Anticipatory Action Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO Afghanistan is investing, across all 34 provinces, in resilience reinforcing actions that focus on protecting agriculture livelihoods and local ecosystems, boosting local production of nutritious foods and cash-incomes, and safeguarding critical agriculture sectoral development gains achieved over the past couple of decades through revitalizing rural markets and economy. In 2022-2023, FAO will, under the life-saving assistance Outcome (1) of the UN Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF), focus on the following four priority actions: (i) Safeguarding Wheat Seed Security, (ii) Enhancing Local Production of Nutritious Food, (iii) Livestock Protection and Dairy Sector Support, and (iv) Restoring Irrigation Structures to Boost Cash Incomes. Additionally, FAO will contribute towards resilience building activities under Outcome 2 of the TEF.

This is a National Project Personnel position – SB4.

Reporting Lines

The Anticipatory Action Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, under the technical supervision of the Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer and direct supervision of Head of Risk Analysis, Agriculture and Food Security.

Technical Focus

The Anticipatory Action Specialist will be part of the Risk Analysis, Agriculture and Food Security Unit. This engagement aims to support the mainstreaming and implementation of early warning and anticipatory action at the country level. FAO’s EWEA (Early Warning Early Action) programme is part of a growing number of anticipatory approaches to crises being implemented by organisations worldwide.

Tasks and responsibilities

Support in the development of Anticipatory Action Protocols

• Analyse existing vulnerability and disaster risk information to identify risks to agriculture and food security, priority areas and livelihoods.
• Consolidate early warning information on the priority risks and support the selection of key indicators for primary climate risks.
• Identify early warning triggers, i.e. the risk level thresholds beyond which financial resources should be rapidly allocated to prevent and mitigate the impact of a forecast hazard on agriculture and food security.
• Formulate crisis timelines overlaying seasonality, livelihood impacts information to identify timings for early warning and anticipatory action.
• Define, with support of international Anticipatory Action consultants, the protocols and standard operating procedures for linking early warning to anticipatory action, including precise roles and responsibilities for risk monitoring and implementation.
• Support the operational and timely implementation of anticipatory action at country level by conducting field missions, advising on appropriate actions and operational arrangements as well as accessing the Anticipatory Action Fund.
• Lead efforts to embed Anticipatory Action into the national and local disaster risk management (DRM) systems.
• Support the Anticipatory Action Impact Assessment including Return on Investment (ROI).

Support linking Anticipatory Action and with cash preparedness

• Liaise with social protection experts in HQ to further explore the link with Anticipatory Action and assess with the cash unit in Kabul the feasibility to use cash transfers as one of the Anticipatory Actions.
• Provide technical support and advice to social protection and cash experts to carry out feasibility studies and establish recommendations to move forward in relation to Anticipatory Actions activities.

Lead collaboration efforts both with key partners

• Strengthen partnerships and inter-agency efforts on Anticipatory Action at country level. This includes fostering collaboration on early warning (e.g. common triggers, joint alerts and appeals) as well as coordinated anticipatory action implementation on the ground.
• Support efforts to engage donors and new partners on the Anticipatory Action agenda.
• Externally represent and advocate Anticipatory Action with technical partners and UN Agencies.

Lead Anticipatory Action capacity building and communication efforts

• Support efforts to institutionalize Anticipatory Action with key humanitarian and development partners.
• Support capacity building activities at country level, including the delivery of FAO Anticipatory Action learning programme.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced (Masters) degree or University (Bachelor) degree in Agriculture, Economics, Development Studies, Early Warning, Risk Analysis, Disaster Risk Management or closely related field;
• For advanced degree at least five (5) years of relevant work experience in humanitarian and agricultural/rural development sectors including work experience with national and international NGO’s, UN agencies and governments;
• For university degree at least seven (7) years of relevant work experience in humanitarian and agricultural/rural development sectors including work experience with national and international NGO’s, UN agencies and governments;
• Previous experience in Anticipatory Action is a strong advantage;
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and local languages (Pashto and Dari);
• National of Afghanistan.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience or familiarity with food security and livelihoods, including surveillance or monitoring systems, post-disaster needs recovery, risk and hazards profiling, market analysis, and/or value chain analysis;
• Strong analytical skills, results interpretation, and communication for wide ranges of data and information users;
• Knowledge of agriculture, food security, livelihoods, food systems and value chains in the context of Afghanistan;
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to an evolving and complex humanitarian context and within multidisciplinary and different cultural background teams;
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Coordination skills with strong individual planning capacity;
• Knowledge of humanitarian principles;
• Strong professional command of Microsoft Office;
• Knowledge of Adobe package a plus.
• Previous work experience with the UN is an advantage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION