• 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 position is located at the FAO project office in Sukhumi. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by the 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

The Project Specialist for Abkhazia will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Coordinator for Abkhazia.

Technical Focus

Day to day management of the new FAO/USAID resilience project in Abkhazia. This project will support an increased resilience in Abkhazian communities, working in the forest sector (forest health, management of forests and natural parks) and in the agricultural sector (promotion of good agricultural practices, including post harvest technologies). The Project Specialist will coordinate several teams of local staff in the different areas of work.

Tasks and responsibilities

As International Specialist of the FAO/USAID resilience project, he/she will undertake the following tasks:

• Ensure day to day implementation of the project, in accordance with the work plan timeframe, the logframe and the budget.
• Guide technically the work in one of the areas of work (forest management or agriculture), and supervise the technical guidance provided by other local/international experts in the other area of work, ensuring coherence and joint work and reporting.
• Oversee all field work in the different areas of work, including trainings, awareness raising campaigns, field visits, demonstration plots, demonstration of control measures for forest pests and diseases, etc.
• Support the recruitment of full-time local staff and short term local and international staff in support to the project.
• Set up a project monitoring system for the project implementation
• Maintain an updated status of project management tools, such as the procurement plan, the workplan, logframe and budgets, and ensure the timely reporting (both narrative and financial) to the donor.
• Ensure coordination with partner organisations, international and local organisations
• Organize for exchange visits, field days to share good practices and innovations amongst practitioners
• Prepare and update procurement plans and initiate procurement actions, including preparation of technical specifications, identification of possible suppliers, and provide technical revision of proposals as required.
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agriculture, forestry, or management of natural resources.
• Three years of relevant experience in project or programme management
• Working knowledge (Level C) in English and limited knowledge (Level B) of one of the other FAO languages (Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, or Russian) is required for COF. For PSA, working knowledge of English would suffice. Fluency in Russian would be a strong asset.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience working in conflict affected populations will be considered as an asset.
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience and skills in project management at field level.
• Extent of knowledge of technical work in forestry, agriculture or management of natural resources.
• Computer literacy with spreadsheets, databases and electronic programmes is an asset.
• Quality of both oral and written communication skills.

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

• FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
• Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For more information, visit the FAO employment website
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

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