WRM and Irrigation Specialist

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About the Organization

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure 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.

Job Responsibilities

Overall

• Provide overall technical support and assistance for preparing the pilot projects under the irrigation project. Offer technical guidance, ensure the quality of work, and guarantee timely delivery of outputs.
• Maintain close coordination among FAO, the Ministry, the project implementation team, and other executing and implementing agencies.
• Review policy guidelines and institutional strengthening efforts undertaken within the project and integrate these into the project design.
• Conduct periodic monitoring and reviews of project progress, focusing on milestone achievements. Report on performance in terms of scope, time, and cost management. Identify potential risks and suggest cost-effective mitigation strategies.
• Develop a procedure and standard for thorough project documentation and reporting throughout the development, implementation, and post-implementation phases. Ensure that all lessons and experiences from project and contract implementation are well-documented for future capitalization and adaptation.

Climate Resilience

• Conduct studies and analyses to incorporate climate change adaptation measures into the project scope and design.
• Review the integration of climate-friendly sustainable agriculture practices among water users and farmers in the project area to develop synergies with the project.
• Prepare a knowledge product focused on integrating climate resilience considerations into irrigation investments in India.
• Coordinate and liaise with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the project implementation team, and other relevant stakeholders such as the Agriculture Department, Horticulture Department, and district administration to incorporate lessons and capacity-building measures for gender and climate change into the project design and gender action plan.
• Develop capacity-building plans to inform and educate farmers in the project area about sustainable agriculture practices.
• Identify and facilitate the rollout of an appropriate Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system for sustainable agriculture in the project area.
• Explore and develop linkages with value chain actors and carbon markets for sustainable agricultural produce from the project area.

Water Management and Community Ownership

• Identify and propose options for improving on-farm water management practices through community participation and Water User Associations (WUAs).
• Suggest designs and options for establishing and strengthening community participation by creating and enhancing WUAs in the project area.
• Study, identify, analyse, and present management options to ensure the sustainability of the irrigation project through community ownership and WUAs, particularly in terms of maintenance and management of irrigation assets and water usage.
• Study and propose management options for integrating WUAs with farmers' collectives to ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of community ownership of irrigation assets and operations.
• Lead the development of capacity-building and skill development modules for training WUA and Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) leadership by identifying expert institutions and piloting and scaling training workshops.

Digital Technology and Data Management

• Review the existing data collection, communication, and processing systems of the project, including smart digital solutions for monitoring user-level water consumption.
• Suggest options and mechanisms to develop a Water Management Information System (WMIS) dashboard as a decision support system for the Ministry of Jal Shakti, to collect, process, and disseminate data to stakeholders.
• Identify and analyse appropriate smart solutions, considering the user-friendliness of such technology-driven applications, and provide a comparative report to the program management.
• Pilot test smart technologies and digital solutions, assess their operational efficiency and relevance, and provide critical feedback to the program management unit.
• Design and develop capacity-building materials and tools to inform and educate stakeholders on the use of data and decision support systems.
• Analyse and identify trends and lessons from the data, developing evidence-based knowledge to inform decisions at various levels.
• Explore pathways to link water use data to national data systems like Agri Stack.

Miscellaneous

• Participate in official meetings to represent FAO when requested by the FAOIN leadership.
• Coordinate with the FAO Country Office, FAO Lead Technical Officers (LTOs), other National Experts.
• Any other duties assigned by the FAOIN leadership.

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

• Advanced degree in civil engineering, water resources, irrigation or sustainable development
• At least 10 years working experience in minor irrigation, water resource management or related fields with recognized technical expertise.
• Experience in management of water sector projects like smart irrigation systems, community governed water management systems, etc.
• Working knowledge (level C) of spoken and written English is essential and working proficiency in Hindi is desirable.
• National of India.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience working with government agencies on development projects.
• Extensive experience managing complex projects at national and regional levels.
• Experience in capacity building for water user collectives.
• Knowledge and experience in sustainable agriculture.
• In-depth understanding of digital technology adoption in water management and decision support systems.
• Strong technical knowledge and management skills, including the ability to provide strategic guidance, technical oversight, mentor staff, build strong teams, develop work plans, and manage budgets and project expenditures.
• Excellent multicultural and interpersonal skills, with experience networking with partners at all levels (ministries, donors, private sector, NGOs, and local community-based organizations).
• Experience working with international and donor organizations (e.g., World Bank, IFAD, Asian Development Bank) on the implementation of participatory projects.
• Proven written, analytical, computing, presentation, and reporting skills.

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