Title: International Development Expert

The Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), under the overall direction of the Director General, and in close collaboration with all organizational entities within UNIDO, in particular the Office of Change Management (ODG/CHM), the Office of Legal Affairs and Compliance (ODG/LEG), the Strategic Planning and UN Engagement Division (ODG/SPU), and the Office of Evaluation and Internal Oversight (EIO), the Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), headed by a Managing Director, is responsible for the development of innovative UNIDO services in the areas of agro-industry and agribusiness, sustainability standards and fair production, and climate-relevant or climate-improving technologies.

It is also, in collaboration with ODG, responsible for developing innovative technical cooperation concepts, identifying new sources and means of finance and entering into new partnerships with a broad range of relevant stakeholders.

Under the overall guidance of the Director General, the direct supervision of the Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), and in close coordination with other organizational entities within UNIDO, the Division of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR) supports Member States in their efforts to pave the way to sustainable rural development and a structurally transformed and modernized agribusiness sector.

Capitalizing on the experience gained by UNIDO in this field over decades and on tried-and-tested and to-be-developed service modules, the Division will explore innovative approaches to maximise the potential that exists in agribusiness development, addressing emerging global trends, in particular food security, poverty alleviation and climate change. It will explore new ways to contribute to global efforts to reduce hunger, accelerate food systems transition, and generate income and employment, especially among women and youth.

The position is located under the Rural Development, Agroindustries and Industrial Parks Unit (IET/AGR/RAP), which aims to improve rural livelihoods by extending and professionalizing agro-industrial production, infrastructure supply and employment. It provides technical cooperation services to develop formal and informal enterprises and entrepreneurs that produce and source agricultural products– directly or through business-development service agents – with support for business planning, technology adoption, investment planning, product improvement, quality compliance and marketing.

The Unit also promotes the planning for developing the necessary infrastructure for the transportation of intermediary and final products and related basic infrastructure (land, electricity, water, communication, waste treatment, etc.) required for agro-processing and value addition, making use, among others, of sustainable agro-industrial park development schemes.

At the L3 level, the incumbent is expected to deliver: (a) work from a seasoned analyst; (b) in creating an enabling environment for work which is solid and anchored to achieving results; (c) in building relationships which contributes to relationship management and (d) in achieving results within a professional team. The measure of success is in consistent and dependable delivery of results.

The UNIDO Staff Performance Appraisal and Management System reinforces the collaboration withinformal units as well as among cross-functional teams. Withinthe formal teams, the incumbent may be expected to backstop other team members, as required.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Director-General and in this context all staff are expected to serve in any assignment and duty station as determined by the needs of the Organization.

II. Project Context

PROJECT 200084: The Egyptian cotton project – Phase II

The Egyptian cotton project – Phase II (SAP ID 200084) is built on the successful results of the previous initiative, funded by AICS, “From cotton seeds to clothing: Enhancing the sustainability, inclusiveness and value addition of the cotton value chain in Egypt” (SAP ID 160068) and it aims at strengthening and upscaling the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Egyptian cotton value chain.

Cotton plays a major role in the economic and social development of developing and newly industrialized countries. Same applies to Egypt, where the textile sector is vertically integrated from raw material to ready-made garments. Therefore, the government points to the textile value chain as one of the economic drivers that could boost industrial production, create new job opportunities, and enhance trade balance. However, demand for sustainability is arising in the global market and the Egyptian cotton sector is not yet equipped to meet these requirements as well as consistent quality.

This new proposal will focus on extending sustainable practices and related certification (BCI and organic) in new areas, as well as strengthening the capacities of implementation of the cotton production stakeholders (growers, extension services, ginners) and relevant institutions. To support the development of the Egyptian cotton value chain, it is of paramount importance to provide skilled labour from production to processing, and therefore the project will support the embedding of the concept of quality and sustainability in existing educational curricula and trainings.

The same concept of sustainability will be promoted at industrial level by raising awareness on greener technologies and related technical know-how, circular approaches in order to strengthen industry competencies coupling them with competitive production costs and a fully integrated local industry from ginning to ready-made-garments.

The intervention will strongly leverage on the local and international private sector network created during previous interventions, through the establishment of a Private sector working group, bridging them with relevant line Ministries and governmental agencies, involved in the governance of the cotton sector.

III. Responsibilities

The Industrial Development Expert works under the overall guidance of the Director, Division of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development; the direct supervision of the responsible UNIDO Project Manager and in close collaboration with the colleagues to support the mandate of the Division. She/he will be responsible for providing technical support to the smooth and timely execution of projects and be accountable for the achievement of project results as/if assigned.

The Industrial Development Expert will support the successful implementation of the Better Cotton Programme in Egypt. The international expert will take an active lead in capacity-building and support activities of the Implementing Partners as well as partnership management. The Industrial Development Expert will also contribute to the development and delivery of training activities. She/he will be responsible to coordinate the execution of the BCI Assurance Programme in Egypt.

Under guidance from the Assurance Manager, the Industrial Development Expert will help coordinate seasonal Better Cotton Assurance Programme activities, and contribute to maintaining, enhancing and reviewing the Programme to ensure its coherence, credibility, and continual improvement. She/he will conduct internal monitoring of assurance implementation and facilitate external oversight activities.

The Industrial Development Expert will liaise with BCI Africa Operations Manager and will work closely with the other members of the BCI Global Implementation Team, and with members of the Standards & Assurance team.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. BCI Assurance Programme

• Support the development of Egypt’s annual BCI Assurance Program implementation plan;

• Ensure the timely implementation of all BCI assurance activities, according to agreed deadlines, as per the annual assurance activity workplan;

• Complete licensing documentation and recommend licensing decisions to the Standard and Assurance;

• Manage incoming licensing appeals from Egypt in line with internal processes;

• Ensure the credibility of the Better Cotton Standard System through credibility checks of Producer Units. Collect evidence on Producer Units’ eligibility for Better Cotton licenses and produce clearly and concisely written reports in which relevant issues are identified and the eligibility (or the lack of it) is well-articulated;

• Ensure that Assessment Reports are prepared in a timely manner and uploaded on the BCP;

• Prepare licensing scorecards of Producer Units for Assurance Manager’s approval;

• Conduct follow-up on the identified non-conformities and support the Producer Units to effectively address these non-conformities;

• Conduct follow-up visits for performance score validation and corrective action and advise the Assurance Manager for any change in the licensing.

2. Partnership/Relationship Management

• Ensure effective coordination between UNIDO and BCI;

• Liaise with BCI Global Implementation team to ensure that the network of IPs in Egypt is well coordinated and their capacities strengthened;

• Build strong relationship with IPs by ensuring that there is regular quality engagement and ensure that partners meet their obligations of supporting farmers to improve the farm level practices, and are recognized for their success/achievements;

• Proactively identify support needed for the IPs and ensuring that that support is provided on a timely basis;

• Create an enabling environment for cross-learning among the IPs so that they can share best practices, learn from each other and collectively find solutions to the challenges they face in implementation;

• Develop tools and systems to review the performance of Implementing Partners in the field ensuring that extra handholding support is provided to new IPs so that they are equipped to better support their farmers in changing farm-level practices;

• Provide feedback to the BCI Global Implementation and Assurance team on performance of partners suggesting strategies to address performance gaps or challenges;

• Work with IPs to identify areas for improvement related to farmer performance and support IPs in implementing improvements;

• Support IPs in coordinating with local authorities.

3. Providing input into global Assurance processes

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• Provide input into proposed assurance processes and tools, particularly to represent unique challenges or opportunities in the Egypt cotton farming context;

• Identify Egypt-specific implementation challenges and suggest potential solutions;

• Ensure that feedback and field-level input from Implementing Partners, Producer Units, and the implementation team is fed back into the capacity-building programme;

• Ensure active participation in Global team meetings, calls, and working sessions.

