National Agronomist

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 Myanmar is piloting the double monsoon rice cropping system in the selected areas to introduce it to increase rice production for social and economic wellbeing as well as considering it as a coping mechanism for any possible disaster in future under FAO technical cooperation programme (TCP).

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Myanmar and the technical supervision of the Lead technical officer (LTO) from FAO Regional Office, direct supervision and operational supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) in Myanmar, in close cooperation with Implementing Partners and related Programme Officer in implementation of the project in Myanmar.

Technical Focus

The National Agronomist will provide support on the FAO double monsoon rice project and carry out for the following tasks;

Tasks and responsibilities:

The following duties will be undertaken by National Agronomist:

• Oversee and guide field demonstration on double monsoon rice (DMR) cropping system
• Review, provide technical inputs and feedback for training materials, guidelines, reports and other documents which were developed by Implementing Partner (IP) in close cooperation with LTO;
• Provide necessary support and technical inputs in preparation of LoA and project formulation, the technical support of the project implementation and necessary monitoring
• Review/ translate the guidelines and documents which are intended to publish for future reference purposes.
• Organize/ participate in meetings and workshops;
• Necessary field visit to project areas, prepare and submit mission reports for all duty travels.
• Submit assignment report covering technical and operational in project implementation before end of the assignment;
• Draft a concept note for future program based on the results and in consultation with IP;
• Assist the Programme team in the preparation of project terminal report
• Perform others appropriate tasks as required for successful project implementation and other tasks as requested by FAO

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University Degree in Agriculture
• Minimum 5 years relevant experience in agriculture, especially on rice production
• Working knowledge (level C) of English
• National of Myanmar.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• In depth knowledge of the food security issues and rice production in Myanmar
• Good oral and writing skills in English
• Good knowledge of Agriculture background and can provide technical judgement
• Experience in rice production, farm management and contract farming
• A cooperative spirit, flexibility and openness to work in an international environment.
• Experience in writing technical report and project concept note or proposal
• Ability to effectively use standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point).
• Ability to effectively use information systems and databases to insert and retrieve data, make enquiries and edit results
• Systematic, well-structured and efficient approach to work assignments. Analytical ability, accuracy and consistency.

Selection Criteria

• Good knowledge and experience in rice production and farm management
• Experience in working with UN or international development organizations
• Experience in engaging with farmers, private sector and other relevant stakeholders
• Experience in translation of technical guidelines English to Myanmar and Myanmar to English
• Experience in writing concept note or project proposal
• Demonstrated ability to organize the implementation of complex tasks
• Demonstrated ability to work for meeting the deadlines and under pressure
• Excellent communication in both oral and written English as well as Myanmar language
• Willingness and ability to travel to rural areas

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