Overview
The role provides overall coordination and technical backstopping to ensure coherent project delivery across the region for the SSTC Sahel Project, which aims to strengthen irrigation, water management, and land restoration capacities.
Key Responsibilities
- Coordinate and track the timely delivery of Sahel project activities across participating countries
- Harmonize methodologies and standardize reporting tools for consistent use across the project
- Provide technical backstopping and quality review to strengthen the accuracy of country-level outputs
- Consolidate regional technical inputs and draft contributions for quarterly, annual, and donor reports
- Facilitate cross-country collaboration and alignment within the Sahel project governance and coordination architecture
- Support the coordination of all technical and operational aspects of the Sahel project across participating countries
- Ensure alignment of national implementation activities with regional project frameworks and FAO standards
- Serve as a technical coordination focal point between RAF, PSTD, UNOSSC and FAO Country Offices
- Support quality assurance processes for methodologies, mission reports, and technical deliverables
- Facilitate structured communication flows and information exchange among project teams across the region
- Coordinate project implementation across Sahel countries ensuring coherent delivery
- Provide technical backstopping to national consultants and FAO teams
- Lead quality assurance of methodologies, reports and guidance materials
- Support harmonization of tools and reporting frameworks regionally
- Review and consolidate technical submissions for reporting
- Identify operational challenges and propose corrective actions
- Facilitate virtual technical exchanges and cross-country learning
- Ensure adherence to FAO visibility and quality standards
Required Experience
- At least 5 years of relevant experience in international development, water resources management, technical coordination or backstopping roles
- Experience working within regional or multi-country programme structures
- Strong experience in multi-country coordination, technical backstopping and programme oversight
- Proven ability to review, consolidate and quality-assure technical documentation
- Experience with monitoring, reporting and results-based management frameworks
- Strong ability to work with multidisciplinary and multi-country teams
- Experience in irrigation, water management or land restoration is an advantage
- Knowledge of FAO/UN project implementation procedures is an asset
- Experience in networking with partners in the African region at all levels (Ministries, donors, private sector, NGOs and local community-based organizations)
- Relevant experience in coordinating and working with both international and local institutions
- Proven ability to deliver quality outputs working under tight deadlines
Qualifications
• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in agriculture, natural resource management, water management, irrigation and water management agriculture, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, development studies or a related field. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience
