Project Coordinator

The Project Coordinator will provide technical and operational leadership for the FAO-led components of the EU4Mindanao project, ensuring effective planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of activities that strengthen community resilience, climate-smart and conflict-sensitive agricultural production, value chain development, and inclusive livelihood support in Mindanao, Philippines.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership, strategic direction, and day-to-day management of the project, ensuring the timely and effective achievement of project objectives, outputs, and outcomes in accordance with approved work plans, budgets, donor agreements, and FAO policies and procedures.
• Lead the overall implementation of project activities, including support in the preparation and monitoring of budgets, development and execution of Project Implementation Plans and Procurement Plans, and effective utilization of project resources.
• Establish, update, and monitor time-phased work plans, ensuring alignment with project objectives, deliverables, milestones, and donor requirements, and taking corrective action as necessary to address implementation delays or bottlenecks.
• Oversee project personnel, consultants, service providers, and implementing partners, ensuring effective performance management, coordination, accountability, and delivery of assigned outputs.
• Support project budget management and procurement oversight, ensuring expenditures, contractual arrangements, procurement activities, and resource allocations are timely, efficient, and fully compliant with FAO rules and procedures.
• Lead the application of agreed selection criteria for project sites, priority areas, and beneficiaries, in consultation with government counterparts and other stakeholders, ensuring transparency, inclusiveness, and compliance with approved project frameworks.
• Establish and maintain effective institutional partnerships and stakeholder relationships, including government agencies, donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, private sector partners, and beneficiary groups, to facilitate successful project implementation and sustainability.
• Lead stakeholder consultations, technical discussions, and coordination mechanisms related to project implementation, value chain development, capacity building, policy dialogue, and other technical areas relevant to the project.
• Maintain regular coordination with LGUs, BARMM ministries, MinDA, community-based organizations, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and complementarities.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder coordination and contribute to Humanitarian–Peace–Development–Climate (HPDC) nexus approaches, including close coordination with the Outcome 2 team and other implementing partners.
• Ensure the design, delivery, and quality assurance of capacity development interventions, including training programmes, technical materials, concept notes, starter kits, knowledge products, and learning activities, in collaboration with technical specialists and government counterparts.
• Lead and oversee the organization and documentation of trainings, technical working group meetings, workshops, planning sessions, and other project events, ensuring quality outputs, timely follow-up, and appropriate stakeholder participation.
• Maintain and regularly update project monitoring, reporting, and results management systems, including tracking progress against indicators, outputs, outcomes, risks, and work plans, and ensuring the availability of reliable data for decision-making.
• Identify, assess, and manage operational, fiduciary, financial, environmental, social, security, and implementation risks, and proactively develop mitigation measures to ensure uninterrupted project delivery.
• Serve as focal point for project governance mechanisms, including Project Steering Committees, Project Task Forces, technical working groups, and other oversight bodies, ensuring timely reporting, coordination, and implementation of decisions and recommendations.
• Prepare and submit high-quality progress reports, analytical updates, briefing materials, and management reports, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely submission to FAO management and resource partners.
• Lead donor reporting, communication, visibility, and knowledge management activities, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and FAO standards, and overseeing the preparation of communication and visibility products, including web content, social media materials, photos, videos, publications, and press releases.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with donors and development partners, providing timely updates, coordinating donor missions, and ensuring fulfillment of reporting and accountability commitments.
• Lead project development and resource mobilization efforts, including identification of scaling-up opportunities, preparation of concept notes and project proposals, and coordination with FAO technical, regional, and headquarters teams.
• Oversee recruitment and mobilization of project personnel and consultants, in coordination with relevant FAO units, ensuring timely deployment of qualified personnel to support project implementation.
• Represent FAO and the project in technical, sectoral, inter-agency, donor, and government coordination meetings, promoting project objectives and strengthening partnerships.
• Foster a high-performing and collaborative project team environment, promoting accountability, inclusion, innovation, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Lead project closure planning and implementation, including completion of technical, operational, financial, procurement, reporting, archival, and knowledge management requirements, and preparation of project terminal reports and lessons learned.
• Prepare and submit an end-of-assignment report, documenting achievements, lessons learned, best practices, recommendations, and follow-up actions in accordance with FAO requirements.
• Perform other related duties within the incumbent's area of competence as may be assigned by the FAO Representative.
• Ensure full compliance with donor visibility and communication guidelines, including adherence to the European Commission’s “Use of the EU emblem in the context of EU programmes 2021–2027” and “Communicating and raising EU visibility – Guidance for external actions” (July 2022).
• Ensure that all partners, consultants, grantees, and implementing entities consistently apply approved visibility standards.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Public Administration, Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Peace and Development Studies, Natural Resource Management or related fields.
• At least nine (9) years of progressively responsible experience in the management and implementation of complex agriculture and food systems programmes, preferably in fragile, conflict-affected, and disaster-prone contexts.
• Demonstrated experience in HPDC nexus coordination, multi-stakeholder engagement, institutional and systems strengthening, and strategic programme alignment is required.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Filipino, with strong written and oral communication skills in both languages.
• National of the Philippines.
• Proven capacity to work effectively with government counterparts, development partners, civil society organizations, and local communities, including experience facilitating coordination platforms and partnerships across sectors.
• Demonstrated understanding of inclusive approaches, including gender equality, youth engagement, Indigenous Peoples’ participation, and disability inclusion, in line with international development standards.
• Knowledge of climate-smart agriculture, agricultural value chains, post-harvest systems, and community-based extension, with experience implementing and monitoring donor-funded field projects.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to work with government, community, and development partners in complex field settings.
• Ability to work under pressure, adapt to evolving humanitarian, peace, climate, and development contexts, and collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

Skills

• Agricultural Economics
• Agribusiness Management
• Rural Development Policy
• Public Administration
• Development Studies
• Natural Resource Management
• Agriculture Programme Management
• Food Systems Programme Implementation
• HPDC Nexus Coordination
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Institutional Strengthening
• Systems Strengthening
• Strategic Programme Alignment
• Government Relations
• Civil Society Engagement
• Coordination Platform Facilitation
• Partnership Development
• Inclusive Development
• Gender Equality Programming
• Youth Engagement
• Indigenous Peoples Participation
• Disability Inclusion
• Climate-Smart Agriculture
• Agriculture Value Chains
• Post-Harvest Systems
• Community-based Extension
• Donor-funded Project Monitoring
• Project Planning
• Project Implementation
• Project Monitoring
• Project Reporting

Languages

English, Filipino