Economist (Senior Consultant), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Country: United Arab Emirates
City: Abu Dhabi
Office: FAO Representation in United Arab Emirates
Closing date: Friday, 3 March 2023
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2300478
Economist (Senior Consultant)
Job Posting: 17/Feb/2023
Closure Date: 03/Mar/2023, 10:59:00 PM
Organizational Unit : SNG
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition : Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
Grade Level : N/A
Primary Location: United Arab Emirates-Abu Dhabi
Duration : 3 months with possibility of extension
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
Organizational Setting
The Government of Abu Dhabi is pursuing an ambitious plan for the sustainable transformation of its agricultural sector, contributing to food security, economic growth, and sustainable use of natural resources, whereby agriculture production systems are integrated, diversified and viable. In support of this aim, the FAO Subregional Office for Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen (SNG) and the Abu Dhabi and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) are implementing Project GCP/013/UAE/AFS for formulating a Master Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The specific outcome is to design a comprehensive planning and monitoring tool and a roadmap for the sustainable development of diversified and integrated agricultural production system. The formulation of the master plan involves the development of a spatial decision support system (the Decision Support Tool - DST), aiming to guide decision-making processes at various levels to prioritize strategic interventions and investments to spur the transformation of agriculture towards viable, sustainable, diversified, and integrated agrifood systems. Several socioeconomic analytical models support the identification of most suitable crops, inefficiency, or potential determinants or both, best options to maximize farmers‘ returns, while securing socio-economic and environmental sustainability.
Reporting Lines
The Economist works under the overall guidance of the SNG Subregional Coordinator, direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor and technical coordination of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in close collaboration with ADAFSA and FAO assigned taskforces.
Technical Focus
The incumbent will lead the development and implementation of DST relevant models to inform the Master Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Tasks and responsibilities
Review existing policies and strategies of ADAFSA and related strategies/policies at the Emirate level.
Prepare technical methodological notes and analyse the status and opportunities for transformation of crop and livestock production systems and different farm types and activities.
Contribute to the design of questionnaires to collect the data required for the application of spatial decision support system - DST models.
Analyse the structures and functioning of priority value chains and their performance from an economic, social, and environmental points of view.
Design, conduct, oversee the implementation of semi-structured interviews.
Provide technical inputs to designing investment programmes within the Master Plan priority components, ensuring homogeneous structures, and exhaustive information for design and costing.
Ensure timely and high-quality deliverables are provided, supporting the dialogue with ADAFSA.
Participate in, organize, or facilitate technical meetings and consultative workshops with stakeholders and key informants.
Contribute to the write-ups and drafting of programmed actions to be included in the Master Plan.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
Master’s degree or Ph.D in economics, agricultural economics, natural resources economics,
agribusiness management or a closely related field.
Ten years of relevant experience in agricultural economics and development policy analysis, or in the formulation and implementation of food security, agriculture, rural development, agribusiness investment operations, water and natural resource management, and related analytical studies.
For Consultants working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian), preferably Arabic.
For PSA, working knowledge of English would suffice.
FAO Core Competencies
Results Focus
Teamwork
Communication
Building Effective Relationships
Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
Work experience in more than one location or area of work.
Extent and relevance of experience in conducting quantitative economic analysis, economic modelling, and applying econometric techniques in one or more of relevant subject areas (such as productivity frontier analysis, cost benefit optimization, value chain analysis, partial and general equilibrium analyses).
Extent and relevance of experience in the development of sector studies, agricultural transformation, strategic documents, investment plans.
Familiarity with agricultural production systems in arid agroecological regions or in the context of limited natural resources availability.
Proven experience in organizing training and workshops.
Demonstrated ability to analyse technical and scientific information; to write clearly and concisely, edit technical reports and make effective oral presentations.
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
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 http://www.whed.net/
For more information, visit the FAO employment website
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
Incomplete applications will not be considered
Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
Link to the organization’s job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1676662240516
