Rural Development Consultant

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. 

The incumbent will be recruited under the GCP/GEO/031/AUS project titled Inclusive Rural Development and Sustainable Agriculture. 

The overarching goal of the project is to foster increased competitiveness within the agricultural sector, enhance food production, and concurrently alleviate rural poverty, with a specific emphasis on mitigating inequality. This will be achieved by providing support for the effective execution of the Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy of Georgia 2021-2027.

Furthermore, the project’s anticipated outcomes are intrinsically aligned with the thematic focus area of sustainable rural development and the enhancement of livelihood opportunities, as stipulated within the Framework Strategy of the Austrian Development Cooperation concerning the EU Eastern Partner Countries. The successful realization of these objectives is expected to catalyse significant positive change in the Georgian agricultural landscape, with far-reaching implications for rural development and economic growth. By complementing the LEADER approach, the project will emphasize inclusivity as a core principle, ensuring that all stakeholders are actively involved in project implementation.

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Georgia, the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative in Georgia, the technical supervision and guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and in close collaboration with FAO Staff at the Country, Regional and Head Offices.

The main role of the incumbent will be to coordinate and manage the project implementation. The technical components of the project include the overarching area of rural development and integrated community development with specific focus on supporting rural communities, extension service, producers’ groups, and vulnerable groups e.g. women and rural youth. The project will focus its interventions on selected municipalities (to be identified in the inception phase) as well as at national level. 

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical guidance to ensure proper implementation of project work plan and budget.
• Coordinate, manage and ensure the cohesion and coordination between different components (outputs) of the Project.
• Technically guide the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of project activities (through quarterly project progress reports, mission reports, financial reports and other documentation) to FAO, national stakeholders, and donor and propose adjustments to project activities as necessary.
• Lead the development and delivery of various written outputs, including background papers, analyses, training materials, technical reports from the contributing teams and review them before submission for clearance.
• Provide strategic policy advice to government counterparts, donor and other partners on technical issues.
• Contributes to consultative and other meetings and participate as speaker in workshops and other events related to agricultural and rural development, as appropriate.
• Lead field missions and conduct periodic monitoring and backstopping visit to Project sites
• Works closely with the Government’s competent authorities to discuss needs, and tailor advice and project activities to respond.
• Provide advice regarding the development and implementation of policies to national and local authorities based on project experiences.
• Lead technical discussions and provides policy advice and expertise, in collaboration with and under the technical guidance of the LTO and other relevant FAO technical officers.
• Design, conduct and coordinate research, data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting activities to allow for the collection of data for progress indicators and the assessment of the implementation of the programme in technical aspects as defined in the logical framework.
• Liaise with the LTO and other FAO technical officers in headquarters and REU to obtain technical inputs and technical clearances on technical reports and presentations.
• Promote linkages, dialogues and technical cooperation with relevant stakeholders in Georgia, including Government institutions, donors, private sector companies and civil society organizations, and participates in technical platforms and coordination fora, meetings and conferences for the benefit of the Programme’s targeted population.
• Ensure information sharing with other projects or programmes in the country or internationally. Contribute to establish partnerships around support to local rural development.
• Performs any other related duties as required

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following:

Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, or related areas;
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in policy advice/assistance and coordination of programmes related to rural development
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.

Technical/Functional Skills :

• Relevance of academic qualifications
• Extent of knowledge and experience related to policy assistance and/or analysis related to rural development, which may include territorial approaches, issues of poverty reduction, rural employment, social inclusion (specifically youth and gender);
• Extent of experience with European rural development policy and programmes;
• Extent and relevance of experience in project / programme design, management, monitoring and evaluation;
• Report and analytical writing skills;
• Strategic thinking;
• Work experience in UN/international organizations;
• Work experience in multidisciplinary team;
• Work experience in Europe and Central Asia Region.

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2401359