National Project Coordinator

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Organizational Setting FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level. The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources.Specifically, FAO Country Offices:(i) advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO’s mandate;(ii) provide technical assistance and deliver core services;(iii) assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation;(iv) Position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation;(v) ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management. Nepal’s agrifood systems continue to face significant challenges, including low agricultural productivity, weak commercialization, climate vulnerability, food and nutrition insecurity, limited access to safe drinking water, and inadequate operation and maintenance systems. These constraints disproportionately affect smallholder farmers, women, and rural communities, limiting livelihood opportunities and contributing to youth outmigration. To address these challenges, FAO Nepal, at the request of the Government of Nepal, is implementing the project “Strengthening Agrifood Systems in Nepal” (GCP/NEP/094/CPR) under the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund supported by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA). The 24-month project, with a budget of USD 2.49 million, supports agrifood systems transformation in Kavre and Ilam districts through interventions on governance, production, nutrition, enterprise development, water systems, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. In parallel, FAO Nepal is implementing the UN Joint Programme “Innovative Financial Solutions for Local Food Systems Transformation in Nepal” (UNJP/NEP/091/UNJ), funded by the Joint SDG Fund and jointly implemented with UNDP, WFP, and UNCDF. Under this programme, FAO leads the development of innovative financing solutions, including blended finance, public-private partnerships (PPPs), investment pipeline development, and support to women-led agribusinesses and cooperatives in Panchkhal Municipality. Given the strong complementarities between the CIDCA-supported project and the Joint SDG Fund programme, particularly in Panchkhal Municipality, coordinated implementation is essential to maximize synergies, strengthen stakeholder engagement, avoid duplication, and enhance the sustainability and impact of project investments. To support effective implementation, FAO Nepal seeks a National Project Coordinator. Reporting Lines The National Project Coordinator will be under the overall supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme), and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager and relevant FAO technical officers. Technical Focus The National Project Coordinator will provide overall technical, programmatic, and operational leadership for the implementation of the projects “Strengthening Agrifood Systems in Nepal” (GCP/NEP/094/CPR) and “Innovative Financial Solutions for Local Food Systems Transformation in Nepal” (UNJP/NEP/091/UNJ), with a focus on project planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring, reporting, stakeholder engagement, partnership development, innovative financing mechanisms, agrifood systems transformation, and results-based management, while promoting gender equality, social inclusion, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and effective collaboration with government institutions, UN agencies, financial institutions, private-sector partners, cooperatives, and community organizations. Tasks and responsibilities • Prepare and regularly update the detailed implementation plan, annual work plan and budget inputs, procurement and HR schedules, risk register, stakeholder engagement plan and monitoring calendar.• Coordinate implementation across the four target municipalities and ensure coherence among governance, production, nutrition, enterprise, water, inclusion and environmental workstreams.• Prepare and maintain a joint implementation and synergy matrix for activities undertaken under GCP/NEP/094/CPR and UNJP/NEP/091/UNJ in Panchkhal Municipality, clearly identifying complementary interventions, responsible parties, delivery schedules, beneficiaries, service providers, financing sources, risks and expected results.• Take primary responsibility for the day-to-day coordination and implementation of FAO’s component of the Joint SDG Fund project UNJP/NEP/091/UNJ including coordination with participating UN organizations, Panchkhal Municipality, government counterparts, financial institutions, private-sector partners, women-led enterprises, cooperatives and service providers, oversee the timely delivery of PPP and blended-finance activities; monitor workplans, budgets, risks, results and contractual deliverables and ensure compliance with the project document, FAO procedures and Joint SDG Fund reporting requirements.• Serve as the principal operational focal point for municipal technical experts, FAO technical officers, government counterparts, Agriculture Knowledge Centers, NARC, service providers, cooperatives and community organizations.• Translate the project document and approved workplans into clear assignments, timelines, responsibilities and quality standards; track progress and promptly escalate bottlenecks and corrective actions.• Guide inception, baseline and agrifood-system assessment processes, including priority commodity/value-chain analysis, stakeholder mapping and target-group validation.• Coordinate design and delivery of capacity development on food-system governance, cooperative performance, financial management, gender and social inclusion, agricultural policy, enterprise development, digital extension, climate-smart agriculture, nutrition and food safety.• Oversee transparent beneficiary identification and ensure agreed targeting of wo