Social Protection Specialist Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and malnutrition. 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.

FAO has recognized Social protection as a critical pillar to accelerate progress in the fight against hunger, food insecurity and rural poverty. Notably, social protection interventions have the potential to contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and economic growth. FAO has been strategically involved in Zambia to support the national social protection systems.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Representative of FAO in Zambia, and direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR in charge of programmes and in close collaboration with the FAO projects, and relevant government entities, the Social Protection Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks and responsibilities.

Technical focus

Technical contribution to monitoring activities for social protection interventions, including development of tools and methodologies
Stakeholder engagements
Represent FAO Zambia in technical Working Groups on Social Protection as well as other institutional coordination mechanisms
Regular participation in Technical Working Groups on social protection as well as other institutional co-ordination mechanisms
Concept notes and proposals for resource mobilization developed and submitted, donors approached, pilot pitched
Participate in and support activities of relevant UNCT Results Group reports written and submitted on time
Support government in implementation and development of the electronic version of the Food Security Pack (FSP)
Progress reports are submitted on time
Research outputs
Tasks And Responsibilities

Effectively coordinate the overall implementation of social protection interventions supported by the country office, including provision of technical support to the rollout of projects supporting the most vulnerable households in the context of emergency or crisis response situations
Facilitate dialogue and linkages between social protection and resilience/livelihoods, agriculture/natural resource management programmes/projects
Support the roll out of the FSP pilot programme, as designed by FAO in collaboration with the Government of Zambia
Liaise with potential donors and explore internal opportunities in order to mobilise resources for the implementation of the FSP
Explore resource mobilisation opportunities, as well as take lead on development of project proposals for funding of national social protection priorities in Zambia
Provide follow-up support to the implementation of action plans from the RAF-led Capacity Development Programme on “Strengthening the use of Poverty Analysis for reaching SDGs 1 &2”. In particular, the multi-sectoral Cash Plus efforts in Zambia, led by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS), by;
Participate in and provide support in policy dialogue on social protection policies, legislation, and programmes with attention to increasing coverage of social protection and contribute to strategic (internal and external) processes of Cash Plus interventions, including development of documents
Support strengthening closer collaboration between participants of the Capacity Development Programme (CDP), from various ministries, as part of the efforts to enhance the cash plus initiatives and cross-sectoral collaboration in Zambia.
Facilitate capacity building efforts for the multi-sectoral cluster advisory group (CAG) members to be involved in the implementation of the cash plus initiative on coherent, multi-sectoral approaches for poverty reduction
Establish effective partnerships with the Government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, civil society, and other UN agencies to support sustained commitment towards the nexus between agriculture and social protection among the rural communities
Support in developing a social protection strategic engagement document for the FAO Zambia Office through consultations with the key stakeholders in the agriculture and social protection sector as well as review of key social protection and agriculture policy and Programme documents as well as FAO led research products.
Represent FAO in sectoral coordination mechanisms, such as the Cluster Advisory Committees, Co-operating Partners Group-Social Protection, the Co-operating Partners Group-Agriculture and within and across these fora to promote and contribute to discussions on linkages between agriculture and social protection
Contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reporting on programme and activities that enable informed decision making and consistence of information
Liaise with internal counterpart to ensure effective collaboration, and monitoring of ongoing social protection projects and other projects as needed
Research and analyse policy and operational issues to support colleagues in the development of policies, programmes and activities ensuring alignment with wider CPF.
Perform other duties as required
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

A degree in the field of socio-economic policy or agricultural economics or rural sociology or equivalent.
Master’s degree in the relevant field with experience in social protection is preferable.
Five years of relevant experience in sectoral coordination, research and policy analysis and stakeholder engagements is cardinal.
Working knowledge of the English language [ie. spoken and written]
Zambian National
FAO Core Competencies

Results Focus
Teamwork
Communication
Building Effective Relationships
Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills

Extent and relevance of experience in supporting, advising and guiding the implementation of complex, multi-stakeholder projects;
Ability to develop plans for the implementation and coordination of project operations in developing countries, in partnership with UN agencies, NGOs and other concerned actors;
Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project formulation, analysis, planning and implementation
Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset;
Extent of experience in formulation, implementation and monitoring of projects;
Familiarity with UN administrative, operational and financial procedures is an asset.
Additional Information

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at www.whed.net/
For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
Job Posting

31/Oct/2022

Closure Date

14/Nov/2022, 11:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit

FRZAM

Job Type

Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition

NPP (National Project Personnel)

Grade Level

N/A

Primary Location

Zambia-Lusaka

Duration

12 months

Post Number

N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values
FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality