FAO recruits an Investment and Business Development Specialist
Organizational Setting
FAO’s Sub-regional Office for Western Africa is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). It assists the FAO Representations (FAORs) in the subregion with addressing subregional food security, agriculture and rural development issues at country level. The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Africa.
Reporting Lines
The Investment and Business Development Specialist reports to the Sub-regional Coordinator.
Technical Focus
Business Development, Resource Mobilisation, Donor Relations, Grant negotiation, Capacity Development and programing support.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Lead strategic thinking and prepare related plans to further develop and facilitate implementation of the related sub regional Resource Mobilisation and management strategy;
- Coordinate and Collaborate with and ensure support to related teams in the identification of business opportunities to mobilize resources in line with related sub regional priorities;
- Initiate contact with potential partners to explore business opportunities; maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders through the project cycle;
- Lead capacity development efforts in support of staff in all locations within FAOSFW with regards to Resource Mobilisation partnerships through policy development, the production of training material and delivery of training;
- Coordinate marketing and outreach activities;
- lead, or participate in, multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification and preparation of investment operations, project development in the priority fields of FAOSFW, and participate in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions;
- lead, or participate in, multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment operations;
- advise governments in the preparation of FAOSFW studies and strategies, and in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment plans and programmes;
- lead the formulation and delivery of capacity development strategies and activities in the areas of FAOSFW investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations;
- prepare reports in accordance with government and financing partners’ requirements;
- Advise on task organization, selection of consultants, preparation of terms of reference and in ensuring the quality of outputs;
- represent the Organization at international and inter-governmental meetings and conferences, advocate for strategic partnerships, best practices and effective policy dialogue; develop and negotiate effective working relationships and agreements with international and national partners including with the private sector and development banks as needed;
- participate in, the development and updating of FAO’s Country Programming Framework (CPF) and the formulation of related projects and programmes;
- Liaise with RAF and Headquarters business development and resource mobilization Divisions
- Develop resource mobilization strategies
Candidates will be assessed against the following
Minimum Requirements
- Advanced University Degree in social sciences, international development, development economics, business administration, agriculture, agricultural economics, or another field relevant to the work of the Organisation;
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in international development, donor aid programmes, grant negotiations, management and development cooperation, including relevant field experience in bilateral or multilateral cooperation; conducting agricultural/rural sector/subsector analytical studies, and/or in planning, design, supervision of agricultural and rural investment operations, including elaboration of feasibility studies and implementation of agricultural and rural investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition;
Working Knowledge of English and French and limited knowledge of Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian.
FAO Core Competencies
- Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication Skills
- Building Effective Relationships
- Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
- Work experience in more than one location or area of work
- Very good sense of organization and ability to meet tight deadlines;
- Ability to prioritize tasks;
- Ability to work in a harmonious and effective way in a multicultural team;
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective working relationships with supervisors and colleagues.
- Demonstrable experience of community-based resource management projects;
- Experience in West African countries will be considered an asset;
- Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency
Additional Information
FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications
Candidates should upload language certificate/s when submitting their application.
For more information, visit the FAO employment website
How to apply
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.
We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline
If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org
Job details
- Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
- Grade Level: N/A
- Primary Location: Senegal-Dakar
- Duration: 11 months with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory results and availability of funds
- 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 and nationality
People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization
