Agriculture Governance/Public Policy Specialist

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• 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

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.

Reporting Lines

Under overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Pakistan (FAOR), the incumbent will report to Assistant FAO Representative (Program) in performance of the tasks and duties.

Technical Focus

The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) in Pakistan was established on 26 October 2011 in the aftermath of implementation of devolution under 18th constitutional amendment aimed at devolution of subjects like agriculture, education and health etc., to the Provincial Governments. While implementing this constitutional amendment in the area of agriculture, the Federal Government abolished the erstwhile Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Ministry of Livestock and Dairy Development and transferred few of the functions of these ministries to the provinces. The other functions of these Ministries were clubbed and assigned to the newly created Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR). This initiative was undertaken in haste and confusion that at very start of the new ministry created various issues in smooth implementation and functional performance.

Under the current situation where agriculture sector has become prone to serious challenges caused by the climate change, emergencies like locust, floods, and Covid19 along with all time high food commodities and farm input pricing has created a challenging situation for the MNFSR to perform and provide a leadership in food, agriculture and livestock sectors. An effective and efficient MNFSR would provide a foundation for ensuring food security and sustainability of agriculture and livestock sector in the country.

The MNFSR intends to undertake a holistic functional and performance review of the Ministry and its attached departments. The review is aimed at stock taking, gap identification and study of best practices in order to propose structural reform measures to improve functional capacity of the Ministry and its attached departments for effective service delivery. The Ministry has solicited technical collaboration of FAO to complete this task. This is one of the key targets fixed under the Performance Agreement 2021-22 that Ministry has already signed with the Prime Minister. To undertake this task two local consultants have been taken on board who will be doing major work of this assignment. International consultant will be focusing on very specific tasks as given below.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Guide local consultants and share the international experience in the field of agriculture management;
• Bring knowledge of international best practices and propose measures for effective service delivery;
• Based on the comparison of administrative structure of other countries propose agriculture governance structure for Pakistan in the light of best practices to meet current and future needs of the country in food and agriculture sector;
• Improve the final report and help in preparing final presentation
• Lead and be part of the team for final presentation to the government.
• Any relevant tasks in line with the above mentioned TORs

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, management sciences, public policy, or related discipline;
• At least twelve years’ of experience in institutional management; particularly in agriculture sector;
• Working knowledge of English;

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage workloads under tight deadlines;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with a team and with people from diverse backgrounds;
• The incumbent must possess teamwork spirit, ability to work under minimum supervision, flexibility and good interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated and documented success in similar work;
• Familiarity with FAO processes and procedures is added advantage;
• Demonstrated competency in planning and executing programme activities, and effective use of resources in producing results;
• Ability to communicate in a credible and effective manner and effectively represent FAO in dealings with the Government;
• Skills in advocacy, tact and versatility and a high degree of discretion and integrity.
• Advanced knowledge and skills of MS Office.

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above.

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