GEF Project Design Expert - Food and Agriculture Organization

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

GEF Project Design Expert – Consultancy Roster

Contract duration: From 30 to 60 days over a maximum period of 11 months on a When-Actually-Employed basis

 

Vacancy No. IRC2804

 

Deadline for Applications: 14 April 2015

 

The purpose of this call is to provide FAO’s Investment Centre Division (TCI) with a list of qualified candidates for potential assignments as GEF Project Design Expert. The contract will be home based, with required travel for field missions.

 

FAO's vision is a world free of hunger and malnutrition where food and agriculture contributes to improving the living standards of all, especially the poorest, in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

 

The Investment Centre Division (TCI) promotes investment in agriculture and rural development in developing countries and countries in transition, assisting governments, international financing institutions (IFIs) and other development partners with the strategic planning and implementation of their investments to achieve growth, poverty alleviation, food security and nutrition goals while addressing critical environmental challenges such as climate change.

 

The GEF Strategic Program complements the FAO’s Strategic Objectives to a large extent. For this reason an increasing number of FAO member countries regard GEF financing as important to furthering the synergies between sustainable agricultural/rural development and achieving global environmental benefits. In light of this, the FAO is looking for proven expertise in order to lead the GEF project development processes for its member countries.

 

Tasks and responsibilities:

 

The incumbent will work under the overall technical supervision of the Senior GEF Coordinator and the supervision of the lead Technical Officer and the FAO Representation in the relevant country, in close collaboration with the national GEF Executing Agency. The GEF Project Design Expert (PDE) will lead the GEF project development process to a successful conclusion. The PDE’s main task will be to coordinate the input from different stakeholders in order to generate quality GEF CEO Documents and full sized project (FSP) documents that meet the expectations of governments, as well as the FAO, the GEF Secretariat, and key co-funders.

 

In particular, the incumbent will:

• Provide overall conceptual guidance in preparation of the FSP in compliance with the focal area results framework and priorities targeted by the project, as well as specific inputs to analysis and assessments where needed.
• Lead the project inception workshop to facilitate a common understanding of the objectives and implementation modalities, agree on terms of reference and tasks to be conducted during the project preparation period, and review and update the proposed work-plan. Provide further guidance to the project formulation team (PFT) if required.
• Review local expert reports and give final comments on information gaps, weaknesses in analysis, and provide advice on project (sub-) component design.
• Lead the project validation workshop to; i) present a project logical framework based on main findings of project development phases, ii) share a draft budget with national experts, iii) support participants in the preparation of a detailed list of activities, and iv) receive an endorsement to the proposed draft project material.
• Based on inputs from local consultants and their reports, and the design finalized during the validation workshop, prepare the FSP and the CEO endorsement document, including; i) a description of baseline initiatives, investments and financing sources and incremental reasoning in relation to the GEF investment addressing gaps, threats and barriers identified in baseline initiatives and investments in order to achieve global environmental benefits (GEB) and/or national adaptation benefits, ii) a streamlined detailed design of all project components, including; a) a description of component activities, b) a Results Framework and costed M&E plan, c) a financial plan and detailed budget by co-financier and definition of co-financing arrangements, and d) a risk analysis for the successful implementation, including mitigation measures, iii) completing relevant tracking tools, and iv) the provision of adequate response to comments raised by the GEF Secretariat, STAP (Scientific Technical Advisory Panel) and GEF Council members during the PIF approval process.
• Analysis of options for cost-effective institutional arrangements, for project implementation, defining specific roles and responsibilities of project partners, and the coordination and consultation mechanisms with other GEF projects and the project partners.x

Candidates should meet the following requirements:

 

Minimum requirements:

• Advanced University degree in a discipline relevant to natural resources management, development cooperation, social sciences, economy, international relations;
• A minimum of 5 years of working experience in one or more of the following areas; biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, sustainable forest management, sound chemical management/persistent organic pollutants;
• At least 5 years of experience in the formulation of GEF projects and programmes
• Working knowledge of English, French, Spanish or Portuguese

Selection criteria:

• Demonstrated experience in developing at least 5 successful GEF projects from preparation to submission and approval by GEF; 
• Extent and relevance of experience in project preparation, monitoring/supervision of multidisciplinary natural resource management/environmental projects, particularly GEF projects;
• Extent and relevance of experience with and knowledge of GEF procedures;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated capacity to write technical reports in a clear and concise manner;
• Demonstrated analytical skills and conceptual skills with experience in writing results-based project documents and papers and ability to analyze and integrate information from diverse sources;
• Experience in dealing with government officials, staff of development partners and country stakeholders.
• Knowledge of two UN languages amongst English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese or Arabic would be an asset.

Additional Information

 

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

 

All candidates should adhere to FAO values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

 

All applications will be reviewed.  Successful candidates will be contacted and will be invited to participate in an interview and/or assessment.

 

How to apply

 

All applications are to be made through FAO’s iRecruitment system. Click on the link below to access iRecruitment, complete your online profile and apply for this Call for Expression of Interest.

 

http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/

 

In order for your application to be properly evaluated, please ensure that all sections of your iRecruitment account are completed. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated.

 

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: iRecruitment@fao.org