Rural Sociologist - Posting No. 1561

Date Posted

July 01, 2009

Employer

Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Location

Rome, Itlay

Job Description

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Investment Centre Division (TCI) promotes investment in agriculture and rural development in developing countries and countries in transition, assisting governments, international financing institutions and other development partners to achieve growth, poverty alleviation and food security.

Under the overall supervision of the Director, TCI and the direct supervision of the Chief, Asia and Pacific Service, TCIP, the incumbent will provide technical advice and, as leader or member of multidisciplinary teams, will be responsible for the sociological aspects of agricultural and rural development operations (such as projects and programs). Specifically too:

·         participate in, and eventually lead, multidisciplinary teams to assist governments and development partners in the identification, preparation, implementation support and evaluation of investment projects in the fields of agricultural and rural development, focusing on sociological aspects;

·         analyze population dynamics, poverty, livelihoods, income sources, levels and distribution, land tenure, access to infrastructure and services, rural institutions, gender roles and other relevant socio-economic factors to define project target groups;

·         formulate investment projects aimed at overcoming specific constraints to development faced by target beneficiaries to ensure their participation in and benefit from project actions and their participation in project management;

·         design, undertake, supervise, and analyze socio-economic surveys and studies of rural livelihood systems within the context of the design, implementation and evaluation of investment programs and projects and advise on related methodologies;

·         interact with senior government officials, development partners and beneficiaries to facilitate exchange of critical information and validate the finding and recommendations regarding investment proposals;

·         prepare clear and concise reports in line with the requirements of governments and financing partners;

·         assist the Service Chief in selecting and briefing TCI consultant sociologists, drafting terms of reference and in supervising and reviewing their work;

·         act as Divisional Focal Point and liaise with relevant FAO divisions and partner agencies on issues relating the rural livelihoods, community-driven development, community-based Natural Resources Management (NRM), poverty, gender, indigenous peoples, grassroots institutions-based building and people’s participation;

·         perform other related duties as required.

Job Qualifications

 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Candidates should meet the following

·         University degree in sociology, anthropology, economics, rural development or a closely-related field, followed by post graduate studies in rural sociology or development/social anthropology;

·         Seven years of relevant experience in rural sociology applied to design, implementation or evaluation of agriculture and rural development projects, experience with institutional development, including creation and function of common interest relevant work experience in developing countries;

·         working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two, or Arabic or Chinese or Russian

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

·         Extent and relevance of experience related to project design, implementation support or evaluation mission, socio-economic surveys, participatory methods, institutional development, rural livelihoods, poverty and gender analysis, targeting, community based Natural Resource Management (NRM)

·         Mission leadership experience and ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams

·         Extent and relevance of experience with the application of sociology and social assessments associated with investment project formulation, particularly for International Financing Institutions (IFIs)

·         Relevance of experience in different geographical areas and familiarity with the Asia and Pacific Regions

·         Good communication skills, both orally and in writing

·         Working knowledge of the language applicable to the specific region of assignment-in this case English is an asset

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/work processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds

How to Apply:

Please provide a completed FAO Personal History Form, found on the internet site.

• You application should be typewritten (where possible),     signed and dated.
• Clearly indicate in the appropriate box on the personal     History Form and on the front of your application, the title of the post     and the Vacancy Number.
• Submit a separate application for each position for     which you are applying. 
• Send your application to the address indicated on the     Vacancy Announcement.
• Internal candidates should provide 10 copies of their     application.

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview.

Filling in the FAO Personal History Form:

Language Skills:    Please list the languages with which you are familiar, beginning with your mother tongue, indicating the extent of your knowledge as:

• Excellent/Good= Working Knowledge: You will be expected to work independently using the     language required, to prepare a variety of written communications (correspondence,     reports, working papers ect...) to participate actively in meetings and in     work-related discussions, ect.
• Fair= Limited Knowledge: You will be expected to follow work related     discussions or meetings, even though you may wish to intervene in another     official language. You will be expected to participate in simple     conversations, to use the telephone, to read and understand work related     texts and to write simple communication ect.
• Slight

Computer Skills

• Indicate you word processing skills and knowledge of     database/spreadsheet (e.g. Excel, Access) or any other office automation     software known and used
• If applicable, specify your work experience in data     entry/retrieval and programming skills. Indicate knowledge of programming     languages and operating systems

Academic Qualifications:

Starting with the present and going back in time, please give details of:

• Period of study with name and location of academic     institution,
• Title of study obtained, both in the original language     and in English, indicating the subject(s) of specialization and year     degree* was/is to be awarded,
• List any other relevant training or formal education     that may be relevant to your application.

If selected for an interview, you will be expected to provide FAO with certified copies of your academic records

*A university degree is a title of study sustained by at least 3 years of full time study from a bona fide institution. An advanced university degree is equivalent to a Masters degree. 

Experience:

• Relevant professional experience is counted from the     time of attainment of the first relevant degree
• Endeavour to demonstrate how your experience meets the     requirements of the post
• If applicable, give the number of publications and     provide a list and the dates of the most relevant publications
• Provide samples of written work only upon request

 

Salary

Level P4 carries a net salary per year form US$ 103,427 to US$126,727 (without dependents) and from US$111,067 to US$ 136,872 (with dependents)

Contact Information

N/A

V.A. 2183-TCI

FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome ITALY

 

Phone - Not Available

Fax - +39 06 57054657

Cell Phone - Not Available

Email - VA-2183-TCI@fao.org

Website - Not Available