Senior Project Officer for Partner Liaison, Knowledge Management, and Policy Advice

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a German federal enterprise. As a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, GIZ is dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. Together with commissioning parties and partners, GIZ generates and implements ideas for political, social and economic change. GIZ Viet Nam is currently engaged in three priority areas: 1) Vocational training; 2) Environmental policy and sustainable natural resource use; 3) Energy. For further information, please visit our website: www.giz.de/viet-nam.

German Cooperation has been supporting Viet Nam to restructure its agriculture sector to ensure sustainable rural development, particularly in the Mekong Delta. In continuation of this support, the Viet Nam country package of the global program “Green Innovation Centres in the Agriculture and Food Sector” in Viet Nam (GIC), has been commissioned to support the transition to higher resource efficiency and value creation in Mekong Delta farming systems. A central element of the project is to increase the ability of smallholder farmers and upstream/downstream companies to adopt climate-smart and sustainable innovations that increase incomes, employment, and the quality of produce while reducing their environmental footprint. Through the promotion of innovations and novel business models along the agro-food value chains rice and mango, GIC contributes to farmer’s stable and competitive production, increased incomes through higher product quality and compliance with standards. Businesses up- and downstream of agricultural production improve farmer’s access to diverse services, and stable access to markets.

The project is looking for a local qualified candidate to fill the following position:

Senior Project Officer
for partner liaison, knowledge management, and policy advice
Duty station: Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Duration: ASAP to 30.12.2021 with possible extension

Job description:

To ensure strong ties with political and development partners, guarantee alignment and synergetic actions, and effective partner interaction at the central level, the Senior Project Officer will be based in GIZ’s green cluster office in Hanoi. He or she is responsible for regular interaction with political partners, especially the project’s implementing Directorate General for Cooperatives and Rural Development of MARD. The Senior PO is also responsible for the engagement with other public, Vietnamese bodies at central level, and with development partners’ agencies in Hanoi. Through regular meetings, participation in relevant events, screening of reports and information, the Senior PO contributes to the project’s reporting, impact monitoring, knowledge management and visibility, as well as to coordination of actions with third parties. The Senior PO oversees GIC’s support to working groups, and coordination with other parties. In addition, contribution to the PSAV rice task force are part of the Senior PO’s duties, in close coordination with the team leader. The Senior PO also provides GIZ’s contributions to the knowledge network on cooperative development (NETCOOP) and coordinates with the institutions represented. To harness expertise for the identification, adaptation and promotion of innovations, the Senior PO facilitates value chain-specific advisory boards to provide guidance and advice for the project’s activities, and to prioritize proposals. The PO derives policy recommendations that are discussed with key stakeholders, and policy recommendations are promoted in collaboration with the partner network.

Main responsibilities:

• The PO liaises, in close coordination with the team leader and senior liaison officer of GIZ Hanoi with the relevant representatives of DCRD and other directorates and institutions of MARD
• The PO ensures in-depth comprehension on policy dynamics relevant to the field of agricultural development, with specific attention to innovations, rice, fruit, and the Mekong Delta.
• The PO ensures regular exchanges with the extended partner network
• Specific support to coordination and exchange in the context of the SRP working group and NETCOOP, and to PSAV task force rice, as requested and in response to evolving needs and opportunities
• Coordination and facilitation of the value chain advisory groups for rice and mango, to receive guidance on activities and priorities, as well as to harness expertise
• Analysis and regular review of strategy papers, project reports, policy drafts, and any other relevant sources of information, and compilation of short briefings
• Coordination of the partner and public project information repositories’ content updates with the PO in charge of PR and communication
• Quality assurance of result and impact reporting, and sharing of results among identified target groups
• Active engagement with the SRP working group as well as the PSAV task force on rice, and NETCOOP based on review of reports, national statistics and other sources of evidence
• Preparation of specific contributions as requested and deemed appropriate to advance discussions on evidence-based policy advice

Minimum requirements:

• University degree in agronomy, agricultural science, economics, geography, political science, law, engineering, or another academic field of relevance. A Master’s or PhD degree are considered an asset.
• At least 20 years of general professional experience in the domain of rural and agricultural development, in an advisory or public servant capacity. Work experience acquired abroad is considered a strong asset.
• At least 3 years of specific experience in a senior advisor capacity in the context of international cooperation, with proven coordination capacity and relevant accomplishments.
• Profound knowledge of the agricultural policy context, actors, and dynamics
• In-depth experience with the rice sector and in the Mekong Delta is considered an asset.
• An established network in the sphere of agricultural development and a strong networking capability
• Strong reporting and facilitation skills and experience with the preparation, planning, budgeting, execution, monitoring of activities and events, including logistics and PR
• Readiness for frequent travelling in the Mekong Delta, to HCMC, and occasionally abroad, international travel conditions permitting
• Ability to work individually as well as in a team; ability to work together with people from different sectors (e.g. private sector, ministries, international experts) and cultural backgrounds
• High-level proficiency of oral and written English and Vietnamese
• Strong critical, analytical thinking and structured working abilities. Strong work ethic.
• Solid computer skills

Successful candidates will enjoy professional and dynamic working conditions and good policies of training and development.

Interested qualified candidates are invited to send the GIZ Application Form in English (http://bit.ly/2nyiCY6), copies of relevant certificates and references by email to [email protected] before 08th December 2020.

Note: Please state "Application for the Senior Project Officer for partner liaison, knowledge management, and policy advice - GIC" in the subject line or on the envelope.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted after the deadline. Telephone contact is not encouraged.

Please complete all the information in GIZ Application form with link download here: http://bit.ly/2nyiCY6

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