Project Agronomist

Organizational Setting

FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level. 
The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources. 
Specifically, FAO Country Offices: 
•    advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO’s mandate;
•    provide technical assistance and deliver core services; 
•    assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation; 
•    position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation; and 
•    ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management.  

Reporting Lines

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the FAO Representative to the I.R.Iran, and in close collaboration with the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) based in FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, FAO Iran National Programme and Partnership Development Consultant and the project colleagues, the Project Agronomist will be responsible for the effective implementation of the project and achieve its expected outputs and outcome. 

Technical Focus

The Project Agronomist will be responsible for the effective implementation of the project and achieve its expected outputs and outcomes.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Assess current agricultural practices in Lake Urmia basin, identifying areas for improvements toward increasing agriculture productivity, water efficiency and climate resilience. 
•    Analyse previous and on-going interventions on sustainable agriculture in the basin and draw lessons learned to be used in the project. 
•    Assess the existing agro-climate services and tools, identifying areas to promote more effective application of the services and tools.
•    Develop and support the application of agro-climatic and precise agriculture packages and tools tailored to the context of the project pilot areas. 
•    Contribute to agronomy capacity development and farmer field school (FFS) initiatives and the development of respective guidelines and SOPs. 
•    Contribute to institutionalization and standardization of GAIN methodology towards crop water productivity, irrigation water savings and precision agriculture practices through development and dissemination of precise agriculture and irrigation water saving guidelines and SOPs and leading related consultation sessions at the pilot level. 
•    Serve as the Project’s operational and technical focal point for coordination with national counterparts including government partners, UNDP and other UN sister agencies as well as relevant national stakeholders. 
•    Lead the day-to-day implementation of the project. 
•    Ensure the preparation, monitoring and updating of project work plans, with particular emphasis on budget management as well as the application of FAO corporate tools. 
•    Support responsible Officer of Letters of Agreement(s) (LoA) throughout the LoA cycle from identification of the requirements, defining the outcomes, outputs and activities, drafting of the LoA and preparing all supporting documentation for LoA approval and implementation to closure.
•    Proactively manage consultative and other meetings, outreach activities, workshops, trainings, including developing agenda, technical topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations.
•    Liaise closely with UNDP, ensuring the FAO project’s alignment with the joint UNDP-FAO project  
•    Proactively prepare communication with the donor and the project’s annual report for internal review and clearance;
•    Plan and lead field missions, engage in stakeholder consultations, including at community level; and provide guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties;
•    Coordinate with the project colleagues and Experts and ensure the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. background papers, reports and inputs to publications;
•    Lead the development and implementation of identified field level project activities in the Urmia Lake basin including initiating necessary follow-up actions and amending the plan as deemed necessary. The specific tasks include:
•    Lead participatory agriculture pilot planning in close consultation with technical and local stakeholders and farmers formulating agronomy plans and technical solutions towards increasing agriculture productivity, water efficiency and sustainable, climate smart and precision agriculture
•    Prepare a working document that describes the planned activities and their timetable for co-producing, implementing and monitoring pilot interventions within the pilot sites identified by the project team and defined pilots with common water resource, and well identified farmers groups and other stakeholders serving as full partners in implementing the pilot interventions.
•    Liaise with pilot sites focal points and maintain regular communications with participating stakeholders within the pilot sites on behalf of the project, including communicating the project objectives, the project approach to coproduce pilot interventions as well as the expected roles and responsibilities of participating partners in pilot interventions, including farmers representatives, as well as the key project stakeholders including FAO, ULRP and local officials as well as UNDP as the UN partner and the embassy of Japan as the main donor.
•    Prepare the agendas and coordinate the organization of the project workshops and trainings in close coordination with the project team, and including the identification of the diagnostic and participatory tools to be applied and the facilitators to carry them out as well as the roles and responsibilities of the participants (farmers, government agents, private sector representatives etc) since the MSPW depends on the participants themselves to develop collectively the intervention workplan with the help of facilitators.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•    Advanced university degrees in agriculture, farming systems or other related field as appropriate for the assignment.
•    Minimum 5 years’ experience in Agronomy and sustainable agriculture planning and implementation 
•    Working knowledge of English and Persian.
•    National of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Knowledge and familiarity with institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks of national entities engaged in agriculture, natural resources or ecosystem management
•    Ability to interact tactfully and effectively with multiple institutional actors in diverse sectors and at diverse levels, to communicate messages and to promote dialogue.
•    Knowledge of project management, monitoring and reporting.
•    Proven capacity to conduct fieldwork and the ability to work in teams and establish working relationships with central and local government institutions and civil society organizations.
•    Experience in coordination and management of agriculture or sustainable development projects management linked with agriculture, resources management, environment and ecosystem conservation initiatives.
•    Excellent knowledge of and working experience with government institutions.
•    Experience in capacity assessment and design and delivery of training and capacity building programmes.
•    Good command of computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION