Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is at the forefront of work towards sustainable agriculture and food systems by promoting protection and sustainable use of natural resources, while meeting society’s growing needs for decent and resilient livelihoods. FAO has worked in Sri Lanka for over four decades, sharing technical expertise and building the capacity of stakeholders in agriculture, fisheries, livestock, forestry and environment sectors to build resilience, increase food security and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.

The specific objective of this project is to establish and implement a comprehensive interoperability framework for the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka, fostering efficient data-sharing, promoting standardized digital practices, enhancing stakeholder capacity in data management and privacy, and driving digital transformation through integrated databases and API gateways. This initiative aims to optimize service delivery, bolster data-driven decision-making, and strengthen collaboration across agricultural entities and related sectors.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall administrative leadership and supervision of the FAO Representative in Sri Lanka (FAOR) and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and with the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer/s (LTO) at the FAO Regional Office, other relevant technical divisions at FAO Headquarters, and in close consultation with the FAO Country Office Technical Teams, Government Line Agencies and the Budget Holder (BH) the incumbent will provide technical orientation and backup in order to ensure the delivery of project outputs to a high standard, and in a cost effective manner, taking into account national and international best practices and research results, and in accordance with FAO, Government and donor norms.

Technical Focus

Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that project outputs and targets are met as per project framework that activities are carried out as planned, within budget and time schedule and that reporting, monitoring and evaluation functions are carried out as per project requirements. She/he will also plan and implement project activities in close collaboration with the residential Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Ministry of Irrigation, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Environment and other relevant state and non-state stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

Planning, implementation, and management of Project activities

•     Provide overall guidance to, and supervision of, the project identifies, plan, design implement and monitor the progress of delivery of activities as itemized in the results-based work plan.
•     Provide day-to-day administrative and management inputs to the project team assuring smooth implementation of the project.
•     Help identify Technical Specialists/Consultants in collaboration with the LTO for the tasks identified in the work plan.
•     Coordinate with other institutions to identify and realize opportunities for complementarity and synergies, including monitoring and oversight of co-financing commitments.
•     Ensure a results-based approach to project implementation, including maintaining a focus on project results and impact as defined by the project results framework indicators.
•     Regularly promote the project and its outputs and findings on a national, and where appropriate, regional stage.
•     Lead interactions with stakeholders and liaise with government agencies and communicate, regularly advocate and engage in policy dialogue on behalf of the project.
•     Facilitate interdisciplinary inputs from partner institutions and agencies.
•     Coordinate closely with the local project manager assigned by the donor agency and other relevant consultants for assuring smooth implementation of the project.
•     Oversee IT-based initiatives within the FAO Sri Lanka's country office, focusing on the integration and execution of the Digital Agriculture initiative. This entails close collaboration with project staff to ensure cohesive delivery, aligning with national requirements and FAO's strategy, fostering a unified approach towards enhancing the agricultural sector's digital landscape. The objective is to streamline data management, improve real-time information access, and support informed decision-making, contributing to the overall efficiency and modernization of agriculture in Sri Lanka.
•     Ensure effective implementation of the ongoing digital initiatives of FAO and support the government counterparts to initiate sustainable mechanisms for each program.
•     Support the country office in mobilizing resources to fully implement the agriculture sector enterprise architecture and the interoperability framework.

Resources Management and Coordination

•     Provide administrative and management/supervisory support to long- and short-term Technical Specialists/Consultants to ensure timely delivery.
•     Create strategic partnerships related to the project and coordinate and network with various stakeholders to take forward the project.
•     Ensure that the project team follows up on the adoption/implementation of the recommendations/inputs provided by Technical Consultants.
•     Coordinate with the Government counterpart/s and various stakeholders for effective coordination and dialogue in the field of Digital Agriculture.
•     Manage the procurement process in accordance with FAO rules and procedures.

Monitoring and Reporting

•     Oversee preparation and implementation of project M&E plan, project communication and knowledge management plan.
•     Prepare results based on regular reports, donor reports and briefs as required.
•     Facilitate the submission of timely project implementation reviews and progress reports (narrative and financial) to the FAO Country Office against the Programme M&E framework.
•     Facilitate effective communication of project progress to the key stakeholders related to the project.
•     Participate in regular progress meetings organized by the government stakeholders and donor to clearly communicate the FAO’s contribution.

Undertake any other tasks assigned or relevant in support of efficient implementation of the project.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements 
  
•     An advanced university degree in IT, Information Systems, Data Management, Data Science, Data Analytics or any other related field
•     A university degree with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced university degree.
•     At least 3 years of relevant experience in IT-related project management
•     Demonstrable track record of managing government IT-related project
•     Working knowledge of English and Sinhala/Tamil.
•     National of Sri Lanka.

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
•     Experience working with international organizations and government stakeholders in agriculture, environment, and development projects.

Extent and relevance of experience in Project Management
•     Experience in planning, coordinating, and implementing projects, including preparation of workplans and coordination with stakeholders to ensure timely delivery of outputs.

Extent and relevance of experience in Monitoring and Evaluation
•     Experience in developing M&E frameworks, tracking indicators, and preparing progress and donor reports.

Familiarity with
•     Results-based management approaches, stakeholder coordination, and use of digital tools for project monitoring and data management.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION