National Project Proposal Development Specialist (2 positions)

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FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity 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

Organizational Setting

FAO had secured funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness programme, for implementing the project GCP/SRL/079/GCR “Capacity enhancement of the National Designated Authority (NDA) and other relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka to re-evaluate technical needs for climate change adaptation and mitigation and assess climate finance priorities for agriculture by developing innovative climate smart investment mechanisms through increased partnerships between public and private sectors”. The Project Goal is to enhance the capacity of the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment and other relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, to jointly identify and implement technical needs for addressing Sri Lanka’s climate challenges in its priority sectors, and leverage public and private investment for climate-smart agriculture through scientific knowledge-based planning.
For this purpose, FAO Sri Lanka is recruiting 2 National Project Proposal Development Specialists, to increase the capacity of the NDA, other relevant authorities including private sector on proposal development for GCF financing and formulate A project concept notes for GCF with pre- feasibility studies. The national consultants are expected to work closely with the International Project Proposal Development Specialist to conduct a training programes on GCF proposal writing, conduct pre-feasibility studies and formulate concept notes for agriculture sector targeting plantation and non-plantation with the stakeholder consultations.

Reporting Lines

National Project Proposal Development Specialists will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives and the direct supervision of Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes). He/she will work in close coordination with the PMU of the GCF Readiness Project, International Project Proposal Development Specialist and under the overall technical supervision of the Environment and Climate Change Specialist and the Lead Technical Officer.

Technical Focus

• Capacity building on GCF project proposal development
• Pre- feasibility studies
• GCF concept note development.

Tasks and responsibilities

Capacity building on GCF project proposal development

• Work with the International Project Proposal Development Specialist and PMU in preparation of training material/modules.
• With the support from the international consultant and the PMU, conduct an introductory one-day session on proposal development for GCF financing.
• Support the international consultant in reviewing existing strategic planning documents including NDCs, NAP, CSA investment plans, sector strategies and related programmes and projects etc. to identify the priority areas for the concept note development in Agriculture plantation and non-plantation sector.
• With the support from international consultant, identify participants / stakeholders for the workshop on proposal writing.
• With the support of international consultant and PMU conduct 5-day intensive workshop on proposal writing for a range of stakeholders including development partners.
• In consultation with the national consultant team and the PMU, assist international consultant in a process to identify prioritize areas and finalize at least A idea notes for concept note development with stakeholder consultation.
• Based on the capacity building exercise, work with an international consultant to define at least A GCF project ideas identified from CSA investment plan that can be developed further into concept notes.
• Assist FAO to develop short project idea notes in consultation with the government counterparts and based on the capacity building activities, that include:
o The initial target climate problem;
o Barriers to action;
o Required interventions/packages of interventions;
o Possible climate finance solution and modality (grant, loan, guarantee, equity, blend);
o Potential accredited entity partners and executing partners.

Pre- feasibility studies

• With the support of the International Project proposal development specialist, conduct a pre-feasibility studies based on the idea notes developed.
• In consultation with the international consultant, review the specific technical and institutional scope and geographical focus of the preliminary draft concept notes.
• Assist the International Consultant to carry out a preliminary analysis of the components/outcomes/outputs and identify climate change related risks and mitigation/carbon sequestration opportunities at each stage of the value chain.
• With support of the international consultant solicit stakeholder input and validate the findings of the pre-feasibility studies via stakeholder consultation and prepare a draft prefeasibility report including the structure of the project accreditation arrangements and financial modality i.e. Grant project, on-granting, loan, equity, guarantee.
• With reference to the scope and geographical focus of the preliminary idea notes, support the international consultant to prepare a preliminary stakeholder analysis.
• Review the barriers/problem analysis in the preliminary draft concept notes and the preliminary theory of change (if applicable).
• Based on the reviews of the preliminary idea notes outlined above and the agricultural product value chain analysis, work with the international consultant to prepare a revised/updated project design and theory of change including:
o Specification of project components and different alternatives and options if applicable and their technical feasibility with reference to other examples (if possible), and
o Implementation arrangements, resources and organizational structure required to support implementation of the project.
• With reference to the project design and theory of change and associated activities, work with the international consultant to prepare:
o Quantification of expected climate change specific outcomes in terms of number of people/livelihoods/product value chains with enhanced resilience to climate change or anticipated reduction in GHG emissions/carbon sequestered and the basis and assumptions underpinning this assessment;
o Quantification of other development outcomes and the basis and assumptions underpinning this assessment;
o A preliminary assessment of costs of the project components over the proposed life of the project, the basis for the costing, assumptions and contingencies;
o An assessment of possible sources of co-financing;
o A preliminary assessment of any environmental and social risks that may arise during implementation of the project components; and
o An assessment of potential risks to project implementation, their likelihood and possible mitigation measures.
• Assist the Project Management Unit to seek feedback and additional guidance from relevant stakeholders.
• Support international consultant to finalize the prefeasibility report summarizing the results of the reviews of the preliminary draft concept note outlined above and agricultural product value chain analysis and the analysis of the revised/updated project design and theory of change and associated activities.
• In consultation with the international consultant, assist the PMU to conduct stakeholder consultation workshops with the relevant stakeholders to receive inputs on the draft concept notes.

GCF concept note development

• With reference to the prefeasibility studies, support the International Project Proposal Development Specialist to develop a concept note on GCF template.
• Work with the international consultant to further develop and refine the concept notes through on the-job consultation and instruction with key accredited entity and execution parties.
• Support FAO together with the international consultant to organize a review of the concept notes with key stakeholders.
• Support the international consultant to finalize a concept note incorporating all the feedback received from GCF Secretariat and relevant stakeholders

• Provide inputs for the national and international consultants of the project for their deliverables.
• Undertake any other related tasks as requested by the FAOR / AFAOR (Programme).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in in agriculture, development, economics, social political or environmental sciences, climate sciences forestry, natural resource management, sustainable development, or any other related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in concept note and proposal writing preferably for GCF funding.
• Working knowledge of English and Sinhala/Tamil.
• Sri Lankan National.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiarity with effectively use standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point).
• Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in developing technical reports – undertaking research, primary and secondary data collection, analysis and report writing.
• Ability to work/deliver independently with minimal supervision.
• Proven experience on international donor-funded projects such as the GEF, Adaptation Fund or the GCF.

Selection Criteria

• Experience in coordinating and liaising with industry, academia, national authorities, UN agencies, donors, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
• Familiarity with the UN System and /or development sector will be considered an asset.
• Working knowledge of a local language will be considered an advantage.

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.
• 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 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. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required. Vaccination status will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

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
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• 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.

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