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Title: National Agricultural Value Chains Development Expert

Requisition ID: 5380
Grade: NOC (SB-5)
Country: Sudan
Duty Station: Gedaref
Category: National Consultant
Type of Job Posting: Internal and External
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Contract Duration: 9months
Application deadline: 09-Apr-2025, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
Only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs. Accordingly, the Organization’s programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities: Creating shared prosperity; Advancing economic competitiveness; Safeguarding the environment; and Strengthening knowledge and institutions.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Hubs and Country Offices.

The Directorate houses the Divisions of Quality, Impact and Accountability (IET/QUA), Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR), Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions (IET/IFI), Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST), Public-Private Partnerships (IET/PPP), and Climate and Technology Partnerships (IET/CTP). The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions and relevant entities in the Directorate of Global Partnerships and External Relations (GLO) and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (TCS).

Due to its mandate as industrial development arm of the United Nations, UNIDO has a unique and long experience as a platform for business-sector cooperation. UNIDO’s Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET) is responsible for the development of innovative services in the areas of agro-industry and agribusiness, sustainability standards and fair production, and climate-relevant or climate-improving technologies. The project will be implemented by a coordinated effort between UNIDO’s following units within IET: the Food Security and Food Systems (IET/AGR/FSS), and the Skills Development, Entrepreneurship and Fair Production Unit (IET/PST/SEF).

The IET/AGR/FSS promotes the development of food industries and food value chains and the production of local food products in developing and less developed countries to end hunger and ensure food and nutrition security while generating income and employment adhering to principles of sustainable industrial development. It provides a range of technical assistance services that allow food enterprises – including in the informal sector and especially SMEs – to extend their production, improve their products, comply with quality and other standards, become more competitive and deliver adequate and nutritious food to local populations and for export. It also promotes the development of food safety compliance infrastructure and building related food safety systems capacities.

The IET/PST/SEF supports Member States in integrating into the emerging global systems of fair and sustainable trade and supply chains. It aims to increase employability, strengthen access to decent employment, augment job retention, and increase access to qualified workforce by the industry, through modern technical and vocational education and training (TVET), professional education and entrepreneurship systems essential for driving sustainable transition. Central to its mandate is the commitment to provide the skills required to enabling sustainable supply chain practices, ensuring resilience, particularly at the firm level, and addressing the challenges and opportunities arising from new due diligence regulations.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Funded by the European Union (EU), the project for Developing agro-value chains for the improved resilience of rural communities has the overall objective to contribute to sustainable livelihoods and food security in rural communities most affected by food insecurity, climate change and conflicts. The specific outcome is increased productivity and profitability of agriculture value chains by adopting more sustainable agro-production and processing practices. Building on the vast experience of UNIDO in value chain, clusters, and skill development approaches, this project aims to address these gaps by strengthening quality innovation, access to finance and market opportunities of the sesame value chain in the Gedaref State of Sudan.

The project outputs have been defined as follows:

Output 1. Project inception phase is finalized, and project management is established.

Output 2: Value chain stakeholders are strengthened through better integration of agro-ecological practices, digital and financial services into the value chains.
- Sub-Output 2.1: Technical assistance to actors of the production sphere.
- Sub-Output 2.2: Support value chain actors’ access to financial services.
- Sub-Output 2.3: Piloting of digital services aimed at improving the integration and information sharing

Output 3: Agro-food processing is enhanced by fostering entrepreneurship and value addition pilot initiatives.
Output 4: Monitoring and Evaluation activities are conducted.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall general direction of UNIDO Project Manager at HQ and in close coordination with the National Project Coordinator, and Field office in Sudan, the National Agricultural Value Chains Development Expert will play a key role in supporting and enhancing the integration, efficiency, and sustainability of the sesame value chain development Gedaref, Sudan, in line with the project objectives and work plan.

The expert’s scope of work will cover technical review of the sesame value chain analysis under Output 1 and leading the value chain development activities under Output 2. This encompasses a wide range of technical services, including but not restricted to delivering capacity-building initiatives to smallholder farmers and their organizations as well as public and private institutions.

Specifically, he/she will be expected to carry out the following task:

Activity	Concrete/ Measurable Outputs	Expected duration %
Technical Oversight to the Inception study sesame value chain and strategic planning Lead the technical review of the sesame value chain analysis by supervising and providing technical backstopping for the inception study subcontractor to ensure comprehensive assessment methodologies and analysis. Working in close cooperation with UNIDO HQ, the expert will technically review the sesame value chain analysis conducted by the inception study subcontractor, ensuring the technical scope, coverage, and completeness of the value chain analysis, review of the adopted VCA methodology, coverage of key stakeholders, market, ecosystem clusters, conditions, and drivers influencing the sesame value chain development in Gedaref, Sudan. Assist in integrating the key recommendations from the inception study and the corresponding Action plan recommendations into the project work plan, specifically related to the detailed work plan for activities under Output 2. Support the consolidation of key findings and recommendations from the sesame value chain analysis into the project inception report and presentation to be shared with the PSC. Liaise with the PIU to facilitate technical coordination with key local stakeholders and partners, including the Project Technical Committees (PTC), Project Steering Committee (PSC), and other public and private sector actors.	Sesame Value chain analysis reviewed Final inception report reviewed Project work plan reviewed Detailed work plan for Output 2 submitted	40%
Technical training and capacity building related activities Facilitate identification and coordination with technical capacity building partners to be contracted under Output 2. This includes developing the Terms of Reference, assisting in bidder evaluations, and supporting the selection of the contracted partner Provide technical backstopping for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in identifying sesame value chain gaps. This includes the review and development of training programs on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Pre-harvest and post-harvest techniques, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards, etc. Develop and consolidate UNIDO’s technical resources, knowledge materials for the Training of Trainers (ToT) for the project’s contracted partners Deliver ToT sessions on farmers’ aggregation, associativity mechanisms, and financial literacy to designated master trainers from the contracted organizations under Output 2 Review and provide technical inputs to all field training materials and resources submitted by the contracted organization, including dissemination strategy, learning and training materials in English and Arabic, monitoring and reporting tools etc.	Terms of reference for contracted partners ToT training materials and strategy report ToT sessions delivered, annexed with list of master trainers leading each training component in the field Review of field training programs and related training and monitoring tools developed by the contracted partner Review of knowledge materials and resources for field training	40%
Technical consultations and partnerships with local sesame value chain actors Support the PIU to conduct the inception workshops for agricultural cooperatives and producer associations in the target region to discuss gaps and opportunities within the sesame value chain Facilitate consultations with local public and private actors within the sesame value chain to identify training needs Support consultations with local sesame value chain actors, especially the private sector, to consolidate project’s strategy for selection of local beneficiaries for field trainings, in close coordination with the contracted partner(s) Provide technical advisory to inform project roadmap for strengthening local producer associations and cooperatives Establish and maintain technical partnerships with local cooperatives, technical institutions, and agribusiness support services facilities for the development of the sesame value chain Consolidated Farmer field school strategy, including training program, methodology, training materials Establish a coherent system of information and reporting in line with the project monitoring and reporting framework related to the development of technical guides and capacity building activities Contribute to project reports, including documentation of capacity-building outcomes and stakeholder engagement.	Mission reports from participation in local inception workshops, consultations, field visits Farmer field school strategy document, annexed with training materials and tools	20%

A final report containing a concise overview of the tasks performed, along with the promotional materials generated throughout the assignment.

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Education

Advanced university degree in agricultural sciences, rural development, economics, project management or any other relevant subject.

Technical/ Functional Experience

A minimum of 5 years of working in the field of agriculture and rural agribusiness development, preferably in the sesame value chain, is required
Experience in technical cooperation projects in Sudan is highly desirable, particularly in the field of agribusiness development.
Professional experience in supporting agribusinesses, producer associations, agricultural cooperatives and agro-value chains, is required
Experience in conducting UN (or donor funded) projects, is required

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required. Fluency and/or working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Core values
WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key competencies
WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

This appointment is limited to the specified project(s) only and does not carry any expectation of renewal.
Employees of UNIDO are expected at all times to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for jobs at UNIDO.

All applications must be submitted online through the Online Recruitment System. Correspondence will be undertaken only with candidates who are being considered at an advanced phase of the selection process. Selected candidate(s) may be required to disclose to the Director General the nature and scope of financial and other personal interests and assets in respect of themselves, their spouses and dependents, under the procedures established by the Director General.

Visit the UNIDO website for details on how to apply: www.unido.org

NOTE: The Director General retains the discretion to make an appointment to this post at a lower level.

Notice to applicants:
UNIDO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. If you have received a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Vacant positions within UNIDO are advertised on the official UNIDO website. Should you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of UNIDO and requesting payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unido.org

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