Overview
Provide analytical and technical support on financial and economic aspects regarding agricultural and food systems-related policies, public sector strategies and plans, as well as investment operations and programmes.
Key Responsibilities
- Participate in and lead multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in identifying and preparing investment and finance support initiatives.
- Participate in and lead multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and preparation of final evaluation of investment operations.
- Provide technical expertise for the preparation of studies and strategies in food and agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing.
- Support the development of inclusive and sustainable food systems.
- Formulate and deliver capacity development initiatives.
- Prepare reports in accordance with governments and financing partners' requirements.
- Provide support in task organization, selection of consultants, preparation of terms of reference and ensuring quality of outputs.
- Promote international cooperation and collaboration leading to new investment opportunities and cooperative agreements.
- Participate in resource mobilization activities.
- Provide guidance and advice to junior staff.
- Contribute to the identification, design and appraisal of investment operations, including development of analytical and sector studies, project logical/results frameworks, monitoring and evaluation systems, and costing of investment operations, with a focus on environmental and climate dimensions.
- Assess the feasibility and viability of investment operations through studying market prospects, prices, costs and risks, and carrying out financial and economic analysis, including consideration of environmental externalities.
- Participate in the evaluation of the performance of investment projects or programmes during implementation and their impact after completion and make recommendations for enhancing the design of future operations.
- Support in the assessment of investment implications of food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing policies, national plans and programmes, including poverty alleviation and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
- Conduct economic and financial analysis of environmental and climate-related investments, including cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and the application of approaches such as marginal abatement cost (MAC) analysis, to inform investment prioritization and policy decisions.
- Assess environmental and climate-related risks, externalities and trade-offs in agrifood systems, including impacts on productivity, resilience, natural resource use and long-term sustainability, and translate these into actionable investment and policy recommendations.
- Support the application of environmental economics to inform sector strategies, public investment plans and policy dialogue, including analysis of incentives, subsidies, regulations and market distortions affecting sustainable resource use and private investment.
- Support the analysis and design of climate and environmental finance options, including carbon markets and payments for environmental services.
- Contribute to the development of knowledge products and analytical tools on environmental economics in agrifood systems, including methodologies, guidelines and evidence to support investment planning and decision-making by governments and IFIs.
Required Experience
- Seven years of relevant experience in the practical application of economic analysis to development issues, value chain analysis and development, agribusiness and market development, including analytical studies, and/or in the formulation and implementation of food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition.
- Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable.
- Extent and relevance of experience in public and private sector in areas such as agriculture, agribusiness, agro-processing, public-private partnerships, natural resource management and greening of agrifood systems.
- Extent and relevance of experience in participating, in multidisciplinary teams for the preparation, technical support and evaluation of strategies, analytical and feasibility studies and investment programmes in agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing, with focus on environment aspects and climate dimensions.
- Extent and relevance of experience in the design, implementation support and evaluation of investment operations with FAO's main development partners, in particular the Asia Development bank (ADB), World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other partner international financial institutions.
- Relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of food security, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and agro-processing investments.
- Extent and relevance of experience in dealing with public and/or private sector stakeholders such as senior government officials, as well as development partners and other country stakeholders.
Qualifications
Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, agricultural economics, natural resources economics, agribusiness management or a closely related field.
