Current Recruitment at International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Functions/Key Results Expected
Under the general supervision of the Country Programme Manager (CPM) and the direct supervision of the Country Programme Officer (CPO), the Associate Professional Officer (APO) would be responsible for working with the Country Programme Officer mainly on implementation support to the Projects through capacity building, knowledge sharing and collation of lessons from implementation. S/he will initiate follow-up on recommendations, document technological and institutional innovations for scaling up, organize training and project lesson-sharing workshops and create a roster of national expertise and institutions. S/he will work on identified select partnerships with private sector, civil society and other development partners. By the end of the assignment, s/he would have gained project management experience under IFAD-supported projects.

Summary of key functions

•     Work with the Country Programme Officer in actively improving the implementation of IFAD-supported projects;
•     Improve knowledge management of IFAD project lessons and innovations with a view to scaling up; and
•     Develop select partnerships with private sector, civil society and other development partners.

Duties and Responsibilities
Programme Development, Supervision and Implementation Support:

•     Participate in implementation support and supervision missions to follow up on recommendations, and identify additional constraints to implementation;
•     Ensure timely follow-up of the recommendations made and eradicate constraints;
•     Synthesize progress reports from the projects for discussion by the Country Programme Team every six months. The report will highlight the thrust of the ongoing activities, achievements against agreed objectives, disbursement, implementation issues as well as how they are being addressed, engagement with the client group, policy dialogue, and effectiveness of project implementation;
•     Review: (i) Annual Work Plans and Budgets (AWPB), (ii) Progress Reports, (iii) Financial Statements.
•     Submit integrated progress report of all projects to the IFAD Country Programme Officer, every six months highlighting the main implementation issues.
•     Organise training and intra project visits for IFAD project staff and project implementing institutions in selected thematic areas;
•     Scout for qualified national expertise and institutions; build a network with local research and training institutions.

Knowledge Management

•     Organise workshops with the participation of IFAD supported projects on different thematic areas and implementation issues. There would be follow-up exchange visits of different levels of Project staff, implementing agencies and farmers' groups organized;
•     Prepare articles, reports or briefs to websites, journals, newspapers, etc. documenting pro-poor institutional and technological innovations emanating from the experience of IFAD Projects;
•     Develop and facilitate the Country Programme Reviews (CPR): The bi-annual CPR workshop is to enable interactions among the IFAD programme stakeholders and other development actors for discussions on implementation experience as well as the most challenging issues under the on-going programme and projects;
•     Support the Country Programme Officer in enforcing the data collection for the IFAD Nigeria Dashboard.

Partnerships
Identify and follow up on opportunities for building strategic partnerships with particularly with the private sector through the conduct of the implementation support and knowledge management interventions.

Qualifications and Experience

•     Advanced university degree in social sciences, economics, business management, rural development, agriculture, agricultural economics, rural finance, public policy or related disciplines. Expertise in one or more of the following topics would be an asset: rural finance/microfinance; value-chain development; financial management.
•     At least three (3) years' progressively responsible professional experience in development institutions and/or government service. Qualifying work experience in country programme analysis or loan/grant administration with International financial institutions, development cooperation agencies, etc., would be an asset.