National Field Technical Specialist in MSMEs Support

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

FAO Ukraine is a project management Office headed by the Regional Programme Leader, under operational responsibility of the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, contributing to the development of national policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce malnutrition, develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and the sustainable use of environmental and natural resources.

Reporting Lines

National Field Technical Specialist in MSMEs Support reports to the Head of Office/Programme Officer in Ukraine, under the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer and in close coordination with the International Consultant Project Manager, the National Field Technical Expert in MSMEs Support will support farmers and MSMEs as key actors of prioritized value chains, considering business development and finance access.

Tasks and responsibilities

1. Provide active support to the planning and implementation of Letters of Agreement with Services Providers that will support three activities of EU4R Component considering the Fruits and Vegetables and Livestock value chains in targeted regions. These three activities will include:
   • Support the development of sub-projects addressing the identified bottlenecks in both agricultural value chains in northern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, providing a particular focus to (activity 1.4.2.2)
   • Support establishment of agriculture producers' and marketing groups, with primarily focus on developing institutional capacity and addressing the weak points of the value chains for their products (activity 1.4.2.5)
   • Support local providers with equipment and training meant to improve the quality of services provided, including transportation, storage, packaging, marketing, food quality, contracts, legislation. As a result, small and medium scale farmers from the prioritized value chains in the targeted regions will be linked with the vital services to improve quality and increase sales of their products (activity 1.4.2.4)
2. Assess investment needs of farmers and MSMEs from the structure of prioritized value chains in targeted regions;
3. Identify financing opportunities made available to farmers and MSMEs in targeted regions, including donor-funded projects, state support programmes, commercial loans, warehouse receipts, etc.;
4. Design and conduct on-line and off-line awareness raising events for farmers and MSMEs on available financing opportunities;
5. Based on investment needs assessment, design an investment support programme for farmers and MSMEs from both prioritized value chains;
6. Develop and conduct on-line and off-line trainings for farmers and MSMEs on business planning, financial literacy and investments;
7. Provide agricultural cooperatives and initiative groups with direct advisory support in developing feasible business plans in the frame of investment support programme;
8. Provide technical support to the grant evaluation committees in assessing the feasibility of the grant proposals received from the business service providers in targeted regions;
9. Develop guidelines, make inputs to booklets and leaflets and other project information and training materials;
10. Provide day-to-day technical support and feedback to EU4R Component tasks and activities.
11. Prepare monthly progress reports, including the work progress, problems, recommendations and solutions for next month work plan;
12. Perform any other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Business Administration, Social Sciences, Agricultural Science or related fields;
• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience;
• Advanced knowledge of English. Knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an advantage;
• Proficiency in Ukrainian and Russian;
• National of Ukraine 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

• Work experience in NGOs, INGOs, UN or other technical and/or humanitarian assistance organizations;
• Ability to work under pressure and to carry out several tasks in a timely manner and under tight deadlines, with minimum supervision;
• Relevant experience and skills in programme and project implementation, operations, project formulation, analysis and planning;
• Good understanding of the purpose and functions of technical programmes, UN’s guidelines, and project / programme management procedures;
• Systematic and efficient approach to work on assignments, good judgment and analytical ability;
• Direct project implementation experience is an asset.

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