National Socio-Economic Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Green Climate Fund project “Forest Resilience in Armenia: Enhancing Adaptation and Rural Growth through Mitigation” was approved and became operational in December 2021. The total project funding, including co-financing, amounts to USD 18.7 million. The FAO Representation in Armenia and the Environmental Project Implementation Unit under the Ministry of Environment of Armenia serve as the Executing Entities of the project. FAO is responsible for the overall implementation of the project and for supervising the work carried out by the Environmental Project Implementation Unit. The project is co-financed by the Government of Armenia, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, WWF Armenia, FAO and Swiss Development Center (SDC). The project aims to support Armenia’s transition from a Business-as-Usual scenario to a low-emission and sustainable development pathway through targeted and strategic interventions. In particular, the project supports the reduction of forest degradation drivers, including firewood demand, through tailored rural energy-efficiency investments at household level, such as improved appliances and practices designed to reduce energy needs.
The project also contributes to increasing forest cover through capacity development of relevant stakeholders, as well as reforestation, afforestation, and agroforestry investments on public forest lands. In parallel, it supports central and local institutions in adopting climate-adaptive and sustainable forest management policies and practices, with the aim of improving forest governance and strengthening community participation in forest control, protection, management, and incentive processes. Through its activities, the project will provide 9,000 tailor-made improved wood stove appliances to vulnerable households in Syunik and Lori marzes.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Armenia (Budget Holder), technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (Forestry Division, FAO REU) and of the HQ Technical Officer (OCB, FAO HQ), the consultant will work closely with the GCF Project Coordinator, national project staff and local producers.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring the smooth technical implementation of the energy efficiency component of the “Forest Resilience of Armenia, Enhancing Adaptation and Rural Green Growth via Mitigation” project (GCP/ARM/008/GCF) in the target areas of Lori and Syunik Marzes. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the private sector producers, local authorities, and project beneficiaries. Provide support in identifying 9,000 beneficiaries for the distribution of the woodstoves based on criteria specified by the project document.

Tasks and responsibilities

Socio-economic specialist, together with the National EE Engineer, international staff and consultants, will carry out the following tasks:
• Confirm and operationalize beneficiary eligibility, prioritization, and vulnerability criteria in line with the project document and agreed stakeholder consultations.
• Review and analyze available household socio-economic and poverty data in coordination with ARMSTAT, relevant government agencies, municipalities, and other data holders.
• Provide technical support in developing a transparent and verifiable beneficiary selection methodology, including data requirements, scoring mechanisms, verification procedures, grievance handling arrangements, and documentation requirements.
• Establish procedures for identifying and verifying eligible households against the project criteria.
• Ensure the integration of gender-responsive targeting measures throughout the beneficiary identification process, with particular attention to:
o Prioritization of single women-headed households;
o Achievement of the project's gender participation targets;
o Identification and removal of barriers that may limit women's participation in consultations, trainings, and access to project benefits.
• Design and oversee a beneficiary outreach and consultation process in collaboration with municipalities, women's groups, community organizations, and local CSOs to ensure transparency, inclusiveness, and community ownership.
• Support coordination with women's organizations and relevant development partners to maximize the participation of women as beneficiaries and active contributors to project implementation and awareness-raising activities.
• Define household categorization and vulnerability assessment approaches to support differentiated grant concessionality and household contribution levels, based on income, vulnerability, household composition, and socio-economic conditions.
• Assess and recommend appropriate support modalities and beneficiary co-financing mechanisms, including options for household contributions and affordability considerations.
• Support senior colleagues in developing data collection tools, beneficiary registration forms, verification protocols, and beneficiary databases required for the selection process.
• Support the establishment of a transparent beneficiary validation process, including community verification, municipality endorsement, and documentation review.
• Prepare beneficiary selection reports and recommendations for approval by the Project Management Unit and relevant governance bodies.
• Develop procedures to ensure transparency, accountability, and prevention of inclusion/exclusion errors throughout the beneficiary selection process.
• Contribute to the design of monitoring indicators and reporting frameworks related to beneficiary targeting, gender participation, vulnerability inclusion, and social outcomes.
• Provide technical guidance during implementation and support the resolution of beneficiary selection grievances, complaints, and appeals where required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or higher) in Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Rural Development, Sociology, Statistics, Social Protection, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in socio-economic assessments, household analysis, poverty analysis, social protection, rural development, or community-based development projects.
• Working knowledge of English and Armenian.
• National of Armenia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong understanding of poverty targeting methodologies, vulnerability assessment approaches, and social protection systems.
• Knowledge of Armenia's social protection framework, rural development context, and socio-economic conditions, particularly in Lori and Syunik, is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including experience with socio-economic datasets and statistical analysis.
• Proficiency in Armenian and English required (written and spoken); Russian is an asset.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills; ability to manage multiple workstreams and meet deadlines.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively with government institutions, private sector, civil society, and international partners.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing beneficiary targeting and selection methodologies for development projects, grant schemes, subsidy programs, or social assistance interventions.
• Proven experience working with vulnerable populations, including low-income households, women-headed households, and rural communities.
• Experience conducting socio-economic analyses and utilizing household, poverty, demographic, or social protection data for program design and targeting purposes.
• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, municipalities, national statistical agencies, and civil society organizations.
• Experience developing beneficiary databases, data collection tools, eligibility verification procedures, and targeting frameworks.
• Familiarity with grievance redress, beneficiary validation, and accountability mechanisms in donor-funded projects.
• Experience working on projects financed by international development partners (e.g., GCF, GEF, UN, EU, World Bank, GIZ, or similar organizations) is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in procurement processes, including drafting of technical specifications, tender documentation, and technical evaluation of bids.
• Experience working on projects implemented by international organizations (FAO, UNDP, EU, GCF-funded projects, or similar) is a strong asset.
• Familiarity with Armenia’s socio-economic environment, rural context, or relevant regulatory frameworks is an asset.
• Additional training or certification in social inclusion, poverty analysis, gender studies, monitoring and evaluation, or data analysis is an asset.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION