National Irrigation Extension 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 Programme Management Unit (PMU) of the FAO-Saudi Technical Cooperation Programme (2019-2025) facilitates, coordinates and manages all technical and advisory services to be provided by FAO to the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA) and its sister agencies. Within the framework of the Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) Technical Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering the period 2019-2025 signed on 13 February 2019 between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represented by MoEWA and FAO, the UTF project ‘UTF/SAU/053/SAU: Promoting efficient irrigation and water productivity amongst farmers’ was approved by FAO and the Saudi Irrigation Organization (SIO). The Project, developed jointly by SIO and FAO, focuses directly on supporting implementation of the Saudi Irrigation Organization Corporate Strategy, which was developed within the context of the Saudi Vision 2030 and aims at strengthening the capacity of SIO to improve irrigation efficiency among small-scale farmers. The Project is expected to achieve the Outcome ‘Increased adoption of innovative and efficient irrigation technologies and practices in target Saudi regions’, and in turn contributing towards achieving the national development goal of improving irrigation efficiency and ensuring sustainable use of water resources in the Kingdom.
The project is located in the Saudi Irrigation Organization in Al-Hofuf, Eastern Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) however, the position is home based for Saudi professionals as well as residents in KSA.

Reporting Lines

The Specialist reports to the Technical Adviser (Irrigation Extension), Chief Technical Advisor of the project and the Program Coordinator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Technical Focus

The Specialist will support in conducting research activities related to irrigation extension services this shall include collect, analyse, and report on data related to rural areas, agricultural practices, and effective extension programs in KSA. In addition, the specialist will perform field coordination and supervision of implemented activities related to the irrigation extension field of work. Work together with local stakeholders and experts to identify best practices and innovative approaches in irrigation extension services, incorporating lessons learned from successful programs globally into the research and analysis.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Study current irrigation systems and practices and collect and document information about identified gap and challenges.
• Evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the specialized irrigation extension messages and materials through targeted feedback sessions and surveys with farmers to refine and enhance the dissemination approach.
• Study technologies and practices piloted and promoted by the Project and identify their requirements, merits, and advantages.
• Design in collaboration with the project team specialized irrigation extension key messages, challenges to be used, and materials covering the identified technologies and provided solutions to farmers in KSA.
• Organize field activities and events such as info-sessions, field days, study visits and exchange visits for target beneficiaries of the project.
• Conduct field assessments to ensure that the introduced technologies are complying with farmers needs and easy to be purchased and identify rejection factors to be addressed to the project and propose corrective actions for these factors.
• Implement the designed model to facilitate dissemination of innovation and technologies among farmers at the target regions in KSA.
• Measure the adoption rate after introducing the technology using a representative sample of farmers.
• Collect data and prepare appropriate presentation for the analysis in collaboration with the project team (when needed).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, rural development, agricultural engineering, and other related fields to irrigation technologies and rural development.
• 5 years of relevant experience in supporting/coordinating/managing sustainable development projects in Saudi Arabia with focus on rural development and/or irrigation modernization.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of Arabic and limited knowledge (Level B) of English.
• National of Saudi Arabia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Selection Criteria

• 3 years of relevant experience in managing field days, coordinating field extension activities and trainings is a plus.
• Please submit copy of your resident permit with your application.

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

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