National Legal and Policy Expert

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

Under the Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) “Digital Technologies in support of Agriculture Value Chains and Rural Development”, FAO will support the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia in designing, building, and launching a Vineyard Register System (VRS). The purpose of a Vineyard Register System is to provide the Ministry of Economy the needed tools to carry out informed policy-making, while supporting farmers in improving vineyard management and enabling quality assurance in the wine making process.

The Ministry of Economy has purchased a GIS-based system that will function as the public Vineyard Register System (VRS). As part of the TCP, this system must be configured, and possibly customised, to fulfil the functions envisioned for the VRS. To deploy and operate the VRS, FAO will support the Ministry of Economy in development and implementation of a training, communication and change management plan; technical support for system setup and data migration; development of the appropriate documentation and policy framework; and the provision of support for the piloting of the system in the regions with subsequent monitoring. Finally, FAO will support the requirement gathering for a mobile application to enhance access to digital services for farmers in the grape value chain and to facilitate reporting and updates on the data that feeds into the VRS.

Reporting Lines

The National Legal and Policy Expert reports to the FAO Representative for Armenia and works under the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer and in close coordination with the project team and the designated Legal Officer.

Technical Focus

The National Legal and Policy Expert will be responsible for reviewing national laws and policies while developing amendment proposals to relevant legal draft(s) in support of the VRS requirements and the business flows. In close cooperation with the project technical team, the National Legal and Policy Expert will examine the necessary legal framework features for the successful operation of VRS and will develop amendment proposals to the legal draft(s). The National Legal and Policy Expert will work on the amendment proposals to the legal draft(s), and if necessary, will produce new legal drafts for approval.

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Legal and Policy Expert will support the implementation of the TCP/ARM/3903 “Digital Technologies in support of Agriculture Value Chains and Rural Development” Project by carrying out the following main activities\:
• Review existing national laws, regulations and policies relevant to the VRS and its operation, taking into account both the Law of Armenia on farmers’ data collection and grape provision, as well as other best practices.
• Identify gaps and produce an assessment report, which will include recommendations and amendment proposals on legal draft(s) and other relevant changes to the legal and policy frameworks, as well as assessing the possible impact and risks of the legal changes to be implemented;
• Deliver presentation to the Ministry of Economy and other stakeholders on the proposed legal and policy changes, and collect comments for consideration;
• Develop proposals for amendment to the relevant legal draft(s) (or produce new legal drafts, if necessary), with consideration of the lessons learnt from the VRS pilot exercise (planned in 2025).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Law
• Minimum 5 years of progressive professional experience in policy development, law drafting, law enforcement, justice sector or other relevant public administration area, preferably in agriculture and rural development;
• Working knowledge (Proficient, Level C) of English and Armenian.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Ability to communicate with technical and non-technical people;
• Excellent knowledge of relevant laws in Armenia.
• Extent and relevance of experience in\:
o Conducting Policy Assessments;
o Policy development and amendments to legal drafts;
o Working with public sector’s stakeholders.
• Experience in the following areas is a strong asset\:
o Policies related to IT systems.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced university degree in Law, Public Policy, or related field will be an asset.
• Advocate license will be an asset.
• Proficiency in using MS Office suite, namely Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving skills. Strong time-management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with team members and external stakeholders.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help or have queries, please contact\: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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