National Agro-Socio- Economist Specialist at Food and Agriculture Organization: (Deadline 26 March 2024)

National Agro-Socio- Economist Specialist at Food and Agriculture Organization: (Deadline 26 March 2024)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

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 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
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda is implementing the project aimed at reconsidering the potential of water resources development to expand irrigated land in Rwanda. The project aims to put more effort into increasing the area under irrigation by reconsidering all irrigation potentials, including medium, small, and micro sites. By reconsidering irrigation potential in Rwanda, the project will increase the total irrigated land to maximize crop production and productivity, sustainable land use and crop intensification, adaption to environmental degradation and climate resilience. Reconsidering irrigation potential will decrease the barriers to accessing water, impact poverty through different dimensions such as crop/animal production and productivity, on-farm and off-farm employment generation, income/consumption, vulnerability, food security, non-farm output, nutrition, multiple use of water (e.g. domestic and irrigation purposes).

Thematically the projects focus on two outputs:

(1)    Analyze and review geographic data and prepare an inventory of national irrigation potential sites in Rwanda,
(2)    Conduct comprehensive preliminary feasibility studies and validate the identified potential sites.

FAO is now hiring a National Agro-Socio- economist Expert to develop investments proposals for the mapped large, medium, small, and micro irrigation potential sites, and carry out pre-feasibility studies for the most suitable sites in consideration of easy implementation and cost efficiency.

FAO is now hiring a national an Agro-Socio- economist Expert to assess the economic and financial feasibility of the selected potential sites i.e large, medium, small and micro irrigation potential sites to be prioritized as Climate Smart, and Efficient Irrigation sites in Rwanda.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will report to the FAO Representative in Rwanda through the Better Production Officer at FAO-Rwanda,  under the technical supervision of the Project Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and in close collaboration with national counterparts and FAO-SFE technical officers.

Technical Focus

The consultant will conduct a thorough  economic and financial feasibility assessment of the selected potential sites across the country. S/he will tally the anticipated return expected from development of the selected irrigation sites and prepare needed reports.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will specifically:

•    By considering a period of 30 years s/he will determine, in particular, economic and financial internal rate of return, with sensitivity tests indicating change in these rates taking into account various theories about the costs and profits.
  •    Propose the total investment cost of every selected site.
  •    Conduct the financial analysis of the irrigation projects’ capability to repay the investment and the operation as well as maintenance costs.
  •    Propose the Public Private Partnerships models that can be applied for the identified sites with emphasis on the implication of the youth and gender balance.
  •    Propose the resource mobilization strategy for the identified potential sites.
  •    Support to organize the consultation workshops to inform potentials stakeholders (government, private sector, international organizations, donors other stakeholders who intervene in irrigation sub-sector) for the identified sites.
  •    Organize the validation meetings of the feasibility studies of the potential selected sites,
  •    Categorize and prioritize needed investments to develop the quick win projects that are promising.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWINGMinimum Requirements    

•    A bachelor’s degree with an advanced university degree in agribusiness, development studies, agronomy, agriculture engineering or other related fields.
  •    7 years – experience in Agro – socio-economic studies and analyses of the project,
  •    Working knowledge of English
  •     National of Rwanda or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Proficiency in the study, design, and implementation of irrigation infrastructure development projects.
  •    Knowledge of environmental and safety regulations and compliance.
  •    Experience in feasibility studies.
  •    Excellent skills in analysis and report writing.
  •    Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills in English.
  •    Ability to effectively use standard Irrigation software such as Irrigation Model Maker Software, for designing irrigation potential sites and others.
  •    Good command of computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Power point, Internet).
  •    Capable to work independently and perform under tight deadlines.
  •    Good interpersonal and teamwork skills, networking aptitude, and ability to engage effectively with policy and decision-makers.

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, 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.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website atJobs 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

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