Information Technology Consultant

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• 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 member nations 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 our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

The 3 Rome-based Agencies (RBA - FAO, IFAD and WFP) are implementing a project in Lebanon and Jordan funded by the European Union - MADAD Trust Fund, under the leadership of FAO. The project entitled “Enhancing resilient livelihoods and food security of host communities and Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon through the promotion of sustainable agricultural development” is implemented in Lebanon in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The project responds to the reduced livelihood and food security levels resulting from the Syrian crisis, in Jordan and Lebanon. It tackles its negative impact on the host communities through support to the agriculture sector in improving the agricultural productivity and the farmers’ income in addition to the creation of job opportunities for both host communities and displaced Syrians. The project aims as well to promote social protection mechanisms for the benefit of the host farming community and the displaced population, and is in line with the national policy strategy and with the current Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP).

The project has four Outputs:

Output 1: Adequate agriculture production support systems for vulnerable farm communities rolled out and good agriculture practices supported and developed

Output 2: Ability of national institutions, farmer groups, agricultural technical centres and schools/facilities to develop capacity of host and refugee’s communities enhanced.

Output 3: Productive capacities of vulnerable smallholder host farmers and/or home-based micro and group-based small-scale agri-food enterprises are increased and job opportunities in the form of agricultural labour are created

Output 4: Livelihoods and income generating opportunities for the most food insecure created through sustainable management of natural resources.

Reporting Lines

The IT Consultant will perform his/her tasks under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Lebanon, the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and working under the direct supervision of the Project Manager.

Technical Focus

This current assignment is part of Output 2, where the project will support MoA in enhancing the capacity of the agriculture extension centres, which will provide the necessary technical support to all farmers and especially smallholder farmers. More specifically, the project will create/rehabilitate and equip nine or more Farmer Training Centres (FTC) within the existing MoA agriculture extension centres or regional services, distributed all over Lebanon, to provide learning access to farmers and other players in the sector. These new FTCs will be used to carry out farmers trainings, training of trainers, and to support all current and planned education activities.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Analyse the possible needs of a Farmer Training Centre based on the discussions with the relevant MoA and FAO staff, and draft a preliminary typical list of IT and other equipment (Audio, furniture, etc.) needed for a typical centre;
• Evaluate and recommend choices of technology and standards to use;
• Visit all the potential training facilities in MoA premises all over Lebanon and assess their current IT and other equipment compared to the typical list drafted above;
• Prepare a technical report of the IT and other equipment specifications, quantity and estimated costs per centre;
• Assist the MoA and FAO in the selection of centres to be equipped, if requested;
• Draft the final list of IT and other equipment needed for all the centres to be tendered;
• Recommend suppliers per type of equipment to include in the invitation to bid;
• Assist in the technical evaluation of the received bids and ensure that all items offered are in accordance with the specifications indicated or serve as a suitable replacement;
• Resolve any unforeseen technical difficulties and other problems that may arise in the process of the implementation.
• Coordinate with the Rehabilitation Works Consultant working on the same centres;
• Assist, if requested, in briefing meetings for the benefit of FAO Representative, Resilience Coordinator, Steering Committee,
• and senior related staff of partners;
• Undertake other project related tasks as requested by the Project.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field;
• At least five years of relevant experience in providing IT equipment solutions;
• Willingness to travel extensively to the regions where the project operates;
• Good command of English and Arabic.
• National of Lebanon or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work;
• Familiarity with agriculture and rural development projects is an asset;
• Experience working with the Government agencies at the national level including in-depth understanding of development and political context is an asset;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Ability to work independently and to participate effectively in a team based information sharing.

Selection Criteria

• Extent and relevance of experience in similar projects
• Extent and relevance of experience in IT and other equipment analysis

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.