Emergency Field Coordinator
Organizational Context
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency dedicated to achieving food security for all and leading international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO works in over 130 countries, supporting the transformation to efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems. The FAO Representation in Bangladesh leads the organization's response to regional priorities in food security, agriculture, and rural development, working closely with the government to address challenges like climate vulnerability and food insecurity. Bangladesh faces significant climate and disaster risks impacting agriculture and livelihoods, with millions requiring immediate agricultural support.
Job Purpose
The Emergency Field Coordinator will be responsible for leading and implementing emergency agriculture and livestock response and recovery efforts in Bangladesh. This includes conducting needs assessments, managing and distributing essential agricultural inputs, and supporting livelihood rehabilitation for affected communities. The role involves establishing Village Savings Loan Associations (VSLAs) and farmer aggregation centers, ensuring effective project implementation, and providing regular updates to management. The coordinator will play a crucial role in building the resilience of farmers and sustainable agrifood systems in a region highly vulnerable to climate shocks and disasters.
Responsibilities
Provide technical guidance on livelihood diversification, disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and climate-resilient practices. Lead the establishment and functioning of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and farmer aggregation centers. Oversee field-level project implementation, ensuring timely delivery of emergency inputs and assistance with appropriate beneficiary selection and quality. Liaise with service providers for input receipt, delivery, storage, and distribution, maintaining accurate inventory records. Develop and implement monitoring tools to track project progress against indicators. Coordinate with Field Facilitators for data collection, verification, analysis, and reporting. Establish and maintain coordination with relevant government departments and stakeholders at district and Upazila levels. Communicate regularly with management, providing updates on progress, challenges, and recommendations. Document lessons learned, good practices, and success stories. Conduct field visits to supervise implementation, consult with beneficiaries, and verify input utilization. Coordinate with various programme, technical, and operations teams to ensure effective field activity implementation. Ensure dissemination of accountability to affected populations (AAP) mechanisms and support feedback management.
Work Experience
A minimum of 7 years of experience in one or more of the following areas: Agriculture, Emergency response and recovery, Climate resilience, Monitoring and reporting, and community-based development projects. Experience in cash and voucher assistance, stakeholder coordination, project implementation, monitoring, reporting, and documentation is essential. Proficiency in computer skills, including Microsoft Office, is required. Knowledge of climate-smart agriculture and agricultural market systems is an advantage.
Skills
Results Focus, Teamwork, Communication, Building Effective Relationships, Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement. Experienced in emergency response, preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction, and community self-reliance. Skilled in cash and voucher assistance, stakeholder coordination, project implementation, monitoring, reporting, and documentation. Proficient in Microsoft Office software, email, and internet. Strong analytical, critical thinking, planning, and problem-solving abilities. Experience in staff management and capacity development is beneficial. Knowledge of climate-smart agriculture and agricultural market systems is an advantage. Previous experience with UN agencies is a plus.