Agriculture Sector Communications Specialist

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FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
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Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member countries are encouraged to apply.

Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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Organizational Setting:

For more than four decades, FAO has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines:

The Agriculture Sector Communications Specialist will be under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative in the Philippines ad interim, direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), day to day guidance of the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management and Climate Change Adaptation Specialist, and working in close coordination with the TCP/PHI/3803/C3 Project Team, the Technical Assessment Team of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Technical Focus:

Philippines Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) of 1997 has mandated the Department of Agriculture (DA) to formulate an Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) to develop the agriculture and fisheries sector and meet the country goals on food security, poverty alleviation, social equity, income enhancement and profitability, global competitiveness, and sustainability. In August 2019, the DA Secretary William Dar introduced the “New Thinking for Agriculture” as the Department’s strategy to achieve a food secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk. This strategy includes 8 paradigms: 1) modernization of agriculture, 2) industrialization of agriculture, 3) promotion of exports, 4) consolidation of small and medium, 5) infrastructure development, 6) roadmap development, 7) higher budget and investments, 8) legislative support. Anchored on this new strategy, the DA has initiated the formulation of the National Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP) 2020-2025 with the technical assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). NAFMIP will represent a segment of the long-term efforts in support of the thrusts and priorities set in the Ambisyon Natin 2040 and more immediately the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022, Chapter 8 on “Expanding Economic Opportunities in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries”.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Agriculture Sector Communications Specialist will design, prepare, test and refine multi-media development communication materials towards promoting well-informed agriculture and fisheries stakeholder participation in the implementation of the NAFMIP 2020-2025.

The Agriculture Sector Communications Specialist will carry out the following tasks:

1. Lead in the conduct of an assessment on current policies and practices on how agri-fisheries plan implementation is communicated to the primary agriculture stakeholders, general public, local and global market players, investors, and funding institutions;
2. Lead in the development of a multi-media communications plan/program covering the NAFMIP period 2020-2025;
3. Lead in the preparation of a component budget to run the aforementioned communications plan/program, in collaboration with the Budget and Investments Programming Expert (ADB TA Team);
4. Lead in the writing of sections of the NAFMIP or component plans, integrating above technical inputs, as designated by DA;
5. Prepare presentation materials for various meetings, consultations, workshops;
6. Perform other tasks relevant to the technical specialization as deemed necessary by the project

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• The candidate must have Advance University degree in communications, development planning, development communication, or related fields
• At least eight (8) years’ experience in preparing communication plans and programs, preferably with some focus on agriculture, fisheries, and/or food sectors
• A national of the Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
• Familiar with relevant international standards and benchmarks in development communications programs
• Language requirement: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Tagalog

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Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.