Advisory Services Officer
Sarajevo
- Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
- Location: Sarajevo
- Grade: Consultancy - SB-4 (SC8/SC9), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Other
- Capacity Development
- Closing Date: Closed
Background
- Higher levels of production of safe and quality food based on introduced innovative practices, while preserving the natural resources and the countryside, are sustained; and
- Policy actions are implemented in EU aligned manner, based on sector services and systems improved.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Coordination of advisory and extension service support within the project framework;
- Provision of expert advice and technical assistance (TA) to Grant Investment Package (GIP) applicants and recipients;
- Coordination of activities with support to public advisory services provided by CzDA;
- Effective mainstreaming of gender equality and knowledge management.
- Coordinates the activity of demand scan of extension service users and assessment of supply by non-state advisory services to be conducted by external service provider;
- Continuously analyses and monitors environment of the advisory and extension services in the country;
- Keeps abreast of relevant trends, practices and experiences related to advisory and extension services in the region and the EU;
- Conceptualizes and designs GIP support measures targeting the private advisory and extension services in close cooperation with institutional partners and the EU4Agri project team;
- Actively engages with institutional partners and other stakeholders in the sector to ensure their active participation in project activities, transfer and anchoring of good practices towards capacity building of advisory service providers;
- Support the implementation and monitoring of support measures by selected private advisory and extension service providers in line with proposed implementation plans, methodologies, outreach and make sure that performance targets set out in signed contracts will be met;
- Stays abreast of relevant international and local initiatives related to the agri-food and rural development sector, ensuring cooperation and synergies, which would add value and maximize the project results;
- Contributes to the overall project planning, monitoring and reporting;
- Provides advice and guidance to the project team and institutional partners related to planning and design of support measures and provision of capacity building to advisory and extension service system in BIH;
- Provides guidance and technical assistance to the GIP applicants and recipients;
- Coordinates training workshops and meetings to GIP applicants and recipients among the private advisory service providers;
- On demand basis support engagement of appropriate experts/consultants to address identified knowledge gaps among advisory, extension services providers and institutional partners;
- Supervises the work of experts/consultants and ensure the delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance to the advisory and extension service providers and involved institutional partners;
- Promotes the lessons learnt of support measures and capacity building plan to support advisory/extension services system among the institutional partners and other stakeholders.
- Designs, in synergy with the support under Result 1, technical assistance to help the evolution of advisory service provision, ensuring a complementary and coordinated approach by public and private sector entities in close cooperation with the CzDA;
- Supports the design and implementation of capacity building plan to support advisory and extension services system (including public and private advisory and extension service provider) across the country in close cooperation with the CzDA and the institutional partners.
- Supports the Project Manager in ensuring gender mainstreaming throughout the project activities, work plans, budgets, reports, research, analyses, and, where specifically relevant, analyze it in detail ;
- Ensures gender equality is mainstreamed throughout the project support to the agri-food and rural development sector;
- Ensures sharing of lessons learned, best practices and latest trends relevant to the project work;
- Supports exchange of ideas within the team as well as with other relevant initiatives.
Competencies
Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda / Level 1.2: Preparing information for advocacy:
- Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate.
- Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work;
- Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration;
- Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation;
- Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development;
- Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly;
- Ability to develop, articulate, and achieve clear goals that are consistent with expected project activities and its output;
- Ability to foresee risks and develop mitigation strategies.
- Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues;
- Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders.
- Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
- Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches.
- Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
- Acknowledges others’ skill sets and expertise, encourages and facilitates the sharing of that knowledge and creates learning opportunities for others.
- Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
- Significant experience working in the area of inclusive economic development;
- Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
- Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
- Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
- Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.
- Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
- Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
- Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.
- Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
- Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
- Self-development, initiative-takin;
- Ability to handle multiple tasks effectively without compromising quality;
- Acting as a team player and facilitating teamwork;
- Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team;
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts and recommendations, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences;
- Creating synergies through self-control;
- Managing conflict;
- Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each employee;
- Deals openly, honestly and transparently with issues, resources and people;
- Informed and transparent decision making.
Required Skills and Experience
- Advanced university degree in agronomy, development studies, agricultural, economics or other related areas.
- BA with additional two years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of MA;
- At least 3 years of relevant experience in the field of advisory services or extension service in agri-food and rural development sector;
- At least 3 years of relevant experience in provision of technical assistance and trainings with the focus on advisory services or extension service in agri-food and rural development;
- Demonstrated knowledge of agri-food sector and rural development needs and processes in BIH, as well as within the context of the EU integrations;
- Familiarity with key public documents, strategies and trends related to the overall development agenda of BIH.
- Fluency in English and the official languages of BIH, with excellent drafting and presentation skills;
- Excellent computer skills (especially Microsoft Office applications) and ability to use information technologies as a tool and resource.
Disclaimer
Important applicant information
All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.
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