Technical Specialist (Co-Finance) – SB-4

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO Representation in Cambodia is to assist the government in the developing policies, programmes, and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries, and forestry sectors use their environmental and natural resources sustainably and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

FAO is an Accredited Entity (AE) of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In partnership with Cambodia's National Designated Authority (NDA), the Ministry of Environment (MoE), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) are implementing a “Public-Social-Private Partnerships for Ecologically-Sound Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods in Northern Tonle Sap Basin (PEARL)\" project. This climate change adaptation project aims to enhance the climate resilience of farmers and local communities in the Northern Tonle Sap Basin (Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, and Oddar Meanchey Provinces) through public-social-private partnerships and improved access to growing premium markets that promote the dissemination of climate-resilient practices and technologies. The implementation of PEARL started on 26 April 2023 and will cover a duration of six years. The project will work to improve four agriculture value chain: rice, mango, cashew nut, and vegetables.

The project has three outcomes:
i.    Improved hydrological and agrometeorological services,
ii.    Climate-adapted agriculture value chain development,
iii.    Strengthen agriculture regulation, policy, market, finance, and institutional capacities.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Cambodia, the direct and day-to-day supervision of the PEARL Senior Project Officer and in close collaboration with the PEARL Technical Advisors and Specialists, Operations, and government counterparts.

Technical Focus

The Technical Specialist (Co-Finance) will support the PEARL Technical Advisors and Specialists to operationalize co-financing tracking tools to enhance evidence-based reporting and provide capacity development support for PEARL project staff and operational partners (MAFF and MoE). The Technical Specialist (Co-Finance) will provide ongoing technical support based on capacity gaps/needs the project staff and operational partners to roll out a system for high quality real-time data collection and reporting to meet minimum donor requirements for the project M&E and financial reports.

Tasks and responsibilities

Specifically, the Technical Specialist (Co-Finance) will:
•     Coordinate in the roll out of a co-financing tracking tool (KOBO Toolbox) allowing for real-time data collection on co-financing, verification, analysis and report preparation, and upgrade where needed;
•     Support the operational partners to identify eligible co-finance activities and integrate co-finance activities by category (staff time, transportation, office space and others) into operational plans for effective tracking and monitoring;
•     Support the project staff and operational partners to collect and prepare evidence/supporting documents on co-financing activities for uploading into the KOBO workplace for audit purposes;
•     Provide technical support to the project staff and operational partners to review co-financing tracking sheets, and generate and clean co-financing reports for incorporation into the mid-year and annual financial reports to be submitted to the Green Climate Fund (GCF);
•     Coordinate to assess capacity gaps and needs of the project staff and operational partners at national and provincial levels;
•     Organize (refresher) training and provide ongoing technical support on the co-financing tracking tool for the operational partners including data collection, data entry, verification of entered co-financing data into the KOBO workplace and reporting;
•     Coordinate with the project staff and operational partners to inform Operations and MEAL specialists with regards to any aspects towards improving the overall co-finance tracking and reporting;
•     Support the project staff and operational in preparing relevant MEAL and financial reports;
•     Any other tasks as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     University degree in Statistics, Management, Economics, Agriculture Development or related fields
•     At least 5 years of experiences in designing and implementing data collection and reporting system in development projects with national and international NGOs/UN and Government agencies. Experience from UN projects would be desirable
•     Working knowledge of English (level C)
•     National of Cambodia

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Demonstrated development work experience in programme planning, data collection, analysis, reporting and management 
•     Experience with KOBO Toolbox or similar software for database development and management
•     Demonstrated ability to work independently, handle multiple tasks, work under pressure, and deliver assignment on time
•     Familiarity with national and sub-national government and other stakeholders in Cambodia

Selection Criteria

•     Expertise in any of the following: data collection tool design, database software and basic knowledge of agricultural value development in Cambodia.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION