FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Professional Vacancy Announcement No: TCES-242-08-PRJ
Deadline For Application:  10 August 2008
Position Title Project Manager (Cottage Industry and Date Palm Sector)
Duty Station Amman, Jordan
Grade Level P-4
Duration One year with possibility of extension
CCOG Code: 1S01
Organizational Unit Special Emergency Programmes Service (TCES)
Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division (TCE)
Technical Cooperation Department (TC)

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq and its Food Security, Agriculture and Food Assistance Sector, FAO and UNIDO are designated agencies responsible for implementation of a date palm sector rehabilitation project and a number of (currently three) regional cottage and micro industry development projects in Iraq. Financed by the United Nations Development Group Trust Fund for Iraq, these projects aim, amongst others, to create productive employment and generate income for the rural population. Through joint implementation of these projects, UNIDO and FAO complement each other’s core expertise in providing the best possible technical assistance. For the cottage and micro industry projects, FAO is involved in the area of small scale food processing, whereas UNIDO is responsible for the non-food cottage and micro industries. In the date palm project, FAO addresses the agricultural aspects of the rehabilitation of the date production while UNIDO is responsible for technical assistance in developing the processing and marketing aspects.

  • Under the general supervision of the FAO Officer-in-Charge for the Iraq Programme and the direct supervision of the Chief, Special Emergency Programmes Service (TCES), in consultation with the relevant FAO headquarters Lead Technical Units and in close collaboration with relevant UNIDO staff, the Project Manager will be responsible for management, administration and oversight of the implementation of the cottage and micro industry projects and the date palm project. Specifically, he/she will:
  • establish and maintain the operational structure for the project implementation;
  • coordinate all the project activities, and define clearly the duties and responsibilities, objectives and priorities of the work plans of project staff;
  • ensure appropriate supervision to the teams working for the projects, including administration, communication, and field operations aspects, through the existing Iraq programme administrative unit;
  • identify technical assistance required and recruit national project staff, trainers, consultants, including the preparation of job descriptions, in collaboration with Headquarters technical staff;
  • act as the Secretary to the Project Steering Committees which provide guidance to and supervision of project implementation and decide on any required modifications (extension, budget amendments, etc.);
  • liaise with the relevant government counterparts, FAO and UNIDO structures, and other actors like NGOs, that are active in the relevant fields;
  • monitor progress on implementation in relation to annual work programmes, in particular, timeliness, achievement of project objectives and impact, and implement corrective measures when needed;
  • ensure preparation of required reports in a timely fashion and in line with FAO rules and procedures;
  • ensure support to the identification and implementation of training programmes (technical and management aspects) and equipment/technology requirements (including technical specifications and estimated costs);
  • provide technical assistance on policy and technical matters related to the date palm production system and food processing based micro enterprises;
  • develop, together with the UNIDO project staff and relevant FAO headquarters technical divisions and relevant line ministries, a database of activities providing key data and issues for discussion as appropriate and ensuring timely dissemination of that information;
  • prepare in collaboration with FAO headquarters technical divisions and relevant line ministries all necessary concept notes, profiles and briefs related to the date palm and cottage / small-scale enterprise sectors for potential funding and donor requests;
  • perform other related duties as required.
  • NB: Promotion to this post is for duration of assignment only.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Candidates should meet the following:

  • University degree in agriculture or food processing or related field
  • Seven years of relevant work experience in project development/implementation, including experience as a project manager/ team leader in the agricultural rehabilitation/development and/or small scale food processing sector
  • Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another language of the Organization

 

SELECTION CRITERIA
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

  • Relevance and level of academic qualifications;
  • Extent of relevant experience in management/operation of rehabilitation/development projects, including knowledge of related administrative, operational and financial procedures;
  • Experience in remote management of cross-border project operations is an asset
  • Demonstrated ability to liaise with UN, NGO, governmental agencies and training and research institutions;
  • Extent of experience in the region;
  • Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills in English;
  • Working knowledge of Arabic is an asset;

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
* The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.

TO APPLY: Carefully read and follow the Guidelines to applicants

Send your application to:

V.A TCES-242-09-PRJ
Chief, Special Emergency Programmes Service (TCES)
FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome ITALY
Fax No: +39 06 570 54941
E-mail:
VA-242-08-PRJ-TCES@fao.org

This vacancy is open to male and female candidates. Applications from qualified women candidates and applications from qualified candidates from non/under-represented member states are encouraged. Please note that FAO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director-General and may be assigned to any activities or office of the organization.

  FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

  Post Number: N/Unidentified