Senior National Project Agronomist

Organizational Setting

The crisis in northern Mozambique has rapidly deteriorated because of conflict, insecurity and violence in Cabo Delgado. Specifically, the security situation in Cabo Delgado has been progressively deteriorating since December, with numerous attacks from the Non-State Armed Groups, both targeting civilians and military forces.
This, coupled with the logistics access constraints (extreme weather, broken bridges, falling infrastructures, floods, etc) and repeated extreme climate events (floods, cyclones) puts a strain on humanitarian partners’ logistics capacity.
In this context, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing its Agricultural Livelihoods Response Plan for northern Mozambique, providing support to IDPs, host communities, returnees, and population affected by the cyclones, to foster resumption of crop production, fishing and livestock rearing activities while sustainably managing the soil, forest and fish resources. Projects developed under the Agriculture Livelihoods Response Plan will contribute towards enhanced food and nutrition security of the populations, while laying the foundation to build resilient livelihoods against future climatic shocks and stressors.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Mozambique, the direct supervision of the Head of Sub Office, and the technical leadership of the project Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in the Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SFS) – the Project Agronomist will undertake the day-to-day operationalization of the project focusing on the crop production and productivity components.

Technical Focus

Management of emergency agricultural response, technical analysis, and project related services to support the delivery of programme projects and products.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee the day-to-day implementation of the project’s emergency agriculture component, proposing timely corrective actions when needed.
• Prepare quarterly work plans for activities under his/her responsibility, including related procurement and travel plans, as well as Terms of Reference (ToRs) for all activities under the agriculture component.
• Contribute to the design and adaptation of methodologies for emergency agricultural assistance in Northern Mozambique, particularly Cabo Delgado Province, ensuring quality, sustainability, and alignment with project objectives.
• Liaise with FAO technical advisers at regional and headquarters levels to obtain technical clearance and support.
• Support the selection of implementing partners (NGOs, universities, research institutes, national institutions) based on suitability for specific tasks; assist in drafting ToRs and Letters of Agreement (LoAs) when required.
• Provide strategic guidance to implementing partners on the distribution of emergency agricultural inputs, ensuring integration of related activities (e.g., beneficiary selection, complaints and feedback mechanisms) and adherence to core principles, including Accountability to Affected Populations/Community Engagement (AAP/CE), protection mainstreaming, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and humanitarian principles.
• Coordinate implementation of field activities under the agriculture component (e.g., training sessions on sustainable practices, demonstration plots), ensuring synergies with other project components such as livestock, fisheries, and livelihoods support.
• In coordination with the MEAL team, contribute to updating monitoring matrices and ensure proper archiving of project documentation (means of verification, reports, etc.) both digitally and physically.
• Prepare progress reports and other monitoring reports as required.
• Participate in project and programme-related activities as needed, particularly MEAL assessments and other food security and agriculture-related assessments.
• Under the leadership of the Pemba Head of Field Office, engage and coordinate with government authorities at district and provincial levels (DPAP, SPAE, SDAE, SDPI, INGD, etc.) for planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities.
• Under the leadership of the Pemba Head of Field Office, coordinate and engage with other humanitarian, development, and peace actors (agencies, NGOs, CSOs, etc.) implementing complementary activities, with the aim of maximizing the positive impact of FAO’s interventions and avoiding duplication of efforts.
• Represent FAO in the Food Security Cluster (FSC) of Cabo Delgado and participate in inter-agency missions and assessments (e.g., MSNA) when requested.
• Support the preparation of new project proposals for resource mobilization.
• Assist in delivering the technical and organizational elements of the related project outputs, including specific activities such as data collection and organization of consultations within respective project components.
• Make sure that all necessary inputs (personnel, technical support services, sub-contracts, training, data collection, information requests, etc.), including validated technical specifications for goods, construction and services are provided in a timely manner for timely procurement and/or delivery to beneficiaries and partners.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Crop Science, Sustainable Agriculture or a related field (including livestock, forestry or fisheries)
• At least six years of relevant experience in agriculture and food security interventions, with focus on humanitarian contexts and rural development—preferably in Cabo Delgado or northern Mozambique
• Working knowledge of English and Portuguese
• Mozambican nationality

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable
• Relevance and extent of experience in technical cooperation related activities, notably in food security, agriculture, and livelihood-support activities in humanitarian context, as well as agriculture and rural development programmes
• Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies, non-profit organizations, and multi-disciplinary teams

Selection Criteria

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Experience in emergency agriculture response (e.g. seed distribution, input fairs, farmer field schools, resilience-building).
• Familiarity with government structures and policies relevant to agriculture and food security in Mozambique (e.g. IIAM, DPAP, SDAE).
• Specific experience with climate-smart agriculture, value chains, or resilience-building approaches.
• Experience working with smallholder farmers and farmer organisations.
• Experience managing implementing partners (NGOs, CBOs, government institutions), including monitoring performance and ensuring compliance.
• Experience coordinating with humanitarian clusters (e.g. Food Security Cluster, Livelihoods Working Group).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION