Agriculture and Food Systems Specialist

KEY INFORMATION

Job Title: Agriculture and Food Systems Specialist

Position/ Contract Type: Long Term Consultancy

Duration of Initial Contract: 12 months, starting in December 2022 (up to a total of 140 days)

Position Location: Iraq

Language Required: Arabic and English

Application Deadline: 3 December 2022

1. SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

Launched in December 2021 and implemented by Cowater International, the Middle East Support Services Project (ME-FSSP) will primarily support the development and humanitarian objectives of Canada’s Middle East Strategy by providing administrative, financial, procurement, and logistical services in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the region.

The Middle East Field Support Services (ME-FSS) will also support the regional development programming for the Government of Canada through the provision of technical specialists in gender equality, governance and human rights, environment and climate action, and food security.

2. BACKGROUND

The aim of Canada’s bilateral development program in Iraq is to manage Canada’s resources effectively and accountably to achieve meaningful, sustainable results in line with Iraq’s poverty reduction plans and priorities. In order to deliver its programs and projects in Iraq, the Embassy of Canada uses the Field Support Services (FSS) to provide expert technical services in a variety of sectors and sub-sectors.

In Iraq, the impacts of the conflict with Daesh, as well as the knock-on effects of the Ukraine conflict, COVID-19, and weak institutions, poor governance and corruption have contributed significantly to food insecurity. These issues have been compounded by drought and record low levels of rainfall across the country, all while Iraq remains one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. As of 2022, 2.8 million Iraqis are currently experiencing insufficient food consumption, with rural populations being the most affected by food insecurity, spending a higher share of their income on food than their urban counterparts. In rural areas, unskilled agricultural workers and female-headed households constitute the most vulnerable groups. While the agricultural sector accounts for only 5% of Iraq’s GDP, it is second in importance only to the oil sector and constitutes 20% of overall employment.

Furthermore, climate change forecasts indicate that by 2050, decreased precipitation and increased temperatures will result in a 20% reduction in the availability of fresh water, leaving nearly one-third of irrigated agricultural land in Iraq without water. Parallel to water scarcity, decreasing soil fertility, soil salinization, desertification, and soil erosion are also significant issues, arising largely as a result of unsustainable production practices. Such practices include overgrazing and grazing of crop residues, which leaves soil bare, increases erosion, and contributes to desertification and dust storms.

In this context, Canada is planning on implementing a portfolio of development projects that support food security and agricultural livelihoods, with a particular focus on climate-smart agriculture. To succeed in the design of new initiatives and the implementation of current ones, the Embassy of Canada needs the services of an Agriculture and Food SystemsSpecialist.

3. OBJECTIVE

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support to ensure quality control, quality enhancement, and quality assurance of Canada’s agriculture and food systems programming in Iraq with the ultimate goal of contributing to better development results in the sector.

The Specialist will provide recommendations and advice to Canada’s bilateral development program to identify gaps and opportunities, design effective and resource-efficient programming, ensure policy coherence with the Government of Canada and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) policy objectives, and integrate evidence and expertise of the local context to improve current and future agri-food systems programming.

4. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES

Activities of the Specialist will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Project Support

· Provide written advice on project documents, including work-plans, narrative progress reports, evaluation reports and other relevant reports of the agriculture and food systems project portfolio.

· Support the programming team in the review and design of new proposals in the agriculture and food systems sector, providing technical advice into all planning documents including Logic Model, Performance Management Framework, Risk Registry and budget, among others.

· Provide technical advice related to the monitoring and evaluation of projects. This may encompass advising on indicators, reviewing and commenting on project implementation plans, annual work plans, progress and evaluation reports, participation in project monitoring and mid-term review missions as a resource person, meeting with implementing partners, carrying out field visits, and preparing success stories.

Program Development

· Provide advice to the Iraq programming team on opportunities, needs and entry points on agriculture and food systems, including on possible cooperation with other donors.

· Conduct a stakeholder mapping of donors supporting the sector, as well as local organizations and institutions implementing food security and agriculture and food systems initiatives and assess their capacities to achieve meaningful results; identify potential partners with appropriate sector-specific programming capacity.

· Provide written analysis and technical advice on best practices, approaches and evidence to achieving results, potential risks, issues, constraints, opportunities, lessons learned, and possible synergies with other projects and sectors.

· Review and provide written, context-specific and gender-sensitive analysis on emerging issues in the agri-food sector, as well as general trends in food security, including but not limited to: climate-smart agriculture; micro-credit/access to finance; food systems governance; agri-food cooperatives, SMEs and informal groups; and import, distribution and access to wheat and other staple commodities of concern to Iraqi food security.

Visits and Representation

· Provide technical assistance to incoming missions from Canada, if required. Prepare written and oral briefings and accompany visiting GAC staff, Canadian Government officials and consultants on field trips and meetings. Feed into meetings notes and speeches; prepare field visit reports and make recommendations about any needed corrective measures.

· Attend donor and technical group discussions on food security, agriculture and food systems as a resource person, contributing to knowledge-building/sharing and policy dialogue.

· Provide advice to the programming team on agriculture and food systems issues to be raised in policy dialogue and advocacy with government, other donors, civil society organizations and private sector.

· Occasional translation from Arabic to English, as requested.

5. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Specialist:

The Specialist is responsible to deliver the services described in section 4 of this TOR according to the agreed timelines, expected results, and deliverables outlined in the Service Requisition forms, and any additional services as requested by the Technical Authority. The Specialist must work in close collaboration with the GAC’s field staff in Iraq and GAC HQ’s programming teams and assigned HQ Specialists, and whenever necessary with other consultants. For quality assurance purposes, the Specialist should engage with GAC’s Agriculture and Food Systems Division (MSF) to ensure technical and policy alignment of advice with GAC’s agri-food system policy priorities, and to benefit from knowledge and capacity-building resources.

The Technical Authority (TA):

· The provision of service requisitions to the Specialist, including the approval of the Specialist’s assigned work and deliverables.

· Reporting to GAC on the completion of services and deliverables against the approved tasking as set out in the online Tracking Table and Service Requisition forms. A detailed reporting schedule will be agreed upon and attached to the contract.

ME-FSSP team:

· Managing the competitive process of identifying and hiring the Specialist, including signing the contract.

· Communicating/disseminating key documents related to GAC policies, programming approaches and processes, regulatory or reporting requirements.

· Delivering initial and periodic information sessions and ‘updates’ on GAC’s policies, programming approaches processes and, regulatory or other reporting requirements.

· Review and approve payments based on the invoices and timesheets submitted by the Specialist.

6. REPORTING/ DELIVERABLES

The Consultant is expected to work in close cooperation with GAC in Iraq, the Region and in HQ to produce the deliverables as follows:

· The Specialist reports directly to ME-FSSP (Project Manager) who has full responsibility for the administration of the contract, including the approval of timesheets and invoices. Technical assignments, Service Requisitions and deliverables, evaluation of the quality of services and deliverables, etc. are approved by GAC’s TA. Deliverables include, but are not limited to:

o Financial reporting which consists of a detailed monthly invoice, covering the Specialist’s fees for the services rendered during the previous month(s) indicating the date, the day and the number of hours worked for each day as well as any necessary and reasonable expenses incurred during the previous month(s), including all original receipts in support of the expenses claimed.

o Research or analytical narrative reports, as requested by GAC.

7. LOCATION, TIMELINES AND ESTIMATED LEVEL OF EFFORTS

This contract will be valid until December 31st, 2023, with a 6-month probationary period. The Specialist should be located in Iraq. The Specialist must be ready to travel inside Iraq to support GAC’s development and, to a lesser extent, humanitarian assistance programs’ planning and monitoring activities and to meet with partners. The ME-FSSP PM must approve all travel prior to the travel.

Payment and payment schedule will be based on a fixed-time rate contract. The level of effort is estimated at up to 140 days depending on the needs and activities of the program.

8. ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS

· The Specialist will report to the Cowater/ FSSP PM in Amman.

· The contract will be signed between Cowater International/ME-FSSP and the selected candidate.

· Work will be performed out of the Specialist’s own office and the Specialist will be responsible for providing all required overhead, including maintaining internet access and an email account.

· The Specialist will be expected to use their own workspace, equipment and materials (office space is not provided).

· The Specialist will be paid according to the agreed-upon daily rate based on the level of effort reflected in the monthly financial report and requisition forms. Activities and services rendered should be in line with the tasks agreed and approved by the TA.

9. TECHNICAL SPECIALIST PROFILE

Competencies

· University degree in rural development, agriculture, food security, or a mix of adequate education and relevant working experience in agricultural economics, agribusiness, agricultural value-chain development, administration of agricultural institutions, Specialist or extension services with farmers;

· Knowledge of Global Affairs Canada’s results-based management policy and tools and aid effectiveness principles, including gender equality and thematic priorities.

· Knowledge of general principles and current trends surrounding climate-smart agriculture, nature-based solutions, agri-food value chain development, food system governance, and food safety nets.

· In-depth knowledge of Iraq’s local development context as it relates to the agriculture and agri-food sectors.

Experience

· Minimum 5 years of demonstrated professional experience in delivering food security, agriculture and agri-food technical advice in Iraq, including field experience;

· Minimum of three (3) years of experience with an international NGO or a bilateral/multilateral development institution, with project management or technical Specialist services within an agricultural development project, and proven experience in some of the following:

o climate-smart agriculture;

o sustainable agricultural value-chains;

o agribusiness;

o food systems governance;

o food security;

o agricultural biodiversity;

o women’s economic empowerment;

o agricultural nature-based solutions;

o cooperative governance;

o Specialisty or extension systems;

o non-formal and informal technical or vocational training in agriculture;

o Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring (knowledge of the FAO EX-Ante Carbon-balance Tool)

Abilities

· Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Arabic; French is an asset;

· Proven analytical capacity;

· Proven ability to synthesize information based on various sources of information and present written recommendations;

· Capacity to work independently and under tight deadlines;

· Past working experience with Global Affairs Canada or with GAC-funded projects is an asset.

Language

Fluency (Advanced Professional Proficiency – level 4) in oral, reading and writing in English and Arabic languages. French is an asset. The description associated with the language requirement can be found at the following website: http://www.international.gc.ca/ifait-iaeci/test_levels-niveaux.aspx?lang=eng

How to apply

For your application to be considered, please send all requested documents to [email protected], with “Iraq Agricultural and Food Systems Specialist” in the subject line latest by 3 December 2022.

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible by sending the following documents:

Ø A CV indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) with at least three (3) professional references.

Ø A brief statement as to why you consider yourself the most suitable for the assignment.

Ø A Financial Proposal specifying an all-inclusive daily rate in USD.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidate(s) about the outcome or status of the selection process. Qualified women and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Kindly note that received CVs might be added to the ME-FSSP database for experts for potential future assignments.

ABOUT US

With more than 35 years’ experience, Cowater International is one of Canada’s global leaders in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial, and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2017 and 2018. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec, Paris, France, Pretoria, South Africa, and London, United Kingdom, Nairobi, Kenya in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.