Value Chain Facilitator

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO at country level, 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.

Suriname and FAO have partnered since the country joined the Organization in 1975. Over the past decade, FAO technical assistance has spanned the agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry subsectors, primarily focusing on priorities laid down in Suriname’s Agriculture Sector Plan. Suriname has made positive strides towards food security and, in 2014, the country was declared one of the top four Caribbean nations to have achieved the MDG target for hunger eradication.

FAO has been identified by the Government of Suriname and the European Commission (EC) as implementation partner for the FAO/EU Suriname Agriculture Market Access Project (SAMAP), on the basis of its comparative advantage and technical expertise in agriculture development in Suriname working with both public and private sector and having specific competences related to food safety and certification, business development and productive alliances.

Component 1 of SAMAP provides resources for value chain and market analysis and trainings at various levels, from decision makers to advisory service providers to farmers and attempts to build capacities in applying a value chain development approach to analyse selected crop value chains, make informed decisions on priority activities for development and sustainably supply new markets. The aim is to design upgrading strategies and actions plans and to stimulate efficient and sustainable linkages between agribusinesses, markets and farmers and their organizations. Such strategies will be inclusive of women, youth, small-scale farmers, farmer groups and private sector companies. Global experience has shown that the multi-stakeholder value chain platforms (VCP) can be a powerful vehicle to make such a development real.

Reporting Lines

The Value Chain Facilitator (VCF) will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative to Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, report to and operate under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA), as well as under the guidance of the FAO Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and supporting technical divisions at FAO headquarters (ESA). She/he will work in close collaboration with the SAMAP International Value Chain Specialist and the National Project Coordinator, as well as with other specialists and consultants who support the implementation of value chain development activities in Suriname. The VCF will follow FAO’s Sustainable Food Value Chain (SFVC) Guiding Principles and associated tools.

Technical Focus

The objective of this position is to support the establishment and operationalization of multi-stakeholder value chain platforms of selected commodities (fruits, vegetables, roots & tubers, and non-timber forest products-NTFP). The VCF will interact with farmer organizations, exporters and agro-processors, public and private sector institutions to improve the level of commitment and collaboration between stakeholders in selected value chains.

The VCF acts as Secretariat of the VCP and in that capacity will convene and facilitate regular meetings and generally provide assistance in building trust, strong communication and cohesion between VCP members to help the VCPs achieve the stated goals in their respective strategic action plans.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Assist in the design, organization and operationalization of selected multi-stakeholder value chain platforms. Facilitate the daily functioning of the VCPs.
• Support in the development of operational and functional structures of selected value chain platforms.
• Support the identification of relevant platform members and stakeholders and keep updated the information of the VCP membership.
• Support the development of a strategic action plan for the functionality of the VCP’s to improve interventions in the sector including aligning budgets, defining roles and responsibilities and timelines for the respective VCPs.
• Oversee the operationalization of the VCPs and implementation of the strategic action plans with the identified stakeholder groups including organizing, convening and facilitating regular VCP meetings between public and private sector platform members to improve trust, relationships and collaboration between key sector stakeholders. Facilitates discussions, takes notes of the main agreements, documents and reports the outcomes of the meetings to the VCP members and to SAMAP.
• Contribute to the further design and delivery of capacity building and training sessions for value chain platform members. Organizes training events, including facilitating logistics and implementation.
• Facilitate information sharing and communications between VCP members. Supports the development of communication materials for dissemination.
• Support the development of a monitoring and evaluation framework for each of the respective VCPs and oversee its implementation. Assists in data collection and regular reporting to VCF members, the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO-SAMAP.
• Organize sensitization meetings with stakeholders to promote and strengthen the VCPs, increase collaboration among stakeholders and address value chain issues that arise for mutual benefit.
• Support and facilitate the coordination efforts of the VCPs with other public and private sector institutions, as well as with other relevant initiatives and/or related projects.
• Support the identification of possible linkages between the VCP action plans and relevant SAMAP project activities that can benefit VCP members (MGF, Food safety, business training).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced Degree (preferably) in agricultural sciences, agricultural economics, agribusiness, commerce or related social and development disciplines.
• A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the development and management of agro-food value chains, preferably in Suriname and/or the Caribbean region.
• Working knowledge of English, fluency in Dutch and familiarity with other national languages, especially working knowledge of Sranan Tongo.
• Nationality of Suriname or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Substantive knowledge and experience in agribusiness and agriculture value chain development and working with the private sector in Suriname.
• Practical experience on designing and facilitating participative processes for value chain analysis and local economic development planning.
• Practical experience in developing and implementing value chain platforms and/or similar coordination mechanisms.
• Ability to work with local government, private sector and community stakeholders, including the ability to facilitate understanding between groups with different perspectives and interests, facilitate linkages and build strong and supportive working relationships a wide range of stakeholders
• Strong oral and written communication skills

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