National Project Personnel – District Team Leader (10 positions)

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.

For FAO projects in Balochistan (GRASP and THAzA), FAO is in need of qualified applicants. The position of District Team Leader is located in one of the multiple FAO district Offices in Balochistan including Nushki, Kech, Kharan, Panjghur, Zhob, Musakhail, Quetta, Pishin, Las Bela, Khuzdar.

The THAzA project is a USAID funded horticulture agribusiness project that seeks to increase the economic output of horticulture and agribusiness sector in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and increase the number of jobs in the sector. 35% of project activities will be undertaken with female farmers and women led agribusinesses. The project includes components on horticulture production, agribusiness development and strengthening, agriculture information services, e-agriculture extension and access to finance.

GRASP (Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress, Pakistan) is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC). GRASP aims to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable, inclusive economic growth in Pakistan by strengthening small-scale agribusinesses in Balochistan and Sindh. To achieve this goal, the programme will support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) and agribusinesses in the horticulture and livestock sectors to become more competitive by making improvements at all levels of the value chain, including the enabling business and policy environment. GRASP aims to particularly enhance the engagement of rural women in agricultural production and value addition activities and enable to them to tap into economic opportunities in the selected value chains.

The position is at SB3 SC6 level

Reporting Lines

• Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Pakistan and in close coordination with Assistant FAOR, Programme, the District Team Leader will directly be supervised by the Senior Project Officer, Balochistan and the Chief Technical Advisor, THAzA and GRASP. Technical guidance will be provided by the relevant units in FAO Headquarters and FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP).

Technical Focus

• The District Team Leader will be responsible for day to day management of all FAO project activities in a particular district and he/she will lead the district team and manage the inputs of other implementing partner organizations.
• Facilitate the development of agri-business plans for select value chains of commodities supported by the project, through support for community organizations, producer marketing groups and other types of MSMEs established.
• Ensure that Farmer Business Schools (FBS) and Farmer Field School (FFS) are supported with appropriate technical information to maximise the chance to establish commercial opportunities for their products, horticultural or livestock-related

Tasks and responsibilities

• Supervise work of the staff in the Districts in terms of attendance, work planning, implementation, logistics HR and other Management related tasks.
• Lead the Team of District Farmer Field School, Agri Business and Supply Chain Facilitators in collecting and preparing background information on Value Chains, agribusiness and Market Development issues;
• Liaison in between Districts teams and Subject Matter Experts as well as acting as implementation partner
• Prepare district work plans on economic viable value chains and agribusiness in collaboration with the Agribusiness and Supply Chain team & other relevant staff, supervise the facilitation and implementation of activities at field and value chain level.
• Work closely with the project FMCs and CO’s to produce value chain and agri business plans that are likely to result into positive income growth.
• In collaboration with Districts staff and other relevant partners undertake detailed value chain, market analyses (including SWOT, Constraints, Needs and Gap analysis)
• Day to Day operational and financial activities and managing the FAO District team and Office
• Perform any other duties assigned by Project Management within their area of technical competence
• Submit periodic reports as required by project management.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by supervisors.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advance university degree in agribusiness, agronomy, marketing or equivalent level and background.
• 5 years’ experience within agricultural, livestock or horticultural sector, especially marketing aspects, preferably with the private sector
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English. Good knowledge of Urdu and Balochi and/or Pashtu;
• National of Pakistan.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge of rural business development for MSMEs in the context of the Sindh food, agriculture and livestock sectors Remain open to change and ability to manage complexity.
• Ability to work and act under pressure and with discretion in multicultural environment.
• Ability to deal with stakeholders from a broad range of backgrounds.
• Demonstrate capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time to meet goals in a high-pressure environment.
• Maturity and confidence in dealing with high-ranking official of government institutions, international institutions and non- government institutions.
• Familiar with FAO procedures, possess strong supervisory, communication, team building and computing skills (word processing, spreadsheets and data-bases).

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above. Preference should be given to local candidates.