Food Security & Livelihoods Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country  level.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO has been working in Lebanon since 1977. FAO Lebanon project portfolio has been growing in response to the different crises. Projects mainly target farmers, fishers, and their organisations with the aim of building their resilience and capacity to access potential markets, while undertaking sustainable management of resources.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Lebanon is supporting national efforts to enhance sustainable agricultural development, improve food security, and strengthen the resilience of rural livelihoods. The Food Security & Livelihoods Specialist will contribute to the design and implementation of projects aimed at improving food security outcomes and supporting sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable populations in Lebanon.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and direct supervision of Programme Leader CPF Outputs 2&3 and in close coordination with other Units and colleagues in the FAO Representation in Lebanon, and counterpart national authorities.

Technical Focus

The Food Security & Livelihoods Specialist will provide technical, managerial/coordination and operational support for FAO Lebanon’s food security and livelihoods programming, monitoring, designing and implementing food assistance interventions through cash and voucher assistance (CVA) modalities and in-kind support. FAO Lebanon operates at the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, and this role reflects that the Specialist tracks food insecurity in real time to inform emergency response decisions, while simultaneously designing livelihoods-integrated interventions aimed at reducing structural food insecurity over the longer term.

The Specialist coordinates closely with the FAO Food Security & Resilience Coordinator and the Resilience & Livelihoods Specialist on integrated interventions, where food assistance is combined with productive asset support or capacity building, each contributing from their respective technical mandate.

Tasks and responsibilities:

1. Food security monitoring and situation analysis

• Assist in FAO Lebanon’s food security monitoring function, tracking food security outcomes across target populations using established frameworks and tools.
• Assist in food security assessments, including the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) and Lebanon food security monitoring processes, contributing field data, local context analysis and beneficiary-level evidence.
• Assist in the production of food security situation analyses, briefing notes and early warning products to inform programme design, donor engagement and FAO’s contribution to national and inter-agency coordination platforms.

2. Design and implementation of food security interventions

• Contribute to the design and implementation of food security and livelihoods interventions, defining response modalities, including cash, vouchers, cash+, in-kind and other appropriate modalities, based on needs analysis, market functionality assessments and feasibility considerations.
• Lead the planning, implementation and monitoring of CVA programmes across the portfolio, including unconditional and conditional cash transfers, agricultural input vouchers and e-vouchers, cash-for-work schemes and cash-plus modalities.
• Conduct or oversee feasibility assessments, response option analyses and market assessments to ensure CVA modality selection is evidence-based and context-appropriate.
• Coordinate with and monitor the performance of financial service providers, vendors and implementing partners engaged in CVA delivery, defining programme requirements, liaising on operational issues and escalating compliance concerns to the operations and admin units.
• Ensure full compliance with FAO procedures and standards for CVA design, delivery and documentation, maintaining a clear audit trail throughout the programme cycle.
• Ensure alignment of all food security interventions with FAO strategies, Lebanon Crisis Response Plan priorities, donor requirements and national food security objectives.
• Contribute to the design of integrated support packages in coordination with the Food Security & Resilience Coordinator and Resilience & Livelihoods Specialist, linking food assistance with agricultural inputs, training or productive asset support to strengthen resilience outcomes.

3. Targeting, registration and beneficiary management

• Contribute to the development of targeting criteria and beneficiary selection methodologies for food security interventions, ensuring that assistance reaches the most vulnerable households in line with project objectives.
• Oversee beneficiary identification, verification, registration and database management, ensuring data quality, protection and accountability throughout the beneficiary management cycle.
• Collaborate with the FAO grievance and feedback mechanism, ensuring that the system is functioning, that beneficiary concerns are being properly addressed, and that patterns in feedback are used to inform programme adjustments.

4. Capacity building and extension

• Contribute to the design and roll out of capacity-building programmes for farmers, cooperatives and rural enterprises, including participatory extension approaches such as Farmer Field Schools (FFS), Farmer Business Schools (FBS) and other related approaches.
• Contribute to the development and continuous update of training materials, technical guidelines and facilitation tools, drawing on and contributing to FAO Lebanon’s existing curriculums and materials, refining it through field experience and emerging best practices.
• Contribute to the training of facilitators and implementing partners in the delivery of FAO Lebanon’s curriculums, assess their competency to deliver sessions independently to the required standard, and assist in the supervision of their ongoing performance in the field; contribute to periodic curriculum review sessions based on facilitator feedback and field evidence.
• Contribute to the monitoring of knowledge and practice adoption among programme participants, and assessment of training outcomes and adapt curricula based on field evidence and feedback.
• Coordinate with the Resilience & Livelihoods Specialist on joint capacity-building activities.

5. Project management and coordination

• Lead/Contribute to the preparation and regular updating of project workplans, activity schedules and procurement plans for activities within the thematic area, in coordination with the Programme Leader, Food Security & Resilience Coordinator, and the operations unit, ensuring that plans are realistic, up to date and aligned with project timelines and budgets.
• Prepare Terms of Reference and Scope of Works, evaluation criteria, project reports and other programme documentation in compliance with FAO standards and donor requirements.
• Assist in the preparation of technical specifications of inputs, supplies, and equipment, envisaged in Programmes’ documents and assist in the procurement process.
• Prepare and update project logical frameworks, results frameworks and performance monitoring matrices, in alignment with results-based management principles.
• Monitor implementation progress of activities within the thematic workstream against approved workplans and budgets, identify bottlenecks and risks, and report findings and proposed corrective actions to the Programme Leader in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with implementing partners, service providers, contractors and field teams to ensure the timely and quality delivery of project activities within the thematic area, maintaining clear records of coordination meetings, decisions and follow-up actions.
• Lead the preparation of donor progress reports, assist in the preparation of project financial reports, FAO corporate reporting submissions and internal monitoring documents for the thematic workstream, providing accurate and timely technical and implementation data.
• Participate in project review meetings, FAO Lebanon internal coordination meetings and relevant external coordination forums as directed by the Programme Leader, representing the thematic area and contributing technical and implementation updates.
• Perform any other related duties as required by the Programme Leader.

6. Monitoring, reporting and accountability

• Lead the design and implementation of monitoring systems for food security and livelihoods interventions, including beneficiary and delivery tracking databases, training attendance and adoption monitoring registers, support resources utilization tracking and data collection tools, ensuring that monitoring data is collected consistently and in line with project indicator frameworks.
• Conduct periodic field monitoring visits to implementation areas, documenting findings, verifying implementation quality and producing field monitoring reports for the Programme Leader’s review.
• Produce outcome assessments for food security and livelihoods interventions at agreed intervals, measuring changes in beneficiary income, productive capacity, practice adoption, and using findings to adapt programme approaches and inform FAO resource mobilization.
• Support the preparation of technical and donor progress reports for the Food Security & Livelihoods workstream, providing accurate, timely and evidence-based inputs on implementation progress, results achieved and lessons learned.
• Document good practices, field evidence and lessons learned from livelihoods programming, including from the trainings implementation, for organizational learning, knowledge sharing and resource mobilization purposes.
• Provide technical input to various written outputs, e.g. drafts of background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, project activity reports, etc.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements   

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Economics, Rural Development, Food Security, or a related field. A Master’s degree is an asset.
• 6 years of relevant experience in food security programming, humanitarian assistance or agricultural livelihoods; and proven experience in: (i) design and implementation of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) programmes, including cash transfers, agricultural input vouchers and cash-plus modalities; (ii) targeting, beneficiary management and registration systems; (iii) market assessments and response option analysis. Experience working with financial service providers, vendors or implementing partners in CVA delivery is an asset. Prior experience with FAO, UN agencies or NGOs is an asset. Strong knowledge of Lebanon’s food security, agricultural and crisis context is highly desirable.
• Working knowledge of English (level C) 
• National of Lebanon

FAO Core Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Demonstrated organization skills and ability to meet tight deadlines;        
• Ability to prioritize tasks;          
• Communication skills;          
• Ability to work in a harmonious and effective way in a multicultural team;          
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective working relationships with supervisors and colleagues.  

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong technical knowledge of agricultural livelihoods systems, including crop production, livestock, agro-processing and income-generating activities in smallholder farming contexts.
• Strong knowledge of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) modalities and market-based programming approaches, including unconditional and conditional cash transfers, agricultural input vouchers, e-vouchers, cash-for-work and cash-plus designs.
• Demonstrated experience in response option analysis and modality selection, including market functionality assessments and feasibility analysis for CVA in crisis-affected contexts.
• Ability to coordinate with government food security institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, and to engage effectively in inter-agency food security coordination platforms such as the Food Security Sector.
• Capacity to design and manage integrated cash-plus interventions that combine food assistance with productive asset support or capacity building, in coordination with livelihoods and resilience specialists.
• Experience in targeting methodologies, beneficiary management systems and registration processes, with a sound understanding of accountability, data protection and transparency requirements.
• Practical hands-on experience in the design, roll-out and supervision of Farmer Field Schools (FFS), Farmer Business Schools (FBS) and other participatory extension methodologies, including facilitator training and monitoring of knowledge adoption.
• Strong field implementation and supervision skills with demonstrated ability to maintain regular field presence and provide direct technical support to project teams, facilitators and implementing partners.
• Understanding of climate resilience frameworks, shock-responsive programming and disaster risk reduction approaches as applied to agricultural livelihoods.
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills with ability to produce food security situation analyses, early warning products and evidence-based programme briefs for management and donor audiences.
• Good analytical, monitoring and technical reporting skills in English; ability to document field evidence, lessons learned and programme results for donor and corporate reporting purposes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• 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 additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/  
• 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 create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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