International Food System Investment Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Timor-Leste aims 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.

FAO Timor-Leste, in close coordination with the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRCO), is implementing a joint UN sustainable development goal (UNSDG) funded project Food System Transformation in Timor-Leste (UNJP/TIM/017/UNJ), which aims to establish a Partnership Platform for Financing Food Systems to ensure sustained and coordinated large-scale investment on Agriculture and Food System development of Timor-Leste. The Partnership Platform will act as a high-level, multi-stakeholder coordination and advocacy structure co-chaired by the Government (preferably the Vice Prime Minister level) and Resident Coordinator (RC), with a secretariate based in one of the Vice Prime Minister’s Office. The platform will be staffed with food systems financing/investment experts hired or assigned by the government.  

The Food System Transformation Partnership Platform will be structured mainly to- 
•     assess policy environment and provide necessary policy reforms/recommendations towards enhancing government engagement on food system transformation.  
•     explore and facilitate leveraging large-scale finance and partnerships to support government strategic engagement on scaling food systems interventions. 
•     bring investors, partners and expertise together to support the food system transformation interventions
•     ensure investment confidence in the food systems sector.
•     facilitate community led conversations with farmers to understand and resolve their financing perspectives and constrains
•     facilitate develop ‘bankable food systems initiatives and investment opportunities and coordinate with eh potential investor to attract investments.  

The government of Timor-Leste already has two coordinating ministries: one for social affairs and another for economic affairs, each headed by 2 coordinating Vice Prime-Ministers. Ministries and State departments relevant to Investment in the coordinating ministries for Economic Affairs include Ministry of Planning and Strategic Investments (MoPSI), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Forestry (MALFF) and State Department of Environment. The coordinating Ministries for Social Affairs include Ministries of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry Youth, Sprots and Culture (MoYSC), and Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) and State Department for Inclusion and Equality. Food System Transformation fall under both coordinating ministries.

The Partnership Platform therefore will have Terms of Reference (ToR) to act as coordination model bringing institutions under different coordinating ministries together, supporting government strategy on financing, policy and enabling environment for food systems transformation as well as to support the development of ‘bankable projects for scale and investments.

The Investment Specialist will serve as the technical and strategic lead with responsibilities for operationalizing the Food Systems Partnership Platform, supporting policy and investment discourse, and driving the development of scalable, bankable initiatives. The Specialist will serve as a liaison between government institutions, private sector actors, development partners, DFIs/IFIs, and farmer organizations to promote financing solutions for food system transformation that are consistent with national strategy development priorities, the 9th constitutional government five years plan and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

The Investment Specialist will provide high-level advising support, lead stakeholder engagement processes, and facilitate the creation enabling mechanisms to attract and coordinate public and private funding, such as for infrastructure, climate-resilient agriculture, and food value chains. The job is crucial for ensuring that transformative investment solutions are institutionalized and contribute to Timor-Leste's overall development goals.

International Food System Investment Specialist will specifically assist in-

•     Designing and structuring the Food System Partnership platform 
•     Developing detailed ToR and guidelines for smooth functioning of the partnership platform as well as convening different actors across the spectrum to validate the ToR and guidelines.
•     Developing a mechanism to bring government together with development partners, ASEAN member states and most importantly, farmers and women’s organizations (enlarging conversations/prioritization setting/alignment among ministries) on food system transformation. 
•     Accessing the food system related policies, strategies and regulations, and recommend strategic short/long term policy reforms on scaling up food system interventions
•     Accessing the past and present projects/programs implemented in the broader areas of food systems in the country along with investors/resource partners involved in food system investment and analyzing strategic interests or history of involvement of the resource/development partners on the areas of food system interventions in Timor-Leste. 
•     Based on the history of food system related project/programs implemented in the country and the country’s requirements on further development of food systems, recommend the potential investment priorities/projects ideas that can be developed into bankable projects
•     Supporting in assessment of available financing mechanisms of the country’s financial institutions towards food systems and agriculture, constrains and recommendations to enhance access to finances to the farmers.  

Reporting Lines

The International Food System Investment Specialist works under the direct supervision of FAO Representative to Indonesia and Timor-Leste and in close coordination with UNRCO and the government. The consultant reports to FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor Leste while copying to UNRCO.

