Job Profile. Senior Adviser (N1) - Agricultural Development. Economic Growth Programme. Bolivia

Transcription

1 Job Profile Senior Adviser (N1) - Agricultural Development Economic Growth Programme Bolivia Reference number: DK /BOL.03-W 1 Preliminary 1.1. Short background: The Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Programme (Growth Programme) will be initiated in the beginning of 2014 and runs until 2018 as an integrated part of the Country Programme for Bolivia, which also includes two other thematic programmes 1) The Natural Resource Management and Climate Change Programme and 2) Promotion of Exercise of Rights and Access to Justice. The Growth Programme focuses on inclusive and sustainable economic growth both within the productive/private sector and within the agricultural sector of which this position applies to the latter. A senior adviser will also be assigned to the productive/private sector and substantial coordination between the sectors is an indispensable requirement. The Growth Programme comprises a total of seven Development Engagements where the local partners for the agricultural sector are: the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MDRyT), the National Institute of Research and Innovation for Agriculture and Forestry (INIAF), and the public/national programme EMPODERAR- DETI (DETI), targeting local rural development. The position implies primary emphasis in INIAF with regards to institutional development and strengthening, including the implementation of the PISA Programme ((Proyecto de Innovación y Servicios Agrícolas). Besides, the position implies primary emphasis in DETI with regards to the introduction and consolidation of the development programme in the Amazon region Purpose of memo: This memo describes the sector context and the main tasks for the position and the qualifications requested from candidates to the job Expected composition of the selection committee: Applicants for the position will be selected for interview by the Danish embassy following consultation with the local authorities, who will also be represented at the job interview. Mercuri Urval will participate in the process of appointment by conducting personality tests and test interviews with the selected candidates, as well as by taking part in the final interview. The final interview panel consists of the programme officer from the embassy, a representative from the local authorities, and the consultant from Mercuri Urval A/S in charge of the recruitment process. 1

2 2. The Programme 2.1. Context: The agricultural sector has been supported by Danida for several years and the present programme is based on previous experiences and lessons learned. Agriculture in Bolivia accounts for 15% of the Gross Domestic Product, but the sector employs 42% of the active population. During the last decades, Bolivia has seen important shifts within the agricultural sector. Not only has the possession and use of land shifted from 85% being owned by small-scale subsistence farmers cultivating tradition crops such as potatoes, beans and quinoa to the present day where 50% of the agricultural area is owned by large-scaled farmers producing agro industrial crops such as soya, sunflower and rice - primarily for exportation. Additionally, the agricultural area has increased from an estimated 1.1 million hectares (1980) and to 2.7 million (2007), which represents a 3% increase of the cultivated area per year. In real terms, agricultural activity in the traditional production areas - the highlands and valleys - has not changed much but new areas have been incorporated mainly in the tropical lowland area. A consequence hereof is a dramatic increase in the deforestation rates from km2/year in the nineties, to approximately km2/year as of today. The highest level of poverty is concentrated within the rural population in the highlands, where most of the programme activities are concentrated. Despite the dramatic increase in cultivated land, agricultural productivity in Bolivia has not increased during the last decades. Minifundio - small unit size and highly divided plots - and land degradation, especially in the highlands and valleys, plays an important role in this regard. However, some of the most important factors are the lack of private and in particular public investments and the lack of research and extension services - public as well as private. In consequence, new knowledge, methods and technologies are therefore not being researched, developed and applied in the extent needed, although they are clearly articulated priorities within both the national agricultural strategy and the national Development Agenda The shifts in scale of production, the lack of research and investments, the expansion of the agricultural frontier in combination with the changes from traditional to agro industrial crops have in combination put the environment under extreme pressure and presents a still increasing threat towards the domestic food security. This urges the need for innovative, green, and not least specialised and affordable technologies and production methods that can facilitate a more sustainable production and secure a more efficient management of the scarce and extremely vulnerable natural resources such as water and land. The Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Programme therefore revolves around improved public services and increased public-private investments in form of more focused, but broad based research. Amongst other things, this includes development, diffusion and implementation of innovative and sustainable productions methods, improved and certified native seeds, appropriate mechanisation technology and adaptation to climate change. Synergies with the Natural Resource Management and Climate Change Programme will be of high priority. Special issues of attention in this regard will be efficient natural resource management such as irrigation, management of forestry and forest fires, and extended use of renewable energy. Prior experiences from DETI have also shown that creation of strategic alliances and facilitation of common investment projects between the public and private sector have an important impact on more efficient and focused efforts towards the elimination of bottle necks within the 2

3 agricultural value chains. This line will therefore also be pursued even further within the future programme The programme in short: The objective of the Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Programme is: Contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth within the agricultural and productive sectors, reducing poverty and inequality in Bolivia based on the policies and strategic framework of the Government of Bolivia. Although Danida support is considered a minor contribution to the Bolivian economy, the development impact will be measured on the basis of an increase in the Internal Gross Product for agriculture and industry (extractive industries not included) and a decrease in the index for income distribution (Gini Co-efficiency Index). The programme targets increased transparency within the public institutions through support to e.g. elaboration of annual work plans, long term strategies, well-defined development indicators and improved monitoring systems. The concrete activities of funding to farmers, or support to small or medium sized entrepreneurs (SMEs) in urban areas, will be based on needs defined by the farmers and SMEs themselves, thereby ensuring local ownership and sustainability. Furthermore, support for the private sector is aiming at a more participatory dialogue on the economic growth agenda providing space and voice to both the public and private, formal and informal sectors. The programme supports a total of five public or semi-autonomous institutions/programmes, of which the three presented below are local partners within the agricultural sector. The remaining two, the Ministry of Production and ProBolivia- JIWASA, are local partners within the area of production/private sector. Furthermore, support for one private sector organisation and an innovation fund are under elaboration. Support for the private sector organisation is not included in the portfolio of the present job profile, whereas support and monitoring of the Innovation Fund will be a shared and coordinated task in between the Senior Adviser for Agriculture and the Senior Adviser for Production and Private Sector. Bilateral agreements defining expected outcomes, outputs and indicators have been elaborated in close cooperation with each local partner. A. Ministry of Agriculture: The Ministry of Agriculture is a long standing partner for Denmark, resulting in the development of a five-year strategic plan, various underlying sector policies, M&E systems and an increase in budget execution. Future support is expected to be carried out based on a delegated cooperation agreement with Switzerland (COSUDE). Primary activities supported will be: support to shortterm and long-term strategic planning; elaboration and integration of indicators on gender/environment/climate change/indigenous peoples into the legal and service framework of the Ministry; establishment of an electronic database on strategic studies and investment proposals. The expected outcome is to strengthen the institutional management and capacity of the Ministry. The outcome indicator is to increase the budget implementation of the Ministry from 67% to 85% by Total cost: 13 million DKK. Danish contribution is DKK 11 million. B. National Institute of Research and Innovation for Agriculture and Forestry (INIAF): Danida has supported INIAF for five years. Main results have been the creation of a 3

4 well-functioning seed certification system and development of a new agricultural innovation system including research and technical assistant components. The Danish support will be provided within a co-financing arrangement with the World Bank, Switzerland and Italy. Concrete activities will be: Technical assistance and seed certification, procurement of office equipment and lab facilities, creation of public and private research alliances, strengthening of the institutional functions on research, short-term and long-term strategic planning and elaboration and implementation of an M&E system. The expected outcome is that the agricultural and forestry sectors have access to innovations, which enable increases in productivity and ensure sustainability of production systems. The outcome indicator is to have 9 new strategic national research programmes (quinoa, vegetables, maize, wheat, potato, livestock, rice, forestry, sugar cane) implemented in partnership with public, private and/or civil society by Total cost: DKK 303 million. Danish contribution: DKK 16 million. C. EMPODERAR-DETI: EMPODERAR is a decentralised and semi-autonomous unit under the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for executing the national agricultural development programme DETI. DETI provides technical assistance to small-scale farmers and facilitates rural public-private investment projects based on inclusive decision-making models at local level. Concrete activities supported are: Cofinancing of rural investment plans of small farmer organisations in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosi, Oruro and La Paz; co-financing of rural investment plans of local governments in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosi, Oruro and La Paz; technical assistance regarding regional consultation processes. In alignment with government priorities, Danida will support the introduction of the DETI-model in the Amazon region complementing efforts within the thematic programme of Natural Resource Management. The expected outcome is to contribute towards increasing the gross agricultural income of small-scale farmers in rural areas. The outcome indicator is that 20,000 small-scale farmers, of whom 36% are women, manage to raise their gross agricultural income by at least 10%. Total costs: DKK 142 million. Danish contribution: DKK 120 million. Inter-institutional coordination and synergies with other efforts supported within the Country Programme are main priorities with regards to all local partners. Donor coordination and cooperation is equally a priority especially in relation to COSUDE. 3. The Position 3.1. Title: Senior Adviser (N1) Agricultural Development 3.2. Place of Service: The adviser will be posted at the head office of DETI in La Paz having the Director General as direct counterpart Terms of Employment according to Danida staff rules. Below non-exhaustive brief benefits: The contract period is three years. Attractive remuneration package reflecting family status. Contribution to a pension scheme, health insurance and reimbursement of school fees. Free housing. Bonus after 2 years of continuous service. 4

5 3.4. Special conditions of the function: The adviser will work in a complex political set up with regular changes of staff and policies. Frequent field travels across the country are to be expected - primarily within the departments of La Paz, Chuquisaca, Potosi, Oruro, Beni and Pando. The adviser will be working part time in INIAF, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Innovation Fund Area of responsibility/tasks: With the purpose of ensuring institutional strengthening, policy development, sector coordination and monitoring at national level the Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Programme seeks an international adviser to provide the necessary technical assistance to the partners mentioned above. The main tasks include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDRyT): Strengthening of the management and institutional capacity in order to achieve the institutional objectives: elaboration of annual institutional work plans and budgets - both clearly aligned to the five-year Strategic Institutional Plan, and with a clear coherence between budgets and well-defined and measurable results. Technical assistance in elaborating annual reporting on outcome, outputs and indicators as defined in the Development Engagement Agreement. Technical assistance with regards to developing and improving the existing M&E system, including the incorporation of gender, environment, climate change and indigenous people as transversal themes. Technical assistance with regards to the establishment of an internal information system/data base. All of the above in close coordination with COSUDE, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) and the World Bank, who also support the Ministry. National Institute of Research and Innovation for Agriculture and Forestry (INIAF): Strengthening of the management and institutional capacity in order to achieve the institutional objectives: elaboration of annual institutional work plans and budgets - both clearly aligned to the five-year Strategic Institutional Plan, and with a clear coherence between budgets and well-defined and measurable results. Technical assistance in elaborating annual reporting on outcome, outputs and indicators as defined in the Development Engagement Agreement. Preparation and implementation of the PISA Project including elaboration of work plans and budgets at both national and regional level. Technical assistance with regards to developing and improving the existing M&E system at national level, including the incorporation of gender, environment, climate change and indigenous people as transversal themes. Facilitation of research processes, Public-Private alliances and extension services at national and regional level. Elaboration of technical reports and systematization of lessons learned. Monitoring and evaluation of recruitment processes of technical staff at national and regional level. All of the above in close coordination with COSUDE, GIZ and the World Bank, who also support INIAF. Active participation in the Joint World Bank supervision missions. 5

