National Business Consultant

 Job Description CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: 1900731 https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=19007… Business Consultant Posting Date: 04/Apr/2019Closure Date: 19/Apr/2019, 12:59:00 AMOrganizational Unit: FNLEBJob Type: Non-staff opportunitiesType of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)Grade Level: N/APrimary Location: LebanonDuration: WAE 100 days renewablePost Number: N/A

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on your personal device date and time settings

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organizational Setting The post is located at the FAO Representation in Lebanon with possible field visits across all areas in Lebanon throughout the consultancy period.FAO is implementing the three-year Canada funded project “Support to women cooperatives and associations in the agro-food sector of Lebanon – GCP/LEB/030/CAN” in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.The project aims at supporting through cash transfer and employment vouchers 150 Lebanese women cooperatives/associations to develop and implement a business plan in the agro-food sector. The project environment will be prepared by a feminist awareness campaign delivered in all the Lebanese regions. In parallel, a study will be conducted to assess the agricultural sector from a gender perspective. The study will identify challenges and constraints of women in the agro-food sector and identify opportunities and potentialities.Women cooperatives/associations will be provided with an extensive training package relevant to the cooperatives and the business. They will be coached by a group of trained facilitators to prepare feasible and profitable business plans. A number of the business plans will be selected for cash grant and labor voucher support.During the project, the Directorate General of Cooperatives will be assisted and upgraded according to a Quality management system roadmap and the status of the National Observatory of Women in Agricultural and rural Areas (NOWARA) will be improved.  Reporting Lines Under the overall supervision of the FAOR, the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), direct supervision of the project manager and in close consultation with the project experts, consultants and counterparts, and under the light of the Farm Business School programme (FBS)  integrated within the project context, along with the continuous coordination and collaboration with the “Master Facilitator” in charge of introducing the FBS approach, the “National Business Consultant” will have the responsibility of improving the business development skills related to the agro-food sectors of the facilitators/project team and project partners, accordingly enabling them to improve the business development skills of the project beneficiaries and ultimately enable them to develop and coach the implementation of those  business plans. 
He/she will perform the required tasks, taking into consideration the environmental safeguards, as well as the inclusive approach of the project throughout the preparation and implementation of the necessary training material, in a way that is accessible and compatible for all beneficiaries, regardless of their different abilities and needs. Technical Focus 

 

 

Business and business plans development, Agriculture, Agri-Business Tasks and responsibilities 

• Conduct a rapid training assessment needs for the facilitators and key project beneficiaries to understand their expectations, requirements and background/ potentials for conducting/taking this training.
• Under the light of the Farm Business School programme, and in coordination with the other concerned consultants of the project, especially the master facilitator, prepare a comprehensive curriculum for the trainings to be delivered to the selected facilitators.
• Based on the assessment, prepare a clear set of goals deliverables and methodology for the project beneficiaries.
• Prepare the curriculum, and prepare and adapt the training material to the needs, project requirements, the local context and the cooperative/association types of work and activities in coordination with the master facilitator.
• Provide the facilitators with the previously prepared pedagogic tools and adapted training material and tools that they can use in their training to the cooperatives/associations’ members for eventually developing their business plans accordingly.
• In coordination and collaboration with the master facilitator, conduct a training that will be a mix between theory and practices taking examples of business plans among the ones being selected by the project. The training will be developed in a way that neither contradicts nor confuses beneficiaries between its content and the FBS training’s content previously provided, and it will include: Development of viable, profitable and sustainable business plans, Feasibility studies, planning, entrepreneurship, , financial management, investment decisions cash flow analysis, human resource management, negotiation, mobilization of finances, bookkeeping marketing skills, networking  and/or any other relevant material in which the selected consultant finds necessary for the business plans development of the targeted beneficiaries, in reference to their needs and scopes of work
• Follow-up and coach after training at the level of the FBS as needed, in coordination with the master facilitator
• Evaluate the training, the capacity of the trainees and their ability to conduct themselves the training to the cooperatives/associations short-listed by the project.
• Define the remaining knowledge gaps and define the next steps that aim at fulfilling these gaps allowing the facilitators to be ready to coach the development and implementation of the agreed business plans.
• Provide evaluation criteria that will be used by the Evaluation committee during the selection process of the business plans.

 

1. Expected Outputs:

• A first report including the rapid assessment report and the proposed curriculum, methodology and tools by June 2019
• A second report including the training material by July 2019
• Deliver the training by August 2019
• A third report including the training report, the training assessment, the material to be used by the facilitators, when they train the cooperatives/associations and the coaching experience, to be submitted by October 2019
• A final comprehensive report including the business plans evaluation criteria and the proposed next steps, to be submitted by December 2019

 CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING  Minimum Requirements    

• Advanced University Degree in business;
• A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in business and business plans development;
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders and to present ideas clearly and effectively;
• Good written and oral working knowledge in English and Arabic;
• National of Lebanon. 

 FAO Core Competencies 

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement Technical/Functional Skills 
• Initiative, judgment, organizational ability and a good sense of teamwork and human relations.
• Proven skills and experience in training and in adapting the training material, tools, languages and methodologies to the trainees levels and needs.

 Selection Criteria 

• Knowledge and understanding of the Farm Business School programme;
• Ability to travel on field visits across all Lebanese areas;
• Proven experience in agricultural development related projects;
• Proven experience in working in similar contexts.

  _______________________________________________________________________________________

 

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

Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications

Candidates should upload language certificate/s when submitting their application.

For further information on categories, contract duration and honoraria, please refer to the Conditions page

For more information, visit the FAO employment website

 

 

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

Vacancies will be removed from the recruitment portal at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline

If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org

 

 

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT