River Basin Team Leader

Organizational Setting

This position is based in Balochistan within the River Basins (RBs) of the EU funded “Revival of Balochistan Water Resources Programme (RBWRP)”. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, help to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The following position is at SB3 - SC6 level

The position is in Nari River Basin (based in Loralai).

Pakistan has been experiencing frequent natural disasters and non-coherent economic policies which has affected the overall economy specifically the agriculture sector and livelihood of the people. Outbreak of pandemic and locust attack has damaged agriculture crops and affected the food supply chain in Pakistan. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is supporting the Government of Pakistan at national and provincial levels through different analytical policy reports on food supply chain, food forecast livestock, forestry, fisheries and climate change. Similarly, a web-based data management system is under development for agriculture, food security and nutrition statistics in Pakistan. Through this system, support Government of Pakistan in monitoring food prices and supply chain through live dashboards will enable better planning and policy making.

There is currently a team of agronomists, statisticians, economists and policy analysts working on different components to strengthen the food supply chain and enhance the food security in Pakistan. FAO Pakistan seeks a qualified professional with a strong analytical and quantitative capacity to contribute in the (RBWRP). This experience will provide wide scope of work as outlined below:

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer and in close coordination with Hub Team Leaders and provincial FAO teams. The Hub Team Leaders will be responsible of implementing FAO projects at district level in clusters, whereas the RB Team Leader will be responsible of implementing the activities and leading multi-disciplinary team of the RBWRP in the concerned River Basin.

Technical Focus

Ensure timely delivery of all activities of the (RBWRP) in the assigned RB and selected watersheds. The incumbent will coordinate the planning and implementation of activities with the RB team of FAO Balochistan and in closed coordination with the project stakeholders including the counterpart departments of Agriculture, Livestock, Irrigation and Forestry. Through optimized conservation of natural resources including water, the depleting water resources will be reversed in the target RBs.

Tasks and responsibilities

The RB Team Leader will be responsible for the following actions:
•     Provide technical and managerial support to the FAO provincial RB teams related  to implementation and coordination of RBWRMP;
•     Establish and maintain effective working relations with Government and other project stakeholders at the RB level;
•     Develop understanding of the contextual and sectoral challenges of the RB in various dimensions related to natural resources, socio-economic, institutional, etc;
•     Lead FAO RB teams and build their capacity on mobilizing farmers for FFS sessions, trainings and other capacity building activities;
•     Guide FAO RB teams in collecting and preparing background information and briefing notes on water, agricultural commodity value chains, agribusiness and market development issues; 
•     Work closely with the RB teams to prepare detailed training plans prioritizing training topics on identified thematic areas;
•     Prepare RB work plans for water conservation activities, implementing economic viable value chains and agribusiness through identification of priority activities required to improve efficiency;
•     Facilitate and participate in the trainings and organize workshop events as per project plans;
•     Provide field support to the project specialists and facilitators in project implementation, trainings, supervision and coordination in the target watersheds of the river basins;
•     Liaison and coordination with the project partners, concerned department on FAO water interventions in the target watersheds; 
•     Responsible for timely, monthly, quarterly and annual reporting of activities implemented at the watershed level;
•     Perform any other duties assigned by supervisor and project coordinators required for successful implementation of project field activities;

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree in Agriculture/Irrigation, Water Management, Natural Resources Management
•     Minimum 5 years of relevant experience
•     Working knowledge of English and local languages of Balochistan;
•     National of Pakistan.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical Skills

•     Experience in implementing projects and managing multidisciplinary teams in agriculture, irrigation, livestock, rangeland and natural resources; 
•     Knowledge in watershed management and conservation techniques including rain and floodwater harvesting, groundwater management, etc.
•     Technical analytical skills and proposal formulation for various water schemes;
•     Experience working with community institutions, Water Users Associations, Farmer Field Schools, Value Chain Development and related trainings; 
•     Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
•     Experience in the context of river basins of Balochistan is highly desirable.

Functional Skills

•     Ability to operate effectively in a team, contributing positively to team operations and working relationships.
•     Knowledge of United Nations and International Organizations’ administrative policies and procedures.
•     Excellent drafting skills and analytical mind
•     Demonstrated ability to conduct research
•     Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English
•     Excellent interpersonal skills and to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment
•     Willingness to travel
•     Ability to work independently, with initiative and minimal supervision
•     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 systems design or implementation

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION