National Project Coordinator (NPC)

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and malnutrition. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The support is based on the guidelines as provided by the Country Programming Framework (CPF). The current Zambia CPF has five priority areas: 
(1) Increased and Gender Responsive Productivity and Production, and enhanced Research and Development (Crops, Livestock, Capture Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Forestry); (2) Inclusive Agri-business Development, Marketing and Trading; (3) Inclusive Green Growth and Environmental Sustainability; (4) Nutrition and Food Systems enhancement, and Social Protection; (5) Inclusive and Gender Responsive Policy Development and Implementation.
The incumbent’s tasks will mainly contribute to the third priority.

The Value Chain Development Team (NFIMV) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) is implementing the “Sustainable Fish Value Chains for Landlocked Developing Countries (SVC4LLDCs)” project funded by the Republic of Korea in Kyrgyzstan and Zambia. Within FAO’s Strategic Framework (better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life) and the objective of the Blue Transformation Roadmap: Upgraded value chains ensure the social, economic and environmental viability of aquatic food systems, these projects aim to provide technical assistance to beneficiary countries to support and catalyze sustainable aquatic value chains.

Reporting Lines

The NPC will operate under the general supervision of the FAO Representative in Zambia, and direct supervision of the assistant FAOR – Programmes and the Food Systems 1B Pillar Lead with support from the Technical Officer of the Project GCP/GLO/1321/ROK (FAO HQ), and in close collaboration with FAO HQ and field officers, as well as with other international and national aquatic value chain consultants.

Technical Focus

The candidate selected for this position will function as national project coordinator at the country office and will act as the link between the FAOHQ and the local project partners in Zambia along the following technical focus 
•     Project management
•     Value chain analysis 
•     Strategic leadership 
•     Reporting and control of the operational and technical execution

The incumbent will be responsible for providing value chain-related technical and operational support to NFI value chain activities.

Tasks and responsibilities

The NPC will perform following tasks:

Key Functions

•     Technically support the implementation of the project workplan;
•     Coordinate and support the planning, design and implementation of project activities and ensure the delivery of associated deliverables and outputs;
•     Review and finalise project reports and outputs;
•     Identify, recruit, manage, and supervise project partners; 
•     Liaise with and maintain strong and effective linkages with project beneficiaries, partners and related initiatives;
•     Monitor and evaluate project activities; 
•     Contribute to the development and dissemination of information products based on project activities.

Specific Functions

•     Prepare reports for submission to the Project Management Unit (PMU), which will include information on results achieved, constraints and possible solutions, impact evaluation, as well as administrative and financial updates;
•     Prepare and execute the SVC4LLDCs annual country level work plan and budget and oversee the preparation of the country level value chain work plan and budget;
•     Support and monitor the value chain analysis (VCA) and the value chain development activities, facilitating linkages between stakeholders, including report writing (as applicable), with a main focus on the strategy and implementation sections;
•     Lead the design and establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform and coordinate its activities and implementation;
•     Develop and maintain partnerships with country and regional stakeholders who can contribute to achieving SVC4LLDCs value chain objectives;
•     Collaborate closely with consultants (national and international) responsible for value chain project tasks and ensures the implementation of a sustainable systems-based and result-based value chain approach;
•     Coordinate, collate and analyse quarterly value chain progress reports from the value chain task forces to gauge the impact of SVC4LLDCs interventions;
•     Coordinate the knowledge sharing emerging from the value chain to ensure information is widely disseminated within the SVC4LLDCs project and externally;
•     Oversee development and implementation of the SVC4LLDCs communication strategy at country level;
•     Lead the regular monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the programme, at country level, throughout the project duration, including the selection of value chain-specific indicators, as well as the regular reporting of progress to the SVC4LLDCs Coordinator and the Project Lead Technical Officer; and
•     Performs other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree or equivalent in Fisheries and Aquaculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Project Management, Natural Resource Management or related field.
•     A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the implementation and coordination of value chain development activities related to fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, forestry, natural resources or related areas.
•     Working knowledge (level C) of the English
•     National of Zambia

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical and Functional Skills

•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
•     Strong knowledge of fisheries value chains and market systems.
•     Sound understanding of sustainable aquatic food systems and rural livelihoods.
•     Proven experience in project planning, implementation, coordination and management.
•     Knowledge of value chain analysis methodologies and value chain upgrading approaches.
•     Strong analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills.
•     Demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality technical reports, work plans and donor reports.
•     Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnership development.
•     Good knowledge of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, results-based management and logical framework approaches.
•     Familiarity with FAO operational procedures, procurement, financial management and project cycle management is desirable.
•     Excellent interpersonal, negotiation and communication skills.
•     Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines.
•     Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).

Selection Criteria

•     Demonstrated experience in managing donor-funded development projects, including work planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, reporting and stakeholder coordination.
•     Demonstrated experience in supporting and monitoring the value chain analysis (VCA) and the value chain development activities.
•     Experience working with government institutions, producer organizations, the private sector, research institutions and development partners.
•     Experience in organizing stakeholder consultations, workshops, capacity-building activities and multi-stakeholder platforms.
•     Experience in monitoring and evaluation (M&E), results-based management and project performance reporting.
•     Knowledge of one or more local languages spoken in Zambia is an advantage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION