Vacancy // Project Coordinator- Addressing Water-Energy Nexus
The Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean (SLC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Regional Office for the Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC) is currently looking for a Project Coordinator to work on a project addressing the “water-energy nexus”, based in the FAO sub-regional office of Barbados. Deadline 31.12.2020.
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
Grade Level: N/A
Primary Location: Barbados
Duration: 90 days over 12 months
Application Deadline: 31/Dec/2020, 11:59:00 PM
Organizational Setting
The Sub- regional Office for the Caribbean (SLC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing sub regional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with sub region-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Sub regional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for the Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC).
Among the activities that SLC is currently supporting in the Caribbean, include the CARICOM-FAO-Mexico Initiative “Cooperation for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Caribbean”. The Initiative in the framework of COVID-19 is supporting participating countries in their responses to safeguard livelihoods, ensure adequate access to healthy food and ensure sustainable management of natural resources, working on three components:
- Component 1: strengthening the institutional capacities of CARICOM countries in areas related to resilient livelihoods and well-being through South-South cooperation,
- Component 2: Improvement of the capacities of CARICOM member countries to implement adaptation and resilience measures to climate change
- Component 3: Development and implementation of effective and efficient project management
This TOR refers to the component 1 where three sub-projects will be implemented. Specifically, Project Coordinators are being recruited to coordinate the implementation of the sub-project on Addressing the water-energy nexus in each of the four participating countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Saint Kitts and Nevis )
The project is seeking to improve water resource efficiency to increase agricultural productivity, using technological innovations such as (micro-) solar powered irrigation systems to improve water efficiency and management and access to clean and climate-smart energy to increase agricultural water productivity. The 4 countries benefitting from this sub-project are: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis. The total project duration is 2 years.
The sub-project has a special focus on increasing water use efficiency in small-scale agriculture, horticultural development, and clean energy use for irrigation in marginalized communities. The project will promote the WEF's approach with innovative technologies on efficient irrigation and clean energy technology with the aim of expanding the approach to other areas of the Caribbean region.
The sub-project will be implemented with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Climate Change (depending on each country) and in collaboration with hydro meteorological institutes, academia and other partners. The participation of other stakeholders such as the private sector, NGOs, and community leaders, etc. are anticipated.
Reporting Lines
The Project Coordinator will report technically directly to the FAO Project Coordinator of the CARICOM-FAO-Mexico Initiative and the Lead Technical Officer of the sub-project on “water-energy nexus”, based in the FAO sub-regional office of Barbados.
The FAO country Representative of the each of the participating countries and the FAO sub-regional coordinator for the Caribbean will provide general oversight. The Project coordinator will work closely with the national focal appointed by the government and other FAO personal in the country.
Technical Focus
- Provide overall coordination for the attainment of all the activities of the project, including support for:
- Farmers, women farmers, women farmer groups’ capacity for use of technologies for improved irrigation
- Extension services to provide improved and efficient technical services to farmers and their associations and monitor results of the systems versus agricultural production
- Technologies innovation of water-energy use, maintenance and operation.
- The development of Tools and guidelines for good practices and monitoring results of technologies
- Small infrastructure/equipment improvement to facilitate access to water for production and consumption
- Evidence-based policy framework, including socio- economic analysis, improvement and/or development of national water-energy policy instruments, partnership and scaling up of technologies of water-energy nexus
Tasks and responsibilities
The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Provide methodological support and continuous follow-up and guidance to the National team involved
- Organize, in coordination with the national focal point appointed by the government, the initiation of the sub-project in the participating country. This includes:
- Stakeholders engagement/matrix and inception (baselines report and launch)
- Preparation of project coordination tools such as detailed work plan, procurement plan, risk management plan discussed with and validated by all stakeholders involved
- Support the preparation of the gender plan and the communication plan
- Provide appropriate technical and operational guidance for the implementation of all the project coordination tools. This includes:
- Continuous hands-on training and periodical meetings with all stakeholders.
- Lead the process of developing and applying selection criteria for territories and beneficiaries (including territories, small farmers, and farmers and women organizations, etc.)
- Provide technical leadership for some specific activities of the project, including procurement guidelines, and Design, training and maintenance of pilot technologies on water-energy
- Undertake baseline assessments, and systematization of good practices as required; Provide an assessment of the best practices on (solar) irrigation (based on defined criteria such as applicability in the country, investment and maintenance costs, pro´s and cons for water efficiency and soil conservation and others) that can be replicated and/or piloted in this project in the country
- Lead the operational and administrative management of all activities of the project, in coordination with the rest of the sub-project team. This includes request for procurement, preparation of specifications for procurement, coordinating of the preparation of agreements with service providers and partners, hiring of consultants, monitoring and evaluation, support to the monitoring system for evidence based information to be collected by farmers and farmer’s organizations and others etc.
- Support the logistical and national coordination conditions to carry out South-South cooperation exchanges with Mexican experts according to the project's work plan
- Preparation of periodical monitoring reports (technical and financial) and communication materials
- Support the coordination of all FAO assistance to water-energy nexus in the Participating country.
Minimum Requirements
- University degree in agriculture, water irrigation or water management or other relevant area
- 5 years of relevant experience in project management related to agriculture and technologies on water-energy
- Working knowledge of English and at least limited knowledge of Spanish (for Consultants). Working knowledge of English for PSA.SBS
FAO Core Competencies
- Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Building Effective Relationships.
- Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Additional Information
FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application.
For more information, visit the FAO employment website
How to Apply
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.
We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline
If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org