Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET) 

The Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET) houses the Divisions of Coordination and Integration Support (IET/CIS), Quality, Impact and Accountability (IET/QUA), Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR), Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions (IET/IFI), Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and Climate and Technology Partnerships (CTP). The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions and relevant entities in the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO) and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS). 

Division of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR)

Under the overall guidance of the Director General, the direct supervision of the Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), and in close coordination with other organizational entities within UNIDO, the Division of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR) supports Member States in their efforts to pave the way to sustainable rural development and a structurally transformed and modernized agribusiness sector. Capitalizing on the experience gained by UNIDO in this field over decades and on tried-and-tested and to-be-developed service modules, the Division will explore innovative approaches to maximise the potential that exists in agribusiness development, addressing emerging global trends, in particular food security, poverty alleviation and climate change. It will explore new ways to contribute to global efforts to reduce hunger, accelerate food systems transition, and generate income and employment, especially among women and youth.

The Division provides technical cooperation services to assist the modernization of agriculture and agro-industry, especially in less-developed countries, ensuring that enterprises add value to primary agricultural production, substitute the imports of food and other value-added agricultural products, and participate effectively in local, regional and global value chains. Where needed, it will develop infrastructure and agro-industrial parks and capacities for agro-industrialization, value addition, quality assurance and food safety. It will also bring innovative approaches to Member States to fully benefit from carbon-neutral and biodiversity-enhancing agricultural and agro-industrial production and development opportunities in the green and blue bioeconomy.

Food Security and Food Systems Unit (IET/AGR/FSS)

The Food Security and Food Systems Unit (IET/AGR/FSS) promotes the development of food industries and food value chains and the production of local food products in less-developed countries to end hunger and ensure food and nutrition security while generating income and employment adhering to principles of sustainable industrial development. It provides a range of technical assistance services that allow food enterprises – including in the informal sector and especially SMEs – to extend their production, improve their products, comply with quality and other standards, become more competitive and deliver adequate and nutritious food to local populations and for export. Where opportune, it also promotes the development of food safety compliance infrastructure and building related food safety systems capacities.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The UNIDO Project 220085 “Agribusiness for food security in Sudan”, has the overall objective to enhance food security, increase target agricultural communities and households’ incomes while creating jobs, particularly for women and youth in the selected states in Sudan. The specific objective is to provide technical assistance to upgrade strategic agro-food value chains and increase equitable economic opportunities for women small farmers and producers in Gedaref and Red Sea States in Sudan.

The project will contribute towards “SDG 1”: End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. It will also contribute to “SDG 5”: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and “SDG 9”: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. It also falls into UNIDO’s poverty reduction portfolio (EC1) and in particular Agribusiness and Rural Enterprise Development (GC11); its thematic area is poverty reduction through productive activities (PRP).

The project’s outputs are the following:

Output 1.1: Increased institutional knowledge, skills, and women’s participation in the upgrade of strategic agricultural value chains in selected states. Activities include: analyzing value chains in target states to determine promising activities and understand risks; conducting a gender analysis and developing a gender plan; and conducting stakeholder consultations, including consultations with women, women’s groups, and other value chain actors. 

Output 1.2: Enhanced capacities (infrastructure, technologies, skills) to deliver market-relevant, gender-accessible agribusiness services at agribusiness transformation hubs. Activities include: upgrading infrastructure at hubs to effectively serve both men- and women-led agribusinesses; providing demonstration facilities to expose selected beneficiaries to clean energy, post-harvest handling, processing and packaging solutions; and building capacity of hubs to provide ensure continued gender inclusive provision of relevant technical and business support services.

Output 1.3: Improved capacities of smallholder cooperatives and MSMEs to access financial products, and implement agri-food processing technical and managerial best practices and technologies. Activities include: providing training that addresses the gender-based constraints to agribusiness, such as food processing best practices and technologies, technology and financial literacy, product packaging, marketing, and trade promotion; conducting capacity building for khata saving schemes; and supporting selected groups in developing business plans to access finance. 

Output 1.4: Improved ability of female-led/owned agri-food businesses to adapt and implement postharvest technologies and best practices. Activities include: organizing beneficiaries into business groups (including formation of women-led or women’s groups) to facilitate access to support services and markets; providing capacity building in post-harvest handling, food processing, marketing, and product development; connecting beneficiaries to mentors and promoting networking; and organizing events to promote support for women-led/owned agribusinesses among institutional and community leaders.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall general direction of UNIDO Project Manager at HQ and in close coordination with the UNIDO Representative and Field office in Sudan, the National Project Coordinator will undertake the following main duties:

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Education

Advanced university degree in Economics, Agricultural Sciences, Project Management or any other relevant subject.

Technical and Functional Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of working in the field of project management. Experience in technical cooperation projects in Sudan is highly desirable, particularly in the field of agribusiness development and women agribusiness support.
• Professional experience in supporting agro-business and agro-value chains;
• Professional experience in donor-funded initiatives having similar objectives.

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Core values

WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key competencies

WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.