Agro-Processing Specialist

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• 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

FAO is supporting the Government of Bangladesh to develop policies and programmes which will increase and improve safe food production in the country while improving the livelihoods and incomes of the most vulnerable. This includes the development of key strategies to modernize the agricultural sector and access market opportunities both nationally and internationally. FAO works in close coordination with other government, UN agencies, IFIs and civil society partners to analyse and identify pro-poor, environmentally beneficial and sustainable approaches to the development of the agriculture sector. The Agro-Processing Specialist position, as part of a team of technical consultants working in collaboration with technical partners and government, will develop a series of policy papers to identify short, medium and longer-term strategies for the sector, as well as the development of market-driven action plans for agro-processing, including key linkages to food safety, value addition, infrastructure investment and export market development.

Reporting Lines

The Agro-Processing Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in the Bangladesh and works in close consultation with the Deputy FAO Representative, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), project Chief Technical Advisors, National Project Coordinators and other members of the programme team.

Technical Focus

The Agro-Processing Specialist will work as part of a Technical Task Team for the development of the short, medium and longer term across the agricultural sector, focusing specifically on the agro-processing portion of the work.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Conduct literature review of studies and papers relevant to the sector, also identifying key specialist in the country and region for further potential collaboration.
• Document and map ongoing work in the agro-processing sector both nationally and regionally, highlighting partnership opportunities for short, medium and longer-term, conducting targeted interviews with key government and private sector partners for validation.
• Review government, IFI and private sector investments in agro-processing to determine lessons learned and areas of success to bulid upon.
• Participate in the Technical Task Team, working closely with technical specialist from UN agencies, IFIs, civil society and private sector in representation of FAO.
• Review the agri-inputs market to identify market gaps in technology and investment, indicating strategies to fill gaps in availability of, and quality of, agricultural inputs and technology – highlighting options for technical innovations including Return on Investment and Value For Money for various subsectors, i.e. dairy, fisheries, livestock.
• Work closely with FAO specialists in Climate Smart Agriculture, Food Safety, Resilience, Food Systems Development, Agri-Business, Food and Nutrition Security, and others to ensure polices and recommendations are considerate of inter-sectoral linkages.
• Identify and prioritize infrastructure investments and bottlenecks, such as strategic cold storage and agricultural aggregation and marketing approaches.
• Develop Agro-processing components of larger programme proposal and strategies under development (GCF, Country Programme Framework, etc).
• Develop concept notes and proposals for the implementation of small-scale pilot project in appropriate and innovative technologies.
• Explore opportunities for partnerships with international agro-business and investments.
• Participate in UN technical coordination structures, including other UN working groups as requested.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Agri-Business, Food Safety, International Trade and Marketing, Agricultural Economics, Economics or related fields. Advanced Degree is preferred.;
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in Agri-Business or Agro-Processing in a humanitarian and/or development context with good analytical and reporting skills.
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian. Working knowledge of English for PSA.SBS.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge of/familiarity with statistical packages and computer analytical tools is necessary.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage workloads under tight deadlines;
• Strong project management skills, including keen attention to detail and ability to follow tasks and ideas through to completion;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with a team and with people from diverse backgrounds;
• The incumbent must possess teamwork spirit, ability to work under minimum supervision, flexibility and good interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills.
• Familiarity with food security and agriculture indicators.

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