4. Results and Data Management

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• Support in collection of data from project and comparison farmers by Producer Units to ensure BCI requirements and deadlines are met;

• Ensure that Results Indicator Data is collected in a timely manner by IPs, complied cleaned and analyzed;

• Provide required support in cleaning result indicator data to ensure that the data used for analysis is of the best quality it can be;

• Contribute to timely updating of BC Platform with all relevant data;

• Support the analysis of agronomic, economic, and social indicator data, to ensure accurate referencing to regional contexts

• Share the results of data analysis to facilitate Producer Units’ learning and encourage the continuous improvement of participating farmers and Producer’s Units (PU);

• Support PU staff in matters concerning BCI reporting tools and processes in order to ensure that deadlines are respected and to collect their feedback to ensure the continuous improvement of BCI systems;

• Provide necessary support for the online database (including management of the data, training of partners, and preparation of reports), providing support to partners and ensuring that BCI data is available to support claims on results and impact.

5. Training and capacity building

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• Working with BCI Africa Operations manager, Global Implementation Team and the Field Performance Group to develop an overarching strategy for training and capacity building for IPs/PU Managers, focusing on key sustainability issues and areas for farm improvement;

• Developing and delivering training and capacity building activities around sustainable farming practices, in line with the capacity building strategy. This will include developing training modules, outreaching to external experts, institutions, NGOs, BCI global teams to run ‘train the trainer’ workshops on various topics, and building and coordinating a resource bank of guidance materials on key sustainability issues. This will also involve carrying out of the trainings for BCI’s network of partners, with the support from the Global Implementation team, and the external resources;

• Ensuring that the IP capacity building programme is adequately planned and effectively implemented in Egypt;

• Ensuring that all the trainings for the IP staff capacity building are conducted timely;

• Provide feedback on and contribute to the development of approaches, strategies and processes for capacity building with the Global Implementation Team.

6. Strategic programme delivery, stakeholders and policy engagement

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• Identify strategic risks or issues affecting BCI program delivery in Egypt, and escalate these proactively to the Africa Operations Manager and the Global Assurance and Implementation team;

• Support the delivery of the Egypt Country Plan and the overall BCI Strategic Plan;

• Work closely with public sector organizations e.g. cotton research institute, agricultural colleges/universities and other relevant organizations and explore ways that these institutions can support the implementing partners in fulfilling their responsibilities;

• Participate in Meetings/Programmes organized by public sector organizations or other key stakeholders;

• Coordinate national embedding activities with the Cotton research Institute, IPs and supported by from BCI Global Implementation Team.

7. Other responsibilities

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• Liaising with Membership and Supply Chain team members, as necessary;

• Providing logistical support for Egypt stakeholders, member and supply chain events;

• Contributing to the development of communications material for members and partners, strengthening the story of Better Cotton (together with the UNIDO and BCI Global Communication team);

• Working on traceability program/scheme for Egyptian cotton to the village/farmer level if possible, with the PPs and other stakeholders.

IV. Core Values and Competencies

Core Values

WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key Competencies

WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those, we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

V. Minimum requirements and desirable criteria

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in agricultural sciences, agricultural business, agribusiness management, environmental sciences, or another relevant discipline is required.

Experience, technical knowledge and functional expertise:

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible working experience, including some at the international level, in project execution or coordination, particularly in the areas of sustainable development and/or cotton production, is required.

• Experience evaluating needs, conditions and problems in developing countries, and in technical cooperation projects in North Africa, the Middle East, or Egypt is required.

• Exposure to the needs, conditions and problems in rural Egypt is desirable.

• Capacity to work in a complex institutional environment involving government, international agencies, private sector and civil society organizations is desirable.

• Experience in Decent Work standards in agriculture (including reducing child labour and promoting women’s empowerment) is an asset.

• Familiarity with donor-funded programs is a strong asset.

Language Skills:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required. Fluency or working knowledge of another official language of the United Nations is desirable.