Overview
Provide overall managerial, operational and technical support for the implementation of a national project focused on modernizing locust monitoring and forecasting systems through artificial intelligence and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide overall programmatic leadership and day to day coordination of the project.
- Prepare and update annual and quarterly work plans and ensure timely implementation of activities.
- Maintain coordination with various stakeholders including Budget Holder, Lead Technical Officer, National Project Coordinator, FAO Kazakhstan, SEC, FAO Regional Office, FAO Headquarters, consultants, contractors, and national partners.
- Ensure effective collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and national institutions.
- Organize Project Steering Committee meetings, prepare documentation, and ensure follow up on decisions.
- Oversee operational implementation, integrating inputs from international experts and technical contributors.
- Support procurement processes, including drafting technical specifications for specialized AI related services.
- Plan training activities and prepare training content in collaboration with project experts; organize and coordinate study tours.
- Plan staff duty travel and related logistics.
- Provide advice to the Ministry of Agriculture on institutional, policy, and legal matters related to project implementation.
- Prepare draft terms of reference, identify potential candidates, and support recruitment processes.
- Prepare terms of reference for subcontracts, identify possible contractors, and support procurement of services.
- Monitor activities, expenditures, progress, and milestones; maintain project monitoring tools.
- Certify satisfactory delivery of services and consultant outputs; facilitate the work of international and national consultants and certify their performance.
- Coordinate training activities, workshops, and testing of AI based locust tools, dashboards, and UAV technologies; select participants for training.
- Assess progress, capture lessons learned, and contribute to final evaluation inputs.
- Prepare financial forecasts based on semi annual work plans; support budget revisions.
- Prepare quarterly updates, semi annual progress reports, the Inception Report, and the Terminal Report.
- Work closely with FAO administrative, operations, procurement, logistics, and programme teams.
- Ensure gender mainstreaming in all project activities.
- Supervise financial monitoring, reporting, and record keeping.
- Perform other coordinating tasks required for smooth project implementation; undertake duty travel as required.
Required Experience
- At least five years’ experience in managing technical projects involving pest management, phytosanitary measures, digital surveillance systems, early warning systems and any other relevant field.
- Experience in project management and/or coordination, planning, monitoring and reporting as well as multi-stakeholder engagement.
- Experience in (or familiarity with) locust/pest management, monitoring systems, AI/ML modelling, UAV operations, or geospatial analytics is an asset.
- Extent and relevance of experience in coordinating development of modern tools with IT teams and/or promoting related operational field networks is an asset.
- Familiarity with FAO, UN or international development organization procedures is an advantage.
- Experience working in project locations is considered an added advantage.
Qualifications
• University degree in agriculture, environmental sciences or any other related field
