IT Specialist
Job Details
Full Job Description
Organizational Setting
Upon request from the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will provide technical assistance for the improvement of livelihood of farmers of selected districts (Anuradhapura, Hambanthota, Vavuniya and Kurunegala) through increasing productivity of paddy while diversifying a sizable quantity of paddy lands with legumes and other field crops (OFC) using Climate Smart Good Agriculture Practices (CSGAP) with increased cropping intensity, efficient water and fertilizer management systems which leads to increase overall land productivity, profitability, and sustainability of the system.
The above will be accomplished through the 4-year Project OSRO/SRL/205/USA “Rice Rethink; Enhancing Paddy Farmer Resilience and Return through Crop Diversification”.
Reporting Lines
The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), the guidance of the Project Management Specialist and in close coordination with the Administrative Section of the FAO Representation and consultants in the project. Additionally, he/she will work in close collaboration with other Government counterparts, the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and Lead Technical Unit in FAO HQ.
Technical Focus
Training farmers on the use of learning management platforms and mobile applications for timely cultivation of paddy and other field crops using advanced technologies and for value addition and marketing of the agricultural products.
Tasks and responsibilities
• Review the existing learning management platforms and mobile
applications of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and advice the
project management on the feasibility of using the existing platform
to enable introduction of new training material to be developed for
the CSGAP, IPNM and IPM training in all local language options.
•
Test the usability aspects of the applications and upgrade or update
existing learning management platforms and mobile applications of the
DOA and other relevant institutions, aiming to improve user experience
of farmers.
• Work closely with the IT service provider to
provide technical inputs for delivering/updating and making necessary
adjustments for the design of the Web and Mobile applications linked
with E-Agriculture platforms.
• Review and provide technical
advice for the documents related to selected E-Agriculture platforms
to engage with farmers.
• Provide support for the DOA staff for
the upgrading and maintenance of the selected e-platforms.
• In
collaboration with the national experts on crop diversification,
CSGAP, IPNM, IPM, water management and training expert, develop and
deliver the web-based training program on CSGAP, IPNM and IPM.
•
Act as the focal point for upgrading of selected E-Agriculture
platforms.
• Develop and implement an e-marketing strategy to
improve market linkages with farmer producer groups using existing
IT-enabled platforms available with the government.
• Training
farmers and officers on different means and digital platforms they can
easily use for marketing purposes, thereby improve their digital
literacy.
• Provide technical input towards development of the
curriculum and required material to train farmers to use existing FAO
real time dynamic and centralized agricultural input and production
database to support farmers with information on weather, input and
production information for informed decision making.
• Provide
technical input for the above training to district based technical
officers on the use of databases in 4 workshops (one per district).
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced University Degree in Computer Science,
Information Technology, Information Systems, Software Engineering or a
related field or a University degree with 7 years of related
experience.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in
delivering digital and information technology solutions and services,
learning platforms development for computer and mobile devices.
•
Working knowledge of English and Sinhala/Tamil.
• National of
Sri Lanka
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
•
Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and
Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Ability to
understanding and incorporation interoperability concepts.
•
Experience in developing e-platforms for sharing learning
modules.
• Experience in developing learning management
systems.
• Experience in reviewing SRS document.
•
Experience in working in the context of multi stakeholder
project.
• Experience in training of trainers (TOTs) in the
agriculture sector.
• Familiarity with the preparation of
training material on learning management platform.
•
Familiarity with graphic design tools
• Experience in digital
marketing strategies and platforms.
• Experience in working
with farmers or similar group of stakeholders.
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
- 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.
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• 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:
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
IT Specialist
Aquaculture
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