Programme Associate - Agronomist (badulla)

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity through food assistance. WFP operates in diverse and challenging environments, working with communities recovering from conflict, disasters, and climate change impacts. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, skilled, and high-performing workforce.

Job Purpose

The Programme Associate (Agronomist) will provide essential technical leadership and support for agriculture-related activities within WFP's programs. This role is crucial for ensuring the successful planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and food security. The Associate will conduct research on government policies, develop technical guidelines for crop production and post-harvest management, and organize training programs to build the capacity of staff, partners, and beneficiaries in best agricultural practices. By fostering strong partnerships and coordinating with local institutions, the Agronomist will contribute to improving agricultural value chains, identifying intervention opportunities, and ensuring the effective delivery of assistance, ultimately supporting WFP's mission to save lives and change lives.

Responsibilities

The Programme Associate (Agronomist) will provide crucial technical leadership and support for agriculture-related initiatives, ensuring alignment with program objectives and WFP guidelines. Responsibilities include planning, implementing, and monitoring projects to meet targets and maintain quality standards. This role involves researching and anticipating government agricultural policies and regulations to align WFP's actions. The associate will prepare reports, analyze data, and identify trends to aid decision-making and ensure compliance. Accurate data recording and consistency for stakeholders are essential. Collaboration with internal teams, partners, and institutions is key to strengthening market linkages and improving agricultural value chains. The role also entails developing technical guidelines for crop production, soil and water conservation, and post-harvest management, identifying suitable crops, and preparing cropping calendars. Training programs on best agricultural practices and entrepreneurship development will be organized and delivered, along with establishing trainer pools for knowledge transfer. The associate will support proposal development, beneficiary selection, and participatory planning, assessing the technical feasibility of interventions and identifying areas for improvement. Input for monitoring and evaluation systems, defining indicators, and conducting field assessments are also part of the duties. Furthermore, the role involves preparing agriculture development plans, technical designs, input distribution strategies, and resource mobilization documents, while fostering partnerships to enhance project impact. Coordination with local partners, agencies, NGOs, and government institutions for food security analyses and efficient food assistance delivery is required. The associate will also prepare technical specifications, guide procurement processes, and support capacity building for WFP staff, partners, and national governments. Acting as a point of contact for operational queries and overseeing support staff work are also expected, alongside adhering to emergency preparedness practices.

Work Experience

The role requires providing technical leadership and support for agriculture-related activities, including planning, implementation, and monitoring of projects. Responsibilities include researching government policies, preparing reports, analyzing data, and ensuring accurate data recording. The position also involves coordinating with internal teams and external partners to strengthen market linkages and improve agricultural value chains. Developing technical guidelines, organizing training programs, and supporting proposal development are key aspects. Additionally, the role entails assessing intervention effectiveness, providing technical input for monitoring and evaluation, and preparing agriculture development plans.

Skills

Technical Leadership, Project Planning & Implementation, Policy Research & Analysis, Data Management & Reporting, Stakeholder Coordination, Agricultural Value Chain Development, Training & Capacity Building, Proposal Development, Monitoring & Evaluation, Partnership Building, Food Security Analysis, Procurement Support, Emergency Preparedness

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