Water Productivity Specialist
Najaf
- Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Location: Najaf
- Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Environment
- Closing Date: 2024-09-27
IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
- 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 Project GCP IRQ 007 SWE is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The overall aim of the project is as stated in the title to” Enhance climate resilience of vulnerable agriculture households in Southern Iraq through the promotion of climate-smart water management and good agriculture practices in selected value chains”.
The outputs include\:
• Improve Knowledge and capacities to manage water and agriculture.
• Facilitate evidence-based stakeholder engagement.
• Equip farming households to adapt and adopt water & and climate-smart practices.
• support value chain actors on post-harvest and market.
• communication and outreach.
Some innovative tools and approaches will be introduced including water accounting, water productivity, climate-smart agriculture, farmer field schools, and climate-wise women.
Reporting Lines
Under the overall supervision of the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Iraq - Budget Holder of the GCP IRQ 007 SWE project; and the direct supervision of the FAO Iraq Water and Agriculture Technical Advisor and Project Coordinator, the incumbent will work closely with the international Water Productivity Specialist, and the Iraqi line ministries’ focal points to carry the following tasks for the project\:
Technical Focus
Supporting planning, design and implementation of various activities aiming at assessing and optimizing water productivity, promoting sustainable agricultural, land and water management practices serving the different project outputs and supporting decision making.
Tasks and responsibilities
General description of Tasks
The incumbent will carry out the following tasks for the Project.
• Carry out water productivity baseline assessment. This includes but not limited to i) Identification of the main crops grown in the selected study area(s); ii) Desk study, review and compilation of existing information relevant to Water Productivity (e.g. published scientific papers, Governmental studies, local universities’ research and studies, surveys already performed on agricultural practices, crop yields and/or water use efficiency, Data Quality Assessment, expert opinions, etc.).
• Lead water productivity local assessments. This will include\: i) Review the standard questionnaire to tailor it to the local context; and work with the FAO Iraq GIS specialist to get It transformed into a KoBo-based questionnaire; ii) define, in close coordination with the international specialist, the data collection strategy and the sample needed for the study area(s); iii) Train enumerators on the survey to be carried out in 4 governorates where FFS will be implemented; iv) Analyse results and produce reports for each governorate (Najaf, Muthanna, Thi Qar, and Maysan); v) Work with the GIS expert and WAPOR team, to Integrate remote sensing-based analysis of the evolution of water productivity for the sites where the survey is done.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of economic water productivity assessment on 2/3 value chains (to be selected for south Iraq). Work with the FAO Iraq agro-economist to design and organize the economic water productivity survey along the value chain for 2 to 3 crops important for south Iraq. Organize the fieldwork for the production part (to be done with the above local assessment) and monitor the implementation of the EWP survey and its results.
• Contribute the design and implementation of Pilot/Demonstration farms. Work with the project coordinator and the project team to identify, design and implement pilot farms demonstrating either climate smart water saving technologies, sustainable reclamation of salt affected lands, and cost-effective irrigation and drainage practices.
• Perform other related duties as required by the project coordinator.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• National of Iraq
• University degree in agriculture, land and water resources management, irrigation, or related/equivalent field.
• 5 years of relevant experience in agricultural development, soil-water-crop relationship, extent and relevance of experience in irrigated farming systems analysis.
• Working knowledge of Arabic and limited knowledge of English.
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging, and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking
Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, with relevant field experience, is essential.
• Extent and relevance of experience in agricultural water management, Crop Production, and soil-water-crop relationship.
• Extent and relevance of experience in water productivity assessment and use of remote sensing tools.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
- 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 additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
HOW TO APPLY
• 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 create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.