| Organizational Setting
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. FAO will provide technical assistance to the Government of Bangladesh in the implementation Smallholder Agriculture Competitiveness Project, the overall aim of this project is to strengthen the capacity of implementing agencies to successfully implement the project and reach the expected results. The implementing line agencies are Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC). DAE will be the lead agency under overall supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). Technical assistance and capacity building will be targeted at specific areas that will benefit from strengthening among government project implementation partners. TA activities will concentrate on\: a) training of trainers’ and follow-up coaching, b) assisting the development of a benefit Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system and c) background studies.
Reporting Lines The consultant will be under the direct supervision of the FAO Representative in Bangladesh and in close collaboration with Assistant FAO Representative Programme.
Tasks and responsibilities - Plan, manage and lead the specialized multi-disciplinary TA teams and provides technical and operational leadership
- Analyze project specific requirements and relevant technical issues to provide critical input into the Project Development Objectives, Programme of Work, work plans and the supporting budgets and resourcing strategies
- Guide project TA team for the development of the approach, evidence-based strategies, and related tools, methodologies and the supporting system/database, monitoring and reporting frameworks
- Provide leadership to conduct, design and oversee periodic monitoring or evaluation and analysis activities to support the development of technical standards, instruments, innovation, technical reports, publications and/or on-going programme development as well as the provision of technical and programmatic advisory services
- Provide strategic advice to team members and Project Director district offices and upazila in the development and implementation of their project activities
- Lead, collaborate and provide technical backstopping to ensure the quality and effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities
- Represent FAO at national meetings and conferences, identify and implement strategic partnerships, advocate best practices and increased policy and programmatic coherence dialogue and develop and negotiate effective working relationships and consensus and agreement with national stakeholders
- Provide strategic, managerial and technical leadership, guidance and support to the TA Team on SACP implementation
- Assist the Project Director and other officers involved in the implementation of the project in the scheduling of consultant inputs to coincide effectively with the schedule of implementation requirements of the project activities
- Develop the inception report and overall action plan as well as the budget for FAO TA, aligning it with the objectives, outcomes and outputs of the SACP project components in consultation with PD
- Prepare annual and six-monthly integrated work plans as well as the budget on the basis of the TA agreement document, inception report and overall action plan and coordinate the timely delivery of inputs as stipulated by the work plans
- Ensure that the inputs of the project specialists, technical officers, consultants and support staff are scheduled in such a way as to maximize the synergetic effect of their combined inputs through proper timing
- Develop rapport and maintain close working relationships with the technical staff working in the team to carry out the work programme and its effective planning and implementation
- Put into effect the technical advice provided by the review and backstopping missions
- Facilitate and supervise the organization of training and workshops related to the project activities, including the development of curricula and implementation of Training of Trainers (ToTs), refresher courses and FFSs on Crop, Livestock, Market Linkage and Nutrition
- Organize joint (international and domestic) participatory meetings of the consultants, especially at the beginning of their first input, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the purpose of their inputs in the context of the aims and objectives of the project.
- Lead in promoting knowledge about principles of participation, downward accountability, transparency, feedback and learning, including methods to operationalize them
- Prepare the work plan, with details on the inputs to be provided to effectively implement and achieve their terms of reference as a team.
- Guide the monitoring and evaluation of implemented activities, including field-level training programmes through FFSs and other training events
- Provide briefing to the study tour participants before they undertake visits and organize debriefing and follow-up upon their return
- Collaborate with the Project Director in the identification of international training and study tours and the related tasks.
- Oversee and coordinate the preparation and submission of periodic and technical reports ensuring quality standards and timeliness in accordance with the provisions of the TA agreement.
- Prepare and submit six monthly work plans and fund disbursement requests to the Government and to the donor in compliance with the TA agreement document.
- Manage the project team and provided guidance on a day to day basis in the process of the project implementation
- Liaise and maintain partnerships with other agencies and partners on behalf of World Bank and FAO
- Undertake any other assignments deemed necessary for the smooth implementation of the project
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum Requirements - Master’s degree or higher in agriculture or agricultural related subject.
- At least 15 years of work experience as agriculture expert, agricultural policies
- Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian).
FAO Core Competencies - Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Building Effective Relationships
- Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills - Hands-on experience and deep understanding of developing programme and programme management in the agriculture sector
- Excellent communication skills including strong writing skills, proven ability to convey complex ideas through clear communication, and concise reports, and effective oral presentations.
- Experience in Asia context.
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