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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at local, national and international levels for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
The Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD) provides expert guidance on IFAD's strategic direction, thematic priorities and technical quality of IFAD operations. It plays a critical role in providing technical expertise to operational teams to enhance development effectiveness by generating and disseminating IFADโs development knowledge and evidence on strategic themes, and encouraging innovative application of cutting-edge global knowledge and evidence in IFAD investments to help countries tackle their most complex development challenges in fostering inclusive and sustainable rural transformation. SKD is composed of the: (i) Environment, Climate, Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG); (ii) Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI); and (iii) Research and Impact Assessment Division (RIA).
The Research and Impact Assessment Division is the premier research, data, knowledge and evidence use arm of IFAD. RIA produces evidence and knowledge to support the design new projects and programs and to formulate strategies aimed at achieving rural development and food system transformation through informed and evidence-based decision making.
In particular, The Research and Impact Assessment Division (RIA) is divided in two clusters and one cross-cutting theme:
- Evidence for Policy: Produces and promotes policy driven research through primary and secondary data collected with the purpose of promoting rural development through evidence based solutions;
- Impact Assessment: Conducts rigorous econometric analysis to measure the impact that IFADโs projects has attained on beneficiaries, and that ultimately produces evidence feeding into the international policy debate;ย
Both clusters contribute to the generation of Knowledge & Evidence Use: Evidence-Informed Decision Making (EIDM) and Knowledge Translation (KT) in research, policy and practice are areas of strong interest among policy makers and international organizations as is capacity enhancement of evidence producers and evidence users. The Knowledge and Evidence Use cross cutting area common to both clusters aims to fill this gap and to strengthen knowledge generation/use and innovation within and outside IFAD.ย
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RIA provides advice and support services throughout the data cycle to:- Assess data needs, availability and demand ย (work with RIAโs stakeholders to evaluate data needs and devise a plan on how to meet them);
- Facilitate data collection (provide advice on approaches, ย tools and methods) and collect data for specific purposes (e.g. Impact Assessments)
- Apply appropriate data governance and data quality assurance mechanisms to ensure integrity of data, personal data and privacy protection
- Facilitate data use and reuse, data access and interoperability to maximize value of data for impact
- Produce and mobilize the creation of Knowledge Products (to meet the demand of different stakeholders): ย
- Advocacy materials for engagement of the general public (Knowledge Type 1),ย
- Policy support outputs to foster policy and decision making (knowledge Type 2), ย ย
- Technical articles to validate research and innovation and contribute to the Global pool of scientific knowledge and for purposes of reputational enhancement ย (Knowledge Type 3)
- Promote knowledge dissemination (workshops, training, ย technical assistance and international Conference on knowledge and use dissemination)
The Senior Technical Specialist works under the overall strategic, policy and management guidance of the direct supervision of the Director RIA and/or under the general supervision of the Lead Technical Specialist (Economist).
Job Role ย
The Senior Technical Specialist serves as IFADโs technical expert in their area of expertise. The position supports country/regional programs by providing state-of-the-art global technical advice throughout the project cycle (strategic and operational), as well as contributes to the corporate agenda, in their technical area of expertise.ย
Within their areas of responsibility, the Senior Technical Specialist exercises a high degree of independence in providing reliable programme delivery. The incumbent at this level performs the full complexity range of work independently, including the analysis and approval of complex and/or precedent setting cases with the aim to ensure cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support. The incumbent works collaboratively with the thematic Technical Specialists, Country Directors (CD)/Heads of Multi-country Offices (MCO) and other staff to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support.Position specific: The Senior Technical Specialist is an expert and knowledge builder in their thematic specialization. The incumbent provides technical expertise and guidance on generating and using new ideas to enrich the knowledge base that supports the Fund's policy agenda. With corporate, rather than country or regional specific focus, the incumbent provides substantive contribution to understanding future trends in rural development strengthening IFAD's strategic planning perspective and pro-actively fostering innovative and effective solutions to rural poverty within country programmes, IFAD policy, member governments, the academic community, and public opinion in the international development community. Work at this level is characterized by technical leadership in field of specialization in collaboration with professional and support staff of a unit or by the provision of authoritative technical advice. The incumbent works collaboratively with SKD technical specialists (both in PMI and ECG) to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical advice and provision of programme development support facilitating knowledge flows and building of communities of practices.ย
Key Functions and Results ย
