Investment Operations 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 FAO Investment Centre (CFI) aims to be the go-to place for investment and finance solutions that lead to more efficient, sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems. Working in over 120 countries, CFI provides a full suite of investment and finance support to FAO members. It partners with governments, international financing institutions, national and international organizations, the private sector, research institutions, academia and producer organizations to improve the quality and quantity of agrifood investment. The Centre’s four main areas of work include support to strategic investment planning and policy, public investment, private investment, and innovative finance. These are complemented by the knowledge for investment and capacity development for investment programmes that serve to share knowledge more widely and position the Centre as a trusted voice on investment and finance.

CFI is a multidisciplinary centre comprising the Director’s office, which leads on strategy and business development, knowledge management, communication and administration, and five regional services: Asia and the Pacific; Near East and North Africa, and Europe and Central Asia; West and Central Africa; East and Southern Africa; and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The purpose of this call is to provide FAO’s Investment Centre (CFI) with a list of qualified candidates for a number of profiles with different specializations as indicated below. The contract can be home based with required travel for field missions.

Requested Profiles (or Job Titles):

• Agribusiness, Agri-processing and Value Chain Specialist
• Agriculture Specialist
• Animal Husbandry, Health, Feed, and Processing Specialist
• Capacity Development and Extension Specialist
• Climate Change and Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist
• Climate Finance Specialist
• Credit and Rural Finance Specialist
• Digital Agriculture Specialist
• Economist – Agricultural Economist
• Expenditure Review Specialist
• Fisheries and Aquaculture Specialist
• Food Safety Specialist
• Food Security and Nutrition Specialist
• Forestry Specialist
• Gender, Youth and Social Inclusion Specialist
• Impact Assessment Specialist
• Information and Communication Technology and MIS Specialist
• Institutional Development Specialist
• Irrigation Engineer
• Knowledge Development Specialist
• Land Tenure and Land Tenure Information Management Specialist
• Livestock Specialist
• Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
• Natural Resources and Environmental Management Specialist
• On-farm Water Management Specialist
• Project Management Specialist
• Quality Label Specialist
• Remote Sensing and GIS Specialist
• Resilience and Emergency Specialist
• Rural Area Water Supply Specialist
• Rural Infrastructure Specialist / Cold-storage Specialist
• Rural Sociologist and Community-Driven Development
• Veterinarian / One Health Specialist / Zoonotic disease

Reporting Lines

The Investment Operations Specialist will work under the overall technical supervision of the Service Chief and the direct supervision of a CFI Officer, in close collaboration with the FAO Representation in the relevant country of assignment.

Technical Focus

Provision of technical advice or expertise and capacity development for (i) provision of policy advice to member countries in collaboration with IFI partners; (ii) the design of investment operations, in collaboration with country stakeholders and cooperating partners, to mobilize resources for food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation; and (ii) implementation support and evaluation of investment operations, in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Lead, or participate in, multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification, assessment and preparation of investment operations in the fields of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, and participate in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions.
• Lead, or participates in, multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment operations.
• Advise governments, or provide technical expertise, in the preparation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation studies and strategies, and in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment plans and programmes. ( only for Consultants)
• Advise on developing, or support the development, of inclusive and sustainable food systems, involving producers, their organizations, other private sector actors, civil society organizations and government.
• Lead the formulation, or formulate, and delivers monitoring and evaluation, communication and capacity development strategies and activities in the areas of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations.
• Prepare reports in accordance with government and financing partners’ requirements.
• Promote international cooperation and collaboration leading to new investment opportunities and cooperative agreements, advocates best practices and effective policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international meetings.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in economics, agricultural economics, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, agribusiness management, natural resource management, irrigation and drainage engineering, rural infrastructure engineering, communication, social sciences, international relations or a related field as appropriate for the specific profile.
• From one to fifteen years of relevant experience in conducting agricultural/rural sector/subsector analytical studies, and/or in planning, design, supervision of agricultural and rural investment operations, including elaboration of feasibility studies and implementation of agricultural and rural investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian (for consultants). Working knowledge of English, French, Spanish, Arabic or Russian (for PSAs).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in leading, or participating in, multidisciplinary teams for the preparation of strategies and sector studies as well as formulation, implementation support or evaluation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investment operations
• Extent and relevance of experience in food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation analytical studies and programme evaluation
• Extent and relevance of experience in investment design, implementation support and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners, in particular the World Bank, the International Funds for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• Extent and relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investments
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with government officials, development partners and other country level stakeholders;
• Relevance of experience in different geographical areas.

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