National Project Coordinator

Organizational Setting

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 National Project Coordinator will be recruited under the UTF/GEO/034/GEO-F project titled, “Formulation and design of Land Consolidation in Georgia”.

The overarching goal of the project is to support the introduction of a fully operational land consolidation instrument in Georgia integrated with irrigation rehabilitation in the World Bank Georgia Resilient Agriculture, Irrigation, and Land (GRAIL) Project. The project is expected to contribute to future increased agricultural production and investments, more efficient land use and use of water for agricultural purposes, more dynamic land markets, improved access to credit, and improved access to land and strengthened land rights, including for women who own land alone or jointly with men.

Land consolidation in Georgia is expected to result in more efficient farm structures through reduction of land fragmentation and the voluntary facilitation of farm enlargement and in this way contribute to local agricultural development. Land consolidation is planned to be introduced in a multi-purpose approach, integrating the objective of agricultural development with additional public objectives related to nature, environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation depending on the situation in the project areas.

The project will result in a National Land Consolidation Strategy document, legal framework for land consolidation, implementation of land consolidation pilot projects and the development of technical and administrative capacity for implementation of land consolidation projects and management of a future national land consolidation programme.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Georgia (FAOR), the incumbent will report to the Assistant FAO Representative. The position will function in close coordination with, and under the guidance of, the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), working collaboratively with the project team.

Technical Focus

Oversee the implementation of FAO’s programme on land consolidation. This includes ensuring institutional coordination and stakeholder engagement to achieve project outputs, budget management, monitoring and reporting on activities, and other related duties.

Tasks and responsibilities

•     Manage the day-to-day coordination of project activities between FAO, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA), the Land Management Agency (LMA) and the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) within the MEPA.
•     Day-to-day management of the project, planning of delivery and supervision of activities of the project staff.
•     Lead the implementation of the project work plan, monitor progress and risks, where necessary, identify corrective measures to overcome operational and financial constraints.
•     Effectively coordinate with the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) for the project as well as other technical officers, and Programme, Operations, Finance and Administration units as well as the communication staff to ensure the timely and appropriate implementation of the project in accordance with FAO rules and regulations.
•     Ensure proper monitoring and implementation of the required actions related to the budget status, transaction listings and other aspects of the financial management of the project.
•     Contribute to the development of a National Land Consolidation Strategy document and a Concept for land banking in support of land consolidation.
•     Support an assessment of the legal framework as it relates to land consolidation and the provision of recommendations on amendment of the legislation and/or drafting of new legislation.
•     Contribute to the drafting of a manual for the implementation of land consolidation feasibility studies in the pilot areas and support the organization of trainings.
•     Support the selection of land consolidation pilot project areas and the implementation of land consolidation pilot projects.
•     Contribute to conducting an institutional analysis and the preparation of a staffing plan for LMA land consolidation staff.
•     Support the preparation of a communication and awareness raising plan for each pilot area.
•     Contribute to the formulation of project documentation for any related land consolidation projects.
•     Any other tasks related to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) assigned by the supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree in Land Administration, Land Management, Agriculture, Law, Economics or a related field.
•     10 years of professional experience in project management and coordination.
•     National of Georgia. 
•     Working knowledge of English is required (C - level for both speaking and writing).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Knowledge of United Nations and International Organizations’ administrative policies and procedures.
•     Proficiency in project planning, stakeholder coordination, and budget management.
•     Understanding of land governance, tenure systems, land administration and related legal frameworks.
•     Knowledge of land consolidation is desirable.
•     Good knowledge of common administrative and financial rules and regulations.
•     Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards.
•     Display initiative and take responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and closely follow-up until successful outputs are achieved. 
•     Continue to seek new, innovative and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work assigned.
•     Identify and recommend remedial measures to address problems in the implementation of project tasks and activities.

Selection criteria:

•     Experience working with international organizations, government agencies and development partners.
•     Experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams and large-scale projects.
•     Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership skills.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION