National Professional Officer (Gender)

Organizational Setting

FAO Iraq is committed to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment as an integral component of its technical work, as mandated by the corporate Policy on Gender Equality 2020-2030.

The post is located in the FAO Representation in Baghdad, Iraq.

Reporting Lines

The National Professional Officer (Gender) reports to the FAO Representative in Iraq in close collaboration with the Deputy FAO Representative, projects Technical Advisors and in coordination with RNE Gender Officer.

Technical Focus

The National Professional Officer (Gender) will contribute to the implementation of the projects “GCP /IRQ/073/CAN (743047) “Adapting rural households in Southern Iraq to water scarcity induced by climate change by empowering women as agents for transformation and addressing the food-energy-water nexus” and GCP /IRQ/007/SWE “Enhance climate resilience of vulnerable agriculture households in Southern Iraq through the promotion of climate smart water management and good agriculture practices in selected value chains” to ensure the achievement of its expected gender-related results.
The National Professional Officer (Gender) will also support the mainstreaming of gender dimensions in the design and implementation of other projects and programmes, by providing technical advice on the collection and analysis of relevant sex-disaggregated data, the undertaking of gender-sensitive analyses (when needed) and the formulation of appropriate indicators for the reporting on gender-related achievements at project and country level.

Key Results

Effective and efficient coordination and provision of the technical and operational support of the programme and project activities of the FAO Representation.

Key Functions

• Liaises and assists government authorities and local, national and international institutions in the areas of FAO's activities in the country and with other UN agencies. He/she may represent FAO at inter-agency meetings as required.
• Promotes the image of FAO through advocacy of the Organization's mandate, programmes, national priorities and activities including development and maintenance of communication tools such as website, press releases and publications, and support the implementation of FAO's regulatory framework (Codex Alimentarius, Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, Safe Use of Pesticides, etc.) in the country.
• Coordinates the collection, consolidation and maintenance of country data on food, crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries including information on external aid in FAO's corporate systems and monitor changes in national policies affecting the agricultural sector.
• Participates in producing technical, economic and policy studies as required and developing country level development frameworks such as the Country Programming Framework (CPF) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
• Participates in the identification, formulation and preparation of programme and project proposals and monitor and review the status of programme/project implementation to ensure that all operational activities are carried out in line with the work plan and the project document; identify inconsistencies and delays and, when necessary, propose corrective measures to overcome operational constraints.
• Briefs, trains and supervises junior staff; ensures adherence to procedures and work requirements as well as accuracy and diligence of the work provided.
• Performs other duties as required.

Specific Functions

• Contributes to the implementation of the projects “GCP /IRQ/073/CAN (743047) “Adapting rural households in Southern Iraq to water scarcity induced by climate change by empowering women as agents for transformation and addressing the food-energy-water nexus” and GCP /IRQ/007/SWE “Enhance climate resilience of vulnerable agriculture households in Southern Iraq through the promotion of climate smart water management and good agriculture practices in selected value chains” , ensuring the achievement of the expected gender-related outputs and outcomes.
• Leads the implementation of the “Climate Wise Women” approach, in close collaboration with the international experts implementing the methodology in other countries and the RNE Gender Officer. This task will include the documentation of the approach and its implementation at field level, including through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data to assess how women participate in and benefit from this innovative approach.
• Contributes to the implementation of Farmers Field Schools in the context of the above-mentioned project, supporting the adoption of a more gender-responsive approach that can facilitate women’s equal participation in training opportunities and in rural associations.
• Supports the design and undertaking of gender-sensitive situation analyses and needs assessments to inform the design of new projects and programmes, including through the review of available secondary data and the development of appropriate tools for primary data collection, when needed.
• In collaboration with the Gender Focal Point, organizes awareness raising and training sessions to enhance the capacities of FAO staff, implementing partners and national counterparts to work on issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment in FAO’s mandated area of work. This will include the adaptation of existing training materials available at the regional level to the specific context and capacity needs of FAO’s work in Iraq.
• Contributes to the development of knowledge and communication products to give visibility to the gender-related work implemented by FAO Iraq.
• Acts as the Gender Focal Point with the implementation of the requirements of the FAO Policy on Gender Equality, particularly the undertaking of a Gender Stocktaking Exercise and the development of the Country Gender Assessment.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• National of Iraq
• Advanced university degree in gender studies, social studies, development studies, economics, or any other field related to the work of the Organization.
• Two years of relevant experience in gender analysis and gender mainstreaming across a range of rural livelihoods, resilience, and development programmes including nutrition and/or agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and of the local language.

Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Experience in designing, coordinating and implementing development progammes and projects.
• Extent and relevance of experience in coordinating and liaising with the relevant stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and coordination skills, and proven ability to work constructively with a variety of stakeholders to achieve common goals.
• Relevant experience related to the mainstreaming of gender in the design and implementation of projects and programmes, particularly in the field of agriculture, rural development and natural resource management.
• Proven capacity to support the undertaking of gender-sensitive situational analyses and needs assessments, including through the collection and analysis of primary sex-disaggregated and gender-relevant data.
• Experience with community engagement and gender-responsive/transformative approaches, aimed to promote women’s empowerment and challenge discriminatory social norms through awareness raising and sensitization.

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

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CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: https://icsc.un.org/Resources/SAD/Booklets/sabeng.pdf
FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization. This includes:
• elements of family-friendly policies
• flexible working arrangements
• standards of conduct