Technical Focus

The International Food System Investment Specialist will provide technical and policy assistance to establish and operationalize the Partnership Platform for Financing Food Systems in Timor-Leste.

Tasks and responsibilities

The International Food System Investment Specialist will undertake the following specific functions:

Establishment of Partnership platform and coordination:
•     In close coordination with FAO TL, RCO Timor-Leste and the relevant government Ministries and offices, lead all relevant activities to establish the partnership platform.
•     Development and validation of guidelines, ToR and structure of Partnership Platform, including preparation of necessary documents for its formalization. 
•     Undertake a comprehensive assessment of investment enabling environment for food systems in Timor-Leste with a strong focus on community participation including those living with disabilities, and consultations and understanding of local knowledge;
•     Promote the partnership platform undertaking high level policy advocacy dialogues, discussions, technical working groups with stakeholders – communities, government officials, development partners, private sector, civil society organizations;
•     Provide support to the national Food System Investment Specialist in undertaking the relevant tasks and duties. 
Investment Ecosystem Assessment and Policy reforms: 
•     Conduct a thorough evaluation of Timor-Leste's investment-friendly environment for food system transformation, including regulatory, fiscal, and institutional frameworks 
•     With support from government, development partners and UN agencies, curate at least three high-quality policy briefs that address investment barriers and propose practical legal and regulatory solutions.
•     Support high-level policy dialogues between government, investors, and development partners.
•     Identify potential for blended finance, de-risk tools, and public-private collaborations.
•     Provide support to the national Food System Investment Specialist in undertaking the relevant tasks and duties. 
Investment planning
•     Undertake mapping investment sources, instruments, and project pipelines aligned with government policies, SDGs and JO objectives
•     Facilitate investor-government engagement processes including providing technical and policy advisory support to government to unlock financing and address investment bottlenecks
•     Develop strategic framework of financing for food systems for Timor-Leste including recommendations of potential ‘bankable initiatives and investment opportunities’ that can be achieved at scale to address food insecurity, jobs and climate;
Inclusive Solutions and Knowledge Management
•     Ensure that all investment designs are informed by community discussions, which should include participation from women and people with disabilities.
•     Encourage local expertise and goals in project design such as climate-smart agriculture, resilient agriculture, green technologies, and digitalization.
•     Provide technical assistance and capacity building to government partners when structuring and evaluating investment options.
•     Strengthen national capacity to manage investment processes in food systems through training, coaching, and knowledge sharing.
•     Provide support to the national Food System Investment Specialist in undertaking the relevant tasks and duties. 
Performs other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Master level degree in economics, finance, tropical agriculture, agriculture economics, development economics, public policy, development studies or related field.
•     Minimum eight years of relevant experience, in investment planning, finance, and policy advice, preferably in agriculture or food systems, agriculture and rural development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes;
•     Proven track record of raising or arranging funds for infrastructure or food/agricultural initiatives.
•     Working experience in Timor-Leste in the above areas is highly preferred. 
•     Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English, limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) prefered.

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, particularly in field positions, is desirable;
•     Relevance and extent of experience in technical cooperation's related activities, policy advice and analysis relating to food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes; 
•     Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies and multidisciplinary teams;
•     Relevance and extent of experience working with a range of agencies - government agencies at all levels, scientific/research organizations, development partners and NGOs/CSO;
•     Understanding of and experience working with governments of developing countries in Asia-Pacific, and Timor-Leste as an advantage
•     Investment Planning: Demonstrated expertise in designing and organizing large-scale, investment-ready projects in agricultural, food systems, and infrastructure.
•     Food Systems Finance Expertise: Proven knowledge in blended finance, concessional instruments, impact investment, and climate-smart investment planning.
•     Project Design and Financial Appraisal: Previous experience creating concept notes and detailed proposals, including technical and financial feasibility studies, risk mitigation, and value-for-money analyses.
•     Policy Analysis: Proven ability to assess legal, regulatory, and institutional barriers to investment and make practical policy recommendations. Understanding the Timorese policy environment, government structure, and food security concerns is beneficial. 
•     Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communication: Expert at facilitating high-level government, private sector, and community discussions, including gender-sensitive and inclusive processes. Excellent written and vocal communication abilities for policy lobbying, investor engagement, and knowledge sharing.
•     Gender and Social Inclusion: Understanding of gender-responsive budgeting, inclusive finance, and how to incorporate LNOB into investment design.