1.SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVICE: The Senior Technical Specialist provides technically authoritative advice on their area of specialization to improve the capacity of IFAD to position itself as an influential global player in these domains, and to improve related national government policies and programmes and ensure IFAD is regarded as a trusted and valued partner. Accountabilities may include but are not limited to: (a) Providing IFAD staff and partners with up-to-date professional advice on policy, institutional and technical issues. (b) Contributing to ensure that IFAD senior management is regularly and adequately briefed to engage effectively in high level fora with policy implications for rural transformation. (c) Providing senior level technical expertise to the preparation of knowledge products aiming to advance IFADโs voice in the global debate on rural transformation, in close collaboration within SKD and IFAD.ย
2. KNOWLEDGE AND ADVISORY SERVICES: The Senior Technical Specialist enhances the development of viable and sustainable policies and supports regional and global thematic input through authoritative technical knowledge sharing for their area of specialization. The position will ensure access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen technical capacity and establish new knowledge and advisory partnerships. Accountabilities may include, but are not limited to: (i) Supporting intelligence gathering and analysis of debates relevant to inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in the global debate and facilitating knowledge sharing and experiences in this area within SKD, IFAD and other stakeholders in the global arena; (ii) Supporting the coordination of the relevant knowledge development and dissemination with institutions outside of IFAD, within the region concerned and national Institutions, disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with external partners and stakeholders through publication of Occasional Papers, journal articles, seminars and workshops, through electronic media and the development of new knowledge products and operational tools that are informed by learning from the field; (iii) Participating in IFAD-wide thematic discussions and developing appropriate technical and operation approaches of relevance to the country/divisional strategies and programmes; (iv) Planning and leading learning events to strengthen IFADโs knowledge and capacity to engage in global debates with policy implications for rural transformation.ย
3. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES: Senior Technical Specialist develops and maintains a network of strategic partnerships that can help advance IFADโs mandate and messages around rural transformation in the global debate. The position develops peer contacts inside and outside IFAD to keep up-to-date on activities at the country and regional levels, to support joint advocacy and for knowledge sharing to enhance the Fundโs profile as a highly competent and viable partner in development. Accountabilities may include: (a) Building partnerships with centers of excellence, complementary technical organizations and specialized departments of other development institutions (including United Nations agencies, International Financial Institutions, bilateral cooperation agencies, non-governmental organizations, and others) as strategic partners; (b) Strengthening IFADโs representation and communication in policy processes (including representing IFAD at international, regional, inter-agency meetings, seminars and conferences); (c) Developing and cultivating alliances in key global policy forums to strengthen IFAD's influence over time, with a strategic focus on specific themes in their area of specialization.ย
4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING: The Senior Technical Specialist supports the Director/Lead Technical Specialists in knowledge management and other monitoring and reporting activities to enhance country level programme and funding decisions.
5. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The Senior Technical Specialist is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources. This includes, among others, people management through support to recruitment of technical specialists and technical leadership/capacity development, coaching and mentoring of new and/or more junior staff, supervisory role and evaluation of performance of professionals and general service staff under their purview.
Position specifics: The Senior Technical Specialist supervises post-doc level consultants as well as PhD/MS students and interns. The incumbent needs to be able to multi-task and prioritize to effectively manage the team and deliver as a team. Technical backstopping of all consultants in the same division or operational support requests from other divisions need to be provided using the best methodological tools and leadership skills. Collaboration with other IFAD divisions and outside partners is managed by the Senior Technical Specialist in a transparent and trustworthy way, maintaining the integrity of the institution. ย ย ย ย
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6. MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH: The Senior Technical Specialist (Research), focuses on IFAD's research agenda . The incumbent reports on international trends in rural transformation in developing countries to enhance IFAD's poverty analysis and to identify potential implications for IFAD's work; provides policy advice on agricultural and rural development issues, as they emerge from analytical work; and designs, plans and prepares conferences, workshops, seminars, and other forms of the dissemination of research outputs; generating significant, additional new resources for IFAD, in collaboration with the RBMO, through partnerships and outreach activities.ย7. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: The Senior Technical Specialist (Research), enhances the development of viable and sustainable policy and supports regional and global thematic input through authoritative technical knowledge sharing for their area of specialization. The incumbent will ensure access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen technical capacity and establish new knowledge and advisory partnerships. The incumbent contribute to produce relevant knowledge development and dissemination with institutions outside of IFAD within the region concerned and national Institutions, disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with outside partners and stakeholders through publication of Occasional Papers, journal articles, seminars and workshops, through electronic media and the development of new knowledge products and operational tools that are informed by learning from the field.
Key Performance Indicators ย
Assignments require the provision of authoritative technical expertise in the field of specialization. The impact of work by the incumbent directly affects country programmes and contributes to regional and corporate policy and strategy. The impact on the overall IFAD country and regional programmes is significant in projecting the Fundโs role/capacity as a reliable, viable partner in development. Work is intricate in that it requires consideration of a wide range of technical factors and related data. Senior Regional Technical Specialists also select and provide oversight of external consultants, participate as experts in field missions and in the servicing of intergovernmental and expert group meetings of a technical nature.ย
Work at this level normally is not reviewed for technical accuracy. Senior Regional Technical Specialists thus exercise independence and initiative in assessing needs and advising governments when on field mission. Decisions are made on the research or analytical strategies to be followed in resolving problems of concern in the technical area. Established methods and procedures are adapted as necessary in order to achieve desired results.
Position specific: Related to impact assessments, the senior technical specialist leads a number of impact assessments and provides technical backstopping to others as part of the RIA team. Technical knowledge on quasi-experimental impact assessments and meta-analysis methods is key to their performance. Support to operations is provided based on impact assessment results as well as published literature on agricultural development. Translating research findings to practical lessons learned is an important task for the senior technical specialist to improve IFAD operations and strategies.ย
The following are among the other key performance indicators of the Senior Technical Specialist: ย the number of knowledge products (e.g. articles, expert blogs, evidence reviews) led and contributed to; the number of project design documents that are supported with technical input; the number of conferences at which special sessions are organized/papers are presented and trainings are provided using RIA training tools; and the number of corporate requests from the Presidentโs and Vice-Presidentโs office that are addressed in a timely manner.
Working Relationships ย
The work relationships of Senior Technical Specialists involves the provision of technical advice and the negotiation and resolution of problems that arise in technical project design and appraisal, supervision/implementation support and in the preparation of studies and reports. The position serves as an expert in the area of agronomy and works with full technical independence in the provision of technical expertise and methodological guidance at the country level, as well as regionally as required. Contacts are with counterparts and senior officials within other United Nations organizations, IFIs governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations,private sector research institutes and academia. In servicing intergovernmental bodies, expert and working groups and other meetings, the Senior Technical Specialist provides technical expertise and recommendations for investment, policy formulation and official conclusions in a consultative and Specialist capacity; the incumbent also may provide information regarding the organization's policies, and act as the representative of the organization. Maintain contacts to identify and evaluate emerging developments.
Position specific:
The Senior Technical Specialist interacts with government partners in countries where impact assessments are implemented (including Ministers and Directors), as well as Project Management Units (primarily with M&E Specialists), field officers and beneficiary groups. Excellent relationship building skills support the buy-in from the country teams to ensure the delivery of impact assessments. Working relationships with high level academics in the field of agricultural development and rural tarnsformation as well as students are important. The incumbent may be called to step in to represent the organisation at high levels (as OiC of the Director) in front of the Board or other high level meetings.
Job Profile Requirements ย
Organizational Competencies:
Level 2:
- Building relationships and partnerships - Builds and maintains strategic partnerships internally and externally
- Communicating and negotiating - Acquires & uses a wide range of communication styles & skills
- Demonstrating leadership - Leads by example; initiates and supports change
- Focusing on clients - Contributes to a clientfocused culture
- Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating - Challenges, innovates&contributes to learning culture
- Managing performance and developing staff - Manages wider teams with greater impact on others and on the organization
- Managing time, resources and information - Coordinates wider use of time, information and/or resources
- Problem-solving and decision-making - Solves complex problems and makes decisions that have wider corporate impact
- Strategic thinking and organizational development - Staff in management and/or strategic leadership roles
- Team working - Fosters a cohesive team environment
Education:
Advanced university degree in a technically relvant area from an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php in a job related field (*)ย
A PhD degree is an asset
(*) Areas - Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Natural Resource Economics, Economics or related fields.
(*) Note: ย For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in the IFADโs Human Resources Implementing Procedures.ย
Experience:
- At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in, and demonstrated understanding of, development initiatives in development economics, in the formulation of technical guidance and input to development programmes, and in international policy frameworks related to global issues.
- Three (3) years (of the 8) in a multi-cultural or national organization providing support on a global scope.
Position-specific experience: - Demonstrated experience in developing and employing modelling techniques using software programmes such as Excel, STATA, SPSS, GAMS or other data analysis and dynamic optimization computing tools.
Languages:
- Required English (4 โ Excellent)
- Desirable: French, Spanish, or Arabic
Skills:
- (Development) economics: Know-how relevant to specific role as economist, e.g. development economics, macro/micro-economic analysis, conducting of economic research and applied econometrics, etc.
- Analytical skills: Outstanding ability to analyse and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations