Job Title : Lead Global Technical Specialist (Rural Finance)
ID : 35187
Location : ROME
Date of issue : 04/07/2026
Close Date : (Midnight, Rome Time) 04/27/2026
Organizational Unit : Sust. Prd. Mkts. & Instit.
Full/Part Time : Full-Time
Regular/Temporary : Regular
Assignment Duration : 2 Years
Grade : P-5
Organizational Setting
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
The Office of Technical Delivery is responsible for providing expert technical guidance to IFAD teams engaged in the design and implementation of projects and programmes to deliver the high technical quality investments that facilitate rural transformation, and which comply with IFAD's mandate and operational policies. The Office ensures IFAD applies and disseminates state of the art knowledge in its investments and evidence on strategic themes and encourages the innovative application of global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments. This helps countries tackle complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation including mainstreaming areas. The Office of Technical Delivery (OTD) is led by a Managing Director and is comprised of two (2) divisions: the Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG) and the Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI).
The Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI) facilitates improved and efficient delivery of IFAD's corporate mandate, predominantly through the quality of the design and implementation of its policies, country strategies and projects. Key functions and activities of PMI include Quality Enhancement, Policy Engagement, Networking and Strategic Partnerships. PMI's technical mandate covers a range of themes, all of which are key to deliver IFAD's strategic framework, including: agronomy, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, markets and value chains, agriculture research for development (AR4D), ICT4D, inclusive rural finance (including PARM, INSURED and remittances), rural institutions and farmers organizations, rural infrastructure, water, land and natural resources management.
PMI is led by a Divisional Director.
Job Role
The incumbent technically supports country/regional programs as well as the corporate agenda by providing state-of-the-art technical advice throughout the project cycle (strategic and operational). Within the areas of responsibility, the Lead Technical Specialist exercises a high degree of independence in providing reliable programme delivery. The incumbent at this level performs the full complexity range of work independently, including the analysis and approval of complex and/or precedent setting cases with the aim to ensure cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support. The incumbent is a thought leader, expert and knowledge broker in their thematic specialization, providing strategic technical leadership and authoritative technical guidance and expertise and strategic guidance on generating and using new ideas to enrich and curate the knowledge base that supports the Fund's operational and corporate policy agenda. The incumbent provides forward-looking and substantive contribution to understanding future trends in rural development relevant to their area of expertise, strengthening IFAD's corporate strategic planning and policy positioning and pro-actively fostering innovative and effective solutions to rural poverty within investment projects, country programmes, IFAD`s policy, member governments, the academic community, private sector, and public opinion in the international development community. Knowledge management at this level directly impacts on quality control and enhancement of IFAD`s programmes, policy credibility and partnership development for inclusive and sustainable rural transformation.
Position specifics:
The Lead Global Technical Specialist, (Rural Finance), is the leading global technical authority in the organization in the area of Rural Finance. The incumbent provides strategic and technical leadership for IFAD
- s Rural Finance thematic area globally, guiding and overseeing technical contributions to country and regional programs across all regions and curating knowledge and expertise from external sources. The incumbent leads and shapes the corporate Rural Finance agenda by providing authoritative, state-of-the-art technical advice throughout the project cycle (strategic and operational).
The incumbent ensures global technical coherence, quality assurance in design and implementation, oversight and consistency across the rural finance function, including direct managerial and supervisory responsibility for staff assigned to the unit at the Global (HQ) level, (including other professional LGTSs, where applicable) while providing strategic oversight, direction and ensuring methodological and technical coherence across the global and regional Rural Finance portfolio ,in addition to being involved in direct operational delivery. The incumbent ensures that IFAD
- s Rural Finance function benefits from the systematic curation, integration and application of cutting-edge knowledge and expertise from external sources, including international financial institutions, research bodies, centres of excellence and private sector partners. The incumbent oversees the corporate level implementation and periodic review of the Inclusive Rural Finance Policy and leads associated corporate and cross-divisional working groups. The incumbent also oversees the strategic direction and governance of supplementary funds related to Rural Finance (including inter-alia the Public Development Bank Platform, the Facility for Remittances). Working at the strategic, policy and oversight level, and also at the operational level, , the incumbent works collaboratively with other thematic Technical Specialists, Country Directors (CD)/Heads of Multi-country Offices (MCO) and other staff to ensure corporate alignment, methodological consistency, and strategic coherence, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support.
Key Functions and Results
1. POLICY AND STRATEGY ADVICE AND DEVELOPMENT:
The incumbent provides technically authoritative advice informed by empirical evidence to improve the capacity of IFAD to position itself as an influential global player in agricultural, food security, rural development and rural poverty innovation. The incumbent ensures that IFAD is regarded as a trusted and valued partner of national government in policy dialogues and forums. Accountabilities may include but are not limited to:
- Providing IFAD staff and partners with up-to-date and evidence-based advice on relevant policy, institutional and technical matters
- Providing evidence-informed recommendations to IFAD management on IFAD's rural development agenda using a wide range of data sources and analytical tools.
- Providing substantive support to IFAD senior management's participation in high level fora with policy implications for rural transformation, including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, and preparing documents and presentations.
- Leading the preparation of technical products (e.g., complex papers, analysis, substantive sections of reports and studies) to advance IFAD's voice in the global debate on rural transformation, in close collaboration with other relevant divisions.
2. KNOWLEDGE ADVISORY LEADERSHIP:
The incumbent enhances the development of viable and sustainable policies and supports regional and global thematic input through authoritative technical knowledge sharing for their area of specialization. The incumbent will ensure access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen technical capacity and establish new knowledge and advisory partnerships. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to:
- Leading processes related to intelligence gathering and analysis of debates relevant to inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in the global debate and facilitating knowledge sharing and experiences in this area within IFAD and other stakeholders in the global arena.
- Coordinating relevant knowledge development and dissemination with institutions outside of IFAD, within the region concerned and national Institutions, disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with external partners and stakeholders through publication of Occasional Papers, seminars and workshops, through electronic media and the development of new knowledge products and operational tools that are informed by learning from the field.
- Participating in IFAD-wide thematic discussions and developing appropriate technical and operation approaches of relevance to the country/divisional strategies and programmes.
- Planning and leading learning events to strengthen IFAD's knowledge and capacity to engage in global debates with policy implications for rural transformation.
3. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES:
The incumbent develops and maintains a network of strategic partnerships that can help advance IFAD's mandate and messages around inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in the global debate. The incumbent develops peer contacts inside and outside IFAD to develop new products and services, keeps up-to-date on activities at the country and regional levels, to support joint advocacy and for knowledge sharing to enhance the Fund's profile as a highly competent and reliable partner in development. Accountabilities may include, but not limited to:
- Building partnerships with centres of excellence, complementary financial and technical organizations and specialized departments of other development agencies as strategic partner.
- Strengthening IFAD's representation and communication in policy processes (including representing IFAD at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences).
- Generating new resources for IFAD through partnerships and outreach activities.
- Identifying major opportunities, as well as serving as a focal point, for strategic collaboration with centres of excellence, complementary technical organizations and specialized departments of other development agencies as strategic partners.
- Leading wider IFAD and Rome-based discussions on the development of sustainable and inclusive approaches to rural transformation as requested.
4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING:
The incumbent supports the Director in monitoring and corporate reporting activities to enhance knowledge creation, country level programme and funding decisions.
5. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS:
The incumbent is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources and for fostering a high-performing, inclusive and accountable team environment.. Accountabilities may include but are not limited to:
- Contributing to the supervision of key divisional programme activities, including key missions and other initiatives, and providing strategic guidance on their design and implementation, leading and directing a team of staff and non-staff, overseeing and curating knowledge management, acting as a knowledge broker to facilitate its use across projects and regional teams, innovation, needs based research and impact assessment activities, planning and allocating work assignments, coaching, mentoring and evaluating staff, and participating in recruitment, selection and training of new staff and in the development of training programmes.
- Contributing to the personnel and financial management of the work unit, including the development and implementation of work plans and budgets and ensuring alignment of human and financial resources with divisional and corporate strategic priorities.
POSITION SPECIFICS:
6.TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP AND ADVICE TO COUNTRY PROGRAMMES: The LGTS (Rural Finance) provides global -level, strategically and technically authoritative advice in their area of specialization, to improve the capacity of IFAD to position itself as an influential global player and to improve related national government policies, investments and programmes, and ensure IFAD is regarded as a trusted and valued partner. The incumbent provides strategic guidance, input, technical leadership, and quality oversight across the full project cycle, ensuring alignment with IFAD
- s corporate priorities and policies. Key accountabilities may include:
- Providing authoritative technical leadership, in the area of specialization, in the strategic identification, guidance and quality review and oversight of technical opportunities, proposals and feasibility studies for development investment projects and programmes and advising on their alignment with IFAD
- s corporate priorities and policies;
- Maintaining portfolio-level oversight of execution, quality and results in the Rural Finance thematic area through technical reviews, advisory inputs, and participation in key project cycle decision points. This may include functional guidance, supervision and strategic alignment advice to other colleagues within related thematic areas, where applicable
- Participating in country programme management teams and providing authoritative technical leadership, in the area of specialization, to IFAD's country strategic opportunity papers (COSOPs) and Country Strategic Notes (CSNs), project designs as well as to other policy documents related to rural development and poverty reduction
- Leading and participating in project missions, as necessary, providing strategic technical guidance to regional and country teams for selected missions and other colleagues, ensuring methodological consistency and innovation across the portfolio/unit/thematic area;
- Lead the development of proposals for small and large grants of strategic relevance to IFAD
- s global Rural Finance agenda, as required.
7. RURAL FINANCE AREA: The LGTS, Rural Finance serves as global thematic lead for Rural Finance, providing strategic oversight, policy leadership and technical stewardship and direct supervisory responsibility for HQ based staff within the Unit. Participating in project teams and missions as needed, policy formulation and knowledge generation, partnership building and networking, the incumbent ensures global strategic coherence, technical quality, guidance and advice for the preparation of policies, projects, programmes, country strategies and country strategic notes, ensuring alignment across IFAD
- s Rural Finance portfolio. As a manager of PMI's thematic unit on Rural Finance, the LGTS has primary managerial accountability and technical oversight responsibility for the thematic unit staff, including professional staff, supplementary funded staff, general service staff and consultants assigned to them. Responsibilities include providing strategic direction, functional oversight, technical leadership, coaching, mentoring, capacity development, and regular performance review and oversight . The incumbent is also involved in the recruitment process of the team and contributes to workforce planning, skills mapping and capability development for the Rural Finance thematic area. The LGTS provides functional guidance, strategic oversight, and advisory support to the RF Unit, with direct line management authority of other P-5 LGTS colleagues in related thematic areas within the unit, where applicable, in line with ICSC supervisory standards, to ensure methodological coherence, strategic alignment, and quality of outputs.
Key Performance Indicators
Assignments require the provision of authoritative professional expertise and technical leadership at the global, regional and national levels, in the area of specialization. The Lead Technical Specialists define, propose, revise and/or develop investment projects, programmes or policies for the Fund and represent the position of IFAD in national, regional as well as global fora and conferences. Innovation is required in the adaptation and development of approaches and methods to evolving technical and programmatic contexts. Work at this level is considered as substantially complex and of critical concern to the Fund. In particular, the operational, analytical and policy work requires in depth identification and consideration of a full range of factors relevant to the examination and discussion of programme problems and policies in the solution of methodological problems or in the formulation of policy proposals and project recommendations.
Position specifics:
Work at this level, is normally not reviewed for technical accuracy, reflecting the incumbent
- s status as the authoritative global technical leader in their area of specialization. The LGTS exercises strategic initiative and independent judgement in providing authoritative technical advice at country, regional, and global levels, assessing needs and advising governments when on field mission.
Key performance indicators include identifying technical opportunities, advising on policy and programme development, and ensuring alignment with IFAD
- s corporate priorities and operational standards. Decisions extend to the guidance and quality oversight of investment projects, programmes, and thematic initiatives, including the review of feasibility studies and proposals. Established methods and procedures are adapted or innovated as necessary to respond to evolving technical, operational, and programmatic contexts. The LGTS provides functional guidance and strategic oversight to other technical specialists and teams, within the unit, and retain responsibility for ensuring the coherence and quality of their outputs.
Working Relationships
The work relationships of the incumbent involve the provision of authoritative technical advice for policy, programme and strategy development, resource mobilization, and the negotiation and resolution of problems that arise in mission planning, technical project appraisal or the preparation of studies and reports. The incumbent typically serves as the Fund's senior technical advisor/lead in the field of specialization and exercises wide professional latitude in contacts in their field(s) of specialization, providing technical leadership and methodological guidance to management, Directors, CDs, national governments, development partners and other country programme staff in the technical area of expertise.
Position specifics: The work relationships of the LGTS involve the provision of authoritative technical advice and the negotiation and resolution of problems that arise in policy, programme and strategy development, technical project design and appraisal, supervision/ implementation support and in the preparation of studies and reports. The incumbent serves as the Fund
- s lead technical advisor and expert in the field of rural finance, exercising wide professional latitude and full technical independence in the provision of methodological guidance and strategic oversight at country, regional and global level, this may include coordinating and supervising other LGTSs where applicable. Contacts are with counterparts and senior officials within other United Nations organizations having related programmes and with officials of governments, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations, research institutes and academia. The incumbent provides functional leadership to ensure technical coherence, quality assurance, and alignment with IFAD
- s corporate priorities across the thematic area.
Job Profile Requirements
Organizational Competencies:
Level 2:
- Building relationships and partnerships - Builds and maintains strategic partnerships internally and externally
- Communicating and negotiating - Acquires & uses a wide range of communication styles & skills
- Demonstrating leadership - Leads by example; initiates and supports change
- Focusing on clients - Contributes to a client-focused culture
- Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating - Challenges, innovates & contributes to learning culture
- Managing performance and developing staff - Manages wider teams with greater impact on others and on the organization
- Managing time, resources and information - Coordinates wider use of time, information and/or resource
- Problem-solving and decision-making - Solves complex problems and makes decisions that have wider corporate impact
- Strategic thinking and organizational development - Staff in management and/or strategic leadership roles
- Team working - Fosters a cohesive team environment
Education:
- Level - Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in a technically relevant area.
- Areas - Agriculture/rural development; economics (agricultural/natural resource/environmental economics, behavioural economics, development economics, trade, etc.); finance, business management, marketing or commerce, agricultural engineering, and other agriculture specialization
- Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php
Experience:
- At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in and demonstrated understanding of, development investment projects and interventions in the field of markets and value chains development, of which at least 3 of the 10 years of experience should be at the international level.
- Proven experience in the design and coordination of pro-poor value chain development projects leveraging on innovative solutions to emerging issues, including the use of digital/ICT solutions, working with the private sector and developing value chain financing instruments/initiatives and other forms of collaborations with the private sector.
- Experience in designing and implementing value chain financing schemes and public private parterships is an advantage;
- Three (3) years in a multi-cultural organization or national organization providing support on a global scope.
- Experience in international policy frameworks related to global issues is an asset.
Languages:
- Required: English (4 - Excellent)
- Desirable: French or Spanish and/or Arabic (3 - Good)
Skills:
- Advocacy: Ability to leverage IFAD knowledge and/or communication materials to maintain and promote constructive dialogue around IFAD`s vision and strategic priorities to external actors
- Specialized communication skills: Technical know-how relevant to the specific communication role considered (e.g. communication planning, building and maintaining media relations, video production, publishing, web and other digital media, graphic design, visual identity, brand management, internal communication and events management)
- Climate Finance: Finance that aims at reducing emissions, and enhancing sinks of greenhouse gases and aims at reducing vulnerability of, and maintaining and increasing the resilience of, human and ecological systems to negative climate change impacts
- Evidence-based policy: Know-how in the formulation of concrete and actionable policy recommendations based on hard evidence (going beyond simple data interpretation)
- Risk management (e.g. reputational): Identification and assessment of potential liabilities and risks in IFAD's activities, particularly vis-à-vis third parties; ability to handle risks via contingency and mitigation strategies
- Stakeholder management: Strong alignment capabilities and consultation skills, building on effective interactions and relationships with different stakeholders (e.g. for the co-creation of communication material with member states) and ability to build and maintain a strong network (e.g. with journalists, media outlets, etc.)
- Strategy implementation: Ability to lead and manage the development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies for IFAD / for respective divisions
- Resources management: Know-how in the management of human, financial and material management of IFAD resources
- Adaptability: Adaptability and flexibility when facing new or unexpected situations, and to specific constraints and circumstances and managing complex processes
- Business acumen, private sector knowledge: Outstanding ability to synthesize and simplify complex technical information for a variety of (non-technical) audiences
- Confidentiality & Discretion: Establishes self and division as trusted advisor to internal stakeholders by maintaining high level of discretion and confidentiality in assignments; demonstrates sound judgement when dealing with sensitive and/or confidential matters; drives good governance and is a "Culture Carrier" demonstrating IFAD institutional conscience through his/her work.
- Interpersonal skills: Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with others (e.g. visitors, clients, callers, etc.), including senior individuals (e.g. high-level meeting participants)
- Leadership: Group thought leader, sought out by others and providing mentorship and effective guidance to others; Ability to build trust, inside and outside the organization by acting as a role model for IFAD's core values and competencies, and to provide a clear sense of direction, mentorship and effective guidance to the team, strategizing the IFAD's goals, giving the vision, empowering the team and ensuring a positive environment for all.
- Synthesis: Outstanding ability to synthesize and simplify complex technical information for a variety of (non-technical) audiences
- Verbal communication: Clear, succinct and convincing verbal communication; highly professional, balanced and diplomatic language
- Written communication: Clear, succinct and convincing written communication in the language needed for specific role; highly professional, balanced and diplomatic language (e.g. for drafting of position papers, briefings, etc.)
- Programme/Project development, management: Know-how in Programme/Project development, implementation, management
- Markets & Value Chains: Relevant topical expertise in market thematic area of work (e.g. financial services, rural markets and enterprises, rural institutions and the full agriculture value chain (including actors in food processing)
- Private Sector Investment: Expertise in assessing private sector investment proposals, review of transactions and complex facilities and interventions using regular and blended finance, conducting due diligence, and recommending financial/investment decisions accordingly; Proven expertise in deploying financial instruments
Other Information
Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD's Human Resources Policy, the President can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD. In accordance with IFAD
- s provisions, all new staff members will normally be placed at the first step in the grade level for which they have been selected. For information on IFAD
- s remuneration package, please visit IFAD
- s compensation and benefits page on our website. Applicants are invited to use the ICSC compensation calculator to estimate the salary and benefit entitlements. See here
Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.
In the interest of making most cost-effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.
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