Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM) Specialist

Full Job Description

• 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.

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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.

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

Technical knowledge of Integrated Plant Nutrient Management on paddy and OFCs.

Tasks and responsibilities

•   Conduct a need assessment on the improvement of soil fertility status of the rice-based eco-system. 
•    Prepare IPNM strategy to be applicable for paddy and OFC.
•    Identify required interventions (e.g., soil testing, fertilizer types, application methods, etc.) to increase productivity and efficiency of input. 
•    Provide technical input towards the development of the curriculum, training material, related knowledge products, and the structure of the training on IPNM to be delivered to all the trainers in the Training of trainers (TOTs) on climate-smart OFC and paddy farming with advanced technologies.
•    Provide technical input to conduct crop clinics and field days
•    Lead the conduct of the IPNM section of the TOTs on climate-smart OFC and paddy farming with advanced technologies.
•    Provide technical oversight during farmer field schools (FFS) on climate-smart OFC and paddy farming with advanced technologies.
•    Provide technical support to the farmers in applying location-specific technology packages, including soil test-based nutrient management, to increase paddy's productivity and nutrient use efficiency. 
•    Identify novel technologies on IPNM to be tested at different research institutes and provide comprehensive reports.   
•    Provide technical support to test novel technologies on IPNM at the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) and Field Crop Research and Development Institute (FCRDI).
•    Coordinate with relevant government agencies and the private sector to obtain necessary technical support.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•    University degree in Agriculture, Agro-ecology, Crop Science or Soil Science with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in Integrated Plant Nutrient Management, Agriculture, extension, Module development, Training, and capacity building or an Advanced university degree with a minimum of two (2) years of related experience.
•    Working knowledge of English and Sinhala/Tamil.
•    A national of Sri Lanka or must hold a regular work permit.
 
 
FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•   Experience in Integrated plant nutrient management, specifically in paddy and/or other field crops.
•    Experience in developing plant nutrient management strategies, training modules, and conducting training. 
•    Familiarity with examining and analyzing the agronomical practices and techniques to improve crop productivity.

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).