Organizational Setting
Agrifood systems around the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region are facing multiple challenges such as climate change, hunger and malnutrition, degraded natural resources among others, while at the same time contributing to several of these challenges. Recent geopolitical events have drawn attention to the urgent need to transform agrifood systems in NENA towards more sustainable, inclusive and resilient systems. RNE supports NENA member countries in the transformation of agrifood systems by making food value chains more competitive, sustainable, inclusive and resilient and is the lead technical unit for the MSD project.
The overall goal of the MSD project is to assess, understand and improve the functioning and performance of agrifood market systems in pilot communities in Syria and Jordan, as an entry point to strengthen the resilience of local communities and vulnerable groups by fostering economic empowerment, social cohesion and sustainable use of natural resources while facing protracted crisis.ย
The target local communities and vulnerable groups (migrants, internally displaced people, asylum seekers, women, people with disabilities, young people, etc), as well as the intervention areas, will be identified during the assessment phase under high consideration of safety and security rules.
Reporting Lines
The specialist will be based in the Jordan country office, working with the relevant personnel from the FAO Jordan Country team and under the overall supervision of the FAO representative in Jordan. He/She will work under the technical guidance of the Value Chain & Market Systems Specialist in RNE and in close collaboration with relevant FAO staff and government stakeholders and relevant FAO technical teams in RNE and HQ.
Technical Focusย
The National Specialist will be responsible for the smooth implementation of the MSD project, Specifically, the National incumbent will:
Tasks and responsibilities
Liaising and networking
โข ย ย Establish and facilitate a participatory governance mechanism (National Task Force)
โข ย ย Support the secretariat responsibilities for the MSD National Task Force and participate in National Task Force meetings
โข ย ย Support communication with Government counterparts and other stakeholders on behalf of the MSD project
โข ย ย validate the findings of the community-based assessment after year one of the project through a workshopย
โข ย ย share lessons learned and knowledge products from Syria and Jordan on implementing community-based market systems development projects in context sensitive regions towards the end of the project
Contribute towards achieving the project outputs
โข ย ย Contribute towards the preparation of the methodology for community-based MSD assessment
โข ย ย Contribute towards training the local service provider on the methodology for community-based MSD assessment
โข ย ย Support the local service provider carry out the community-based MSD assessmentย
โข ย ย Support the local service provider introduce pilot market innovations
โข ย ย Contribute towards the development of lessons learned and knowledge products
Project monitoring and quality assurance
โข ย ย Establish and implement a MEAL framework
โข ย ย Monitor project progress against the work plan and performance against objectives
โข ย ย Carry out quality assessment of reports prepared by service providers before submission to the the Value Chain & Market Systems Specialist in RNE
Carry out monitoring visits to the target communities
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
โข ย ย University degree in sustainable development, economics, business, social studies, or other related areas to the assignment
โข ย ย At least 3 years of relevant experience in collection and data analysis, monitoring and evaluation related to food systems, food security, climate action, climate adaptation, and mitigationย
โข ย ย Working knowledge of English
โข ย ย National of Jordan or resident in the country with a valid work permit
FAO Core Competencies
โข ย ย Results Focus
โข ย ย Teamwork
โข ย ย Communication
โข ย ย Building Effective Relationships
โข ย ย Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skillsย
โข ย ย Familiarity with Jordanโs work in local community context .
โข ย ย Excellent writing skills, excellent interpersonal skills with liaising with different stakeholders and presenting ideas and exchangesย
Selection Criteria
โข ย ย Experience in value chain, supply chain, market systems, financial analysis