County Programme Officers

	Professional Vacancy Announcement No:  VA-021-2014
Issued on:					7tH august 2014
Deadline For Application:					21st AUGUST 2014
Position Title:			Grade Level:	SC 8
		County Programme Officers (4 positions)	Duty Station:	Machakos, Kitui, Tharaka Nithi and Makueni
Organizational Unit:		FAO Representation Office in Kenya (FRKEN)	Duration *:	12 Months (with possibility of extension subject to continuity of funds)
			Post Code/No:	Unidentified
			CCOG Code:
Applications from qualified women are encouraged Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence  The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under overall supervision of the Head of Sector – Crop production and Agribusiness Units, The County Programme Officer will, ·          Work closely with the public extension workers and the farmer cooperatives/groups  in selected counties to ensure consistency and quality of their extension work ·          Provide hands-on agronomical/technical support to the farmer cooperatives/groups and public and private extension workers ·          organize regular meetings with component partners at field level who provide (extension) services to CA farmers to share experiences and assess progress and challenges ·          establish and maintain partnerships with relevant stakeholders and initiatives at county level and identify opportunities for collaboration ·          provide support to the county agriculture  departments in coordination activities as required ·          facilitate the county PSC meetings and support the organization of quarterly meetings ·          because of proximity to the field, work closely with the national coordinator/M&E specialist in verifying progress monitoring activities are carried out regularly and correctly by public extension workers Perform other duties as required

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS Candidates should meet the following:

·          University degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness or a related field ·          Five years of relevant experience in climate smart agricultural development, rural development, agribusiness support, community development or other relevant discipline. ·          Previous experience in interactive/IT knowledge sharing or extension delivery would be strongly preferred ·          Working knowledge of English

SELECTION CRITERIA Candidates will be assessed against the following:

·          Extent of relevant experience in Good Agricultural Practice, Conservation Agriculture and Agribusiness ·          Extent of experience in undertaking extension services ·          Excellent interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to bring diverse stakeholders together over a common goal ·          Quality of both oral and written communication skills on technical issues in English ·          Willing to work in either  Machakos, Makueni, Kitui and Tharaka Nithi Counties

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. * The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments
REMUNERATION
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link:  http://icsc.un.org/
to apply: Carefully read and follow the Guidelines to applicants
Send your application to:	FAO Representative in Kenya United Nations Office At Nairobi P.O. Box 30470 00-100 Nairobi-Kenya Email: vacancy-kenya@fao.org
Please note that FAO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director-General and may be assigned to any activities or office of the organization.
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT