Senior Consultant for the Formulation of a fully-fledged Project at FAO:Closing Date : 14th September, 2020.

The main aim of 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.

Under the DeSIRA initiative (Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture) (https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/desira), the European Union is committing to support through a grant, to strengthen Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation systems (AKIS) in Rwanda. By linking more effectively research and innovation with development initiatives, DeSIRA aims at supporting research and innovation projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and strengthening research capacities and research governance involving key actors at national, regional, continental and global levels. It intends to boost innovation in agriculture and food systems transformation of partner countries with a view to be more resilient to the effects of climate change, thereby contributing to the sustainable development goals targets 2.3 (increase agricultural productivity of smallholder food producers), 2.4 (ensure sustainable food production systems, strengthening adaptation to climate change), 2.A (increase investment in agricultural research and extension services, and technology development), 13.2 (Integrate climate change).

It is foreseen that the full project will be implemented from January 2021 to December 2024, and will focus on three main thematic areas: a) Diversification of livestock and crop systems: Burera and Rutsiro districts; b) Effective management of irrigated areas of Gatsibo and Nyagatare Districts; and c) Crop intensification and diversification in drought-prone areas of Bugesera and Ruhango districts, alongside cassava plantations. The full project will build, expand and further develop the lessons learnt in the CDAIS project in two ways: i) addressing outstanding challenges in the innovation partnerships supported in the CDAIS project, and ii) expanding and promoting the approach on new thematic and geographic areas, and last but not the least, build synergies with the abovementioned two projects (TAP-FAO DeSIRA and Agroforestry Rwanda). The University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM) will lead the implementation of the project in close collaboration with FAO and Rwanda Agriculture Board, and national stakeholders.

FAO seeks to engage the services of a senior consultant to lead the design and formulation of a full project proposal based on the approved and agreed concept note, and taking into consideration the abovementioned background and context.

Reporting Lines

The consultant will work under the general supervision of the FAO Representative to Rwanda, direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR/Programme and under the technical guidance of the FAO Rwanda staff, as well as TAP-FAO DeSIRA project team at FAO-HQ.

Tasks and responsibilities

Specifically, the senior consultant will perform the following tasks:

• Familiarise himself/herself with the EU initiative DeSIRA.
• Study and analyse the concept note of the proposal approved.
• Liaise with key stakeholders (the lead applicant, RAB and FAO (in Rwanda and Italy)) involved in the formulation of the concept note to collect their inputs.
• Conduct desk review of existing documentation (e.g. PSTA 4, FAO country programming framework 2019-2023, EU-DeSIRA Initiative, Tropical Agriculture Common Framework for capacity development for agricultural innovation system, CDAIS project reports, Agroforestry project documents) and conduct a situational analysis to guide the formulation of the proposal.
• Conduct and participate in a series of consultations (virtual or face-to-face) of key stakeholders to raise awareness and commitment, to identify, collect data, information and insights to complement analysis that will feed into the process, and consolidate emerging issues and areas in line with priorities and outputs identified and agreed in the concept note, and collect inputs for the development of the proposal.
• Seek inputs from the Research and Extension Unit (AGDR) regarding the approach promoted through the common framework and understanding of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) common framework on capacity development for agricultural innovation systems.
• Prepare and facilitate a stakeholders’ consultation workshop to share the main components and features of the project (relevance and coherence, stakeholder engagement, etc.) and collect inputs for the finalization of the project proposal.
• Finalize and submit the full project proposal document with annexes to FAO Rwanda.

• Advanced University degree in Agriculture sciences, rural development, Agro-economics and other related fields.
• A minimum of 10 years’ work experience in national, regional or international organizations in a variety of areas including agricultural development, institutional planning and budgeting; strategic planning and management.
• Working knowledge of English.
• National of Rwanda or resident with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building effective partnerships
• Knowledge sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical and Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in agricultural development and innovation
• Extent and relevance of experience of conducting analytical consultancy studies, evaluations or equivalent, in the context of agricultural innovation systems
• Familiarity with tools and methods for data collection and analysis of relevance to the AIS assessment and capacity needs assessment
• Familiarity with agricultural policy processes
• Demonstrated communication skills
• Analytical skills and ability to write clear and concise reports is considered a strong asset.
• Demonstrated experience and capacity in project design and proposal writing.
• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Strong research and analytical skills, as well as leadership skills
• Sound expertise in conducting situational analyses engaging public institutions and other development stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience in using Result-Based Management (RBM) approach in strategic processes
• Capable to work independently and perform under tight deadlines;
• Good inter-personal and teamwork skills, networking aptitude, ability to engage effectively with policy and decision makers;
• Previous and demonstrated experience in supporting FAO or other UN agencies in preparing development strategy document would be a strong advantage.