6 EMPODERAR-DETI (DETI): Strengthening of the management and institutional capacity in order to achieve the institutional objectives. This implies technical assistance to the team of technical advisers at national level with regards to: Elaboration of annual institutional work plans and budgets - both clearly aligned to the five-year Strategic Institutional Plan, and with a clear coherence between budgets and well-defined and measurable results. Technical assistance in elaborating annual reporting on outcome, outputs and indicators as defined in the Development Engagement Agreement. Developing and improving the existing M&E. Elaboration of technical reports and systematisation of lessons learned. Monitoring and evaluation of recruitment processes of technical staff at national level. Technical assistance to the teams of technical advisers at regional level with regards to the following: Monitoring and evaluation of consultation processes on agricultural and forestry development at local/municipality level. Development of agricultural and forestry projects at local level focusing on sustainability, innovation, and increased market access. Added value/processing/transformation of agricultural and forestry products at local level. Improved commercialization of agricultural and forestry products at local, regional and national levels. Strengthening of the organisation of small-scale farmers. Monitoring and evaluation of recruitment processes of technical staff at local and regional level. Innovation Fund (design under elaboration): In cooperation and coordination with the Senior Adviser within the area of Production and Private Sector the main tasks are: Elaboration of annual work plans and budgets - both clearly aligned to the overall strategic plan for the Fund, and with a clear coherence between budgets and well-defined and measurable results. Technical assistance in elaborating annual reporting on outcome, outputs and indicators as defined in the Development Engagement Agreement. Technical assistance to the fund administrator (yet to be defined) in the implementation and further development of the Innovation Fund. Institutional strengthening with regards to development of rules, regulations, selection criteria and tender processes. Facilitate access to national or international research, innovative business models, sustainable production methods, green technology, etc. Technical assistance with regards to incorporation of gender, environment, climate change and indigenous people as transversal themes in the projects/proposals approved. Member of the technical committees responsible for evaluation and approval of project proposals. Cooperation and coordination with the remaining partners within the Growth Programme. 6

7 Additionally, the senior adviser is responsible for the annual reporting to the Embassy, providing information and data on indicators, lessons learned and main advances within each local partner Success Criteria: The Agricultural and Forestry Adviser shall work in alignment with the approved annual work plans of the individual institutions, and the work plans shall be followedup and revised regularly based on annual progress reports provided by the local partners. The overall success criteria for the agricultural sector are that each institution complies with the outcome, outputs and indicators defined in the individual Development Engagement Agreements. 4. Demand Profile/Qualifications 4.1. Requirements and expectations concerning the candidate s formal qualifications: Master s degree relevant to rural development such as agriculture, forestry, agrobusiness, cattle farming etc. Solid professional experience as adviser in developing countries, preferably Latin America, in rural development and agricultural production. Experience in working with organisation of small-scale farmers and/or agrobusinesses. Experience working through local consultation processes. Experience in developing and implementing small-scale rural investment projects. Experience in working with donor-coordination and harmonisation. Experience from Bolivia will be an advantage. Experience in working within the public sector will be considered an asset. Fluency in oral and written Spanish and English. 4.2 Requirements and expectations concerning the personal qualifications of the candidates: Ability to with multiple stakeholders public and private - at national and local level. Strategic and analytical with excellent communication and negotiation skills. Result oriented but with a pragmatic approach. Understanding of the dynamics within politically managed institutions. Cooperative, accommodating and cultural sensitive regardless of collaborator or professional relation. 5. Recruitment Procedures (Mercuri Urval takes care of the below) 5.1. How do you apply: Information about the mandatory application procedure can be found at: Reference number DK /BOL.03 should be stated in the application Deadline for applications: 13 May 2014 at 12 noon (CEST) Preliminary interviews and personal evaluation: week 23 (2-4 June 2014). Mercuri Urval will conduct a personal evaluation of selected candidates. 7

8 5.4. Language test: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided that all candidates called in for interview - except for those to whom the relevant language is mother tongue - shall be language tested in Denmark in the working languages of the duty station (i.e. Spanish) Presentation to the appointments committee: 4 June Decision: A decision is expected shortly after 4 June Expected commencement: 1 July 2014 or as soon as possible hereafter. 8