Title: National Project Coordinator

​Requisition ID: 3740
Grade: SB5 - Local Professional (Mid-Level & Senior)
Country: Sudan
Duty Station: Port Sudan
Category: National Consultant
Type of Job Posting: External
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Contract Duration: 1 year
Application deadline: 8-May-2024, 11:59 PM (CEST)

Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
Only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs. Accordingly, the Organization’s programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities: Creating shared prosperity; Advancing economic competitiveness; Safeguarding the environment; and Strengthening knowledge and institutions.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Hubs and Country Offices.

Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET)

The Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET) houses the Divisions of Coordination and Integration Support (IET/CIS), Quality, Impact and Accountability (IET/QUA), Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR), Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions (IET/IFI), Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and Climate and Technology Partnerships (CTP). The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions and relevant entities in the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO) and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS).

Division of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR)

Under the overall guidance of the Director General, the direct supervision of the Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), and in close coordination with other organizational entities within UNIDO, the Division of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR) supports Member States in their efforts to pave the way to sustainable rural development and a structurally transformed and modernized agribusiness sector. Capitalizing on the experience gained by UNIDO in this field over decades and on tried-and-tested and to-be-developed service modules, the Division will explore innovative approaches to maximise the potential that exists in agribusiness development, addressing emerging global trends, in particular food security, poverty alleviation and climate change. It will explore new ways to contribute to global efforts to reduce hunger, accelerate food systems transition, and generate income and employment, especially among women and youth.

The Division provides technical cooperation services to assist the modernization of agriculture and agro-industry, especially in less-developed countries, ensuring that enterprises add value to primary agricultural production, substitute the imports of food and other value-added agricultural products, and participate effectively in local, regional and global value chains. Where needed, it will develop infrastructure and agro-industrial parks and capacities for agro-industrialization, value addition, quality assurance and food safety. It will also bring innovative approaches to Member States to fully benefit from carbon-neutral and biodiversity-enhancing agricultural and agro-industrial production and development opportunities in the green and blue bioeconomy.

Food Security and Food Systems Unit (IET/AGR/FSS)

The Food Security and Food Systems Unit (IET/AGR/FSS) promotes the development of food industries and food value chains and the production of local food products in less-developed countries to end hunger and ensure food and nutrition security while generating income and employment adhering to principles of sustainable industrial development. It provides a range of technical assistance services that allow food enterprises – including in the informal sector and especially SMEs – to extend their production, improve their products, comply with quality and other standards, become more competitive and deliver adequate and nutritious food to local populations and for export. Where opportune, it also promotes the development of food safety compliance infrastructure and building related food safety systems capacities.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The UNIDO Project 220085 “Agribusiness for food security in Sudan”, has the overall objective to enhance food security, increase target agricultural communities and households’ incomes while creating jobs, particularly for women and youth in the selected states in Sudan. The specific objective is to provide technical assistance to upgrade strategic agro-food value chains and increase equitable economic opportunities for women small farmers and producers in Gedaref and Red Sea States in Sudan.

The project will contribute towards “SDG 1”: End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. It will also contribute to “SDG 5”: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and “SDG 9”: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. It also falls into UNIDO’s poverty reduction portfolio (EC1) and in particular Agribusiness and Rural Enterprise Development (GC11); its thematic area is poverty reduction through productive activities (PRP).

The project’s outputs are the following:

Output 1.1: Increased institutional knowledge, skills, and women’s participation in the upgrade of strategic agricultural value chains in selected states. Activities include: analyzing value chains in target states to determine promising activities and understand risks; conducting a gender analysis and developing a gender plan; and conducting stakeholder consultations, including consultations with women, women’s groups, and other value chain actors.

Output 1.2: Enhanced capacities (infrastructure, technologies, skills) to deliver market-relevant, gender-accessible agribusiness services at agribusiness transformation hubs. Activities include: upgrading infrastructure at hubs to effectively serve both men- and women-led agribusinesses; providing demonstration facilities to expose selected beneficiaries to clean energy, post-harvest handling, processing and packaging solutions; and building capacity of hubs to provide ensure continued gender inclusive provision of relevant technical and business support services.

Output 1.3: Improved capacities of smallholder cooperatives and MSMEs to access financial products, and implement agri-food processing technical and managerial best practices and technologies. Activities include: providing training that addresses the gender-based constraints to agribusiness, such as food processing best practices and technologies, technology and financial literacy, product packaging, marketing, and trade promotion; conducting capacity building for khata saving schemes; and supporting selected groups in developing business plans to access finance.

Output 1.4: Improved ability of female-led/owned agri-food businesses to adapt and implement postharvest technologies and best practices. Activities include: organizing beneficiaries into business groups (including formation of women-led or women’s groups) to facilitate access to support services and markets; providing capacity building in post-harvest handling, food processing, marketing, and product development; connecting beneficiaries to mentors and promoting networking; and organizing events to promote support for women-led/owned agribusinesses among institutional and community leaders.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall general direction of UNIDO Project Manager at HQ and in close coordination with the UNIDO Representative and Field office in Sudan, the National Project Coordinator will undertake the following main duties:

MAIN DUTIES

Concrete/ Measurable Outputs to be achieved

Expected duration %

1. Project management
   • Liaise with the Project Manager at HQ on all substantial issues related to project planning and execution;
   • In full coordination with the Project manager and the UNIDO Country Representative, maintain effective coordination and working relations with the relevant Ministries, Governorate/District authorities and other stakeholders;
   • Coordinate and monitor all project related activities in the Red Sea State, annual work plan, and budget, which will include, but not limited to field missions, field work, training and workshops, remote meetings, recruitment and procurement activities;
   • Support overall planning, reporting, and management of the project in the Red Sea State, including development of project work plan and monitoring based on the achieved progress; drafting Terms of Reference and Technical Specifications for the purchase of goods/services, according to project needs and budget allocation;
   • Ensure fair and active participation of women in the project implementation, including review and implementation of the project’s gender action plan, and closely supervising the project activities in line with the project deliverables and targets;
   • Lead project team related to the project activities in the Red Sea State and provide monthly progress reporting by gathering project data and information to UNIDO HQ;
   • Facilitate the work of other Individual Service Agreement (ISA) holders and subcontractors assigned for the activities of the project in the Red Sea State and provide technical inputs and review the developed reports as per their relevant ToRs;
   • Participate in remote meetings, workshops, and training activities planned and organized under the project as requested by the project manager;
   • Establish and maintain partnerships and facilitation in attracting private sector engagement, especially producer associations, in the Red Sea State
   • Establish a coherent system of information covering each activity of the project, including project impact indicators, and transmit the required details to UNIDO;
   • Support the organization of the Project Steering Committee and specialized working groups/technical steering committees related to project objectives;
   • Contribute to the promotional material for the project (brochures, newsletter, advertisement, etc.);
   • Supervise the day to day work of the project team, including project assistants, driver, and ad hoc consultants recruited for the project;