National Specialist on Institutional Reform

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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

It is imperative to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture (MoFMRA) to implement policy recommendations and related national action plans (Fisheries and Agriculture policy for the period 2019 – 2029 and the Agricultural Development Master Plan (ADMP) for the period 2010–2025; FAO has also recently completed a Country Gender Assessment of Agriculture and the Rural Sector in the Maldives). There is also an existing FAO project “Scaling-up of Climate-Smart Agriculture and climate-proofing of fisheries management for resilient food systems in the Maldives” which has findings and conclusions relevant to climate-related policies.

In this context, FAO will provide technical support to;

• Study existing domestic institutional structures and make appropriate capacity recommendations in the areas of strategic programming, project design, planning and delivery.
• Deliver training to the MoFMRA and other stakeholders, including the island councils in support of the effective implementation of the national plans.
• Identify and share knowledge of tools and best practices used by other countries in the region.

(As part of the analysis, this TCP will take into consideration findings and conclusions from relevant Climate-related policies and the existing FAO project “Scaling-up of Climate-Smart Agriculture and climate-proofing of fisheries management for resilient food systems in the Maldives”.)

The project will also strive to strengthen the institutional capacity of the GoM in scaling-up Climate Smart Agriculture and Blue Growth approaches for sustainable fisheries management through enhancing linkages among agriculture sectors, tourism, biodiversity, and climate financing.

Objectives to be Achieved:

• Addressing the lack of management tools, systems, skills and knowledge in the institutions
• Strategic identify sector-specific interventions that contribute to national plans
• Formulate projects/programmes to support these interventions
• Strengthen capacity for implementation (project planning, budgeting, monitoring evaluation and delivery)
• Develop planning/monitoring tools to support these programmes

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, Sri Lanka and Maldives (Budget Holder) and the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and in consultation with the International Consultant, the National Consultant will carry out the following tasks and deliver the expected outputs as described.

Technical Focus

Improve Institutional capacities to implement National Agriculture and Fisheries sector plans.

Tasks and responsibilities

To address these capacity building and institutional strengthening the National Consultant will support the International Consultant to:

• Study existing domestic institutional structures (including national and island councils) responsible to planning and implementation
• Assess capacity building requirements at two levels: overall sector-specific and thematic programming and micro-level project design and delivery
• Take into account gender relevant aspects of policies and capacity development, including gender mainstreaming as part of identification of gaps, and needs analysis and when developing the recommendations and other activities
• Make appropriate capacity recommendations in the areas of strategic programming, project design, planning and delivery
• Draft the outline of an M&E system
• Identify and share knowledge of appropriate tools (for planning, monitoring, tracking) and best practices used by other countries in the region
• Develop the outline of a capacity building programme based on these findings
• Present these findings via video conferencing to MOFMRA for feedback

Support the working modality arranged by the International Consultant

The expected outputs delivered by the project team, consist of:

• Desk review of existing policy and plans
• Stakeholder consultations and field visits
• Map and analysis of existing institutional arrangements and related capacity gaps (including gender perspective) for effective implementation of national plans of the fisheries, marine resources, aquaculture and agriculture sectors
• Action plan for capacity building and institutional strengthening/reform to address these needs and outline of training programme
• Videoconference presentation to MOFMRA for feedback, based on the findings
• TOR for consultant on IT tools development and training
• Translate the recommendations into a training package
• Develop the training curriculum for the Ministry and local Councils as primary target groups
• Establish the monitoring and evaluation mechanism from national to local levels
• Cooperate with the IT Consultant for how to incorporate the M&E mechanisms into the government system, including data collection.
• Final report

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Fluent English
• A post graduate degree in fishery/agriculture economics or related to rural development planning
• Minimum 7 years relevant professional experience, specific to atoll development/rural development programmes and planning
• Professional or work experience in M&E of development programmes
• The candidate must be a National of Maldives

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Good oral and written communication skills in English and Divehi.
• Computer literacy at working level is required;
• Good experience in data collection and analytical work;
• Good research and communication skills; and
• Ability to work with minimum guidance, ability to work in a team and meet deadlines.

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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.