture and rural areas and its alignment with the EU pre-accession requirements in this field, employing multiple research methodologies (e.g., in-depth interviews, technical workshops, large scale surveys, desk research)
• Assist DART Technical Advisor and National Programme Coordinator with the liaising activities with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development that are necessary to ensure that the elaboration of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Digitalization of Agriculture and Rural Areas in Albania will result in a comprehensive roadmap aligning multiple stakeholders and sustainability dimensions
• Support DART Technical Advisor with communicating effectively, mobilizing and engaging all national stakeholders, ensuring that their needs and requirements are well reflected, and the National Strategy and Action Plan are coherently integrated within the broader landscape of Albania’s policies, resources, governance arrangements, and EU accession
• Support DART Technical Advisor in the effective engagement of international, national, regional and local stakeholders throughout the entire elaboration of the National Strategy and Action Plan via the establishment and coordination of a Digital Agriculture’s working group, the organisation of various workshops and other engagement activities
• Actively contribute to drafting of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Digitalization of Agriculture and Rural Areas and work collaboratively with the DART’s Technical Advisor to ensure that multiple inputs and comments from stakeholders are effectively integrated in the drafting process
• Ensure that the programme’s commitments towards gender-equality, human-rights, and EU pre-accession are met throughout the elaboration of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Digitalization of Agriculture and Rural Areas
• Contribute to work of the DART Technical Advisor and other FAO staff in the coordination with the programme partners (ILO, ITU) and contribute to their project outputs (rural connectivity paper, large-scale survey with farmers, digital skills council, etc.) to ensure the effective integration and coherence between the National Strategy and Action Plan and other outputs and components of the joint programme (i.e. upgrade of the farmers’ portal, building digital capacity at scale)
• Support the design and delivery of outreach and dissemination activities to raise awareness about the National Strategy and Action Plan among the programme’s target groups, particularly smallholders and rural citizens
• Provide support and undertake additional tasks, as may arise within the scope of the project, to ensure successful completion of the expected outcomes, as may be required

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agricultural science; political science; development economics; science, technology and innovation; international relations; or any relevant specific field related to the joint programme, OR education in a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of a university degree in one of the above-mentioned fields
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in the following areas: policy advice and analysis; stakeholder engagement; digital transformation, agriculture and rural development
• Working knowledge of English and Albanian
• National of Albania or resident in the country

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in Albania. Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly the Balkans, is an advantage
• Extent and relevance of experience in policy design, stakeholder management, programme management
• Familiarity with agriculture and rural development in Albania, as well as knowledge and relationships with local actors

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

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.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, 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.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT