Background

Support to Immediate Recovery from the 2024 Floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents an EU funded intervention, designed to provide immediate response to needs of the population in local communities in BiH directly affected by the natural disaster declared in October 2024.
Severe storm that struck southern and central parts of the country, triggering widespread flooding, mudslides, and landslides, had a devastating impact, causing widespread damage to housing, infrastructure, and essential life services. According to the preliminary assessments conducted shortly after the disaster, estimated direct damages from the floods to housing stock and public infrastructure amount to EUR 144 million.
The Project will operate in eight affected governments in BiH in helping them effectively and sustainably recover from the event, through rehabilitation and/or (re)construction of housing units and public facilities, rehabilitation and/or (re)construction of small-scale community infrastructure and support to agricultural producers and MSMEs in restoring their businesses.

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager the Consultant will provide support to the Project Team in implementation of the activities within the economic component of the Project.

Travel expenses will be calculated separately based on number of field visits, in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

a) Field verification of applications to the Public Call for economic support to agricultural producers

• Develop a detailed field visit schedule in cooperation with local community representatives, ensuring optimal coverage and efficiency;
• Conduct on-site verification visits for applicants in Jablanica, Konjic, and Mostar on behalf of UNDP who meet the general eligibility criteria to verify the authenticity of their claims and accuracy of the information provided in the applications to the Public Call;
• Assess the feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed support packages based on the applicants’ needs and available resources.
• Evaluate the applicants’ capacities for effectively utilizing the selected support package. Where necessary, recommend alternative support packages that better align with the applicants’ needs and capacities;
• Inspect agricultural land to assess its suitability for the proposed agricultural activities.
• Prepare a detailed field visit report for each applicant/household, including findings, observations, and recommendations on template provided by UNDP.

b) Monitoring, field visits and quality assurance of activities 

• Prepare detailed work plan ensuring optimal efficiency and confirm it with UNDP project team.
• Conduct regular field visits to selected beneficiaries in Jablanica, Konjic and Mostar, who received agricultural support packages through economic component of the Project.
• Monitor the distribution of support packages to the beneficiaries in the field, including the installation of greenhouses, to ensure activities are carried out in accordance with the Contracts and best practices.
• Conduct on-site verification of received equipment and supplies, such as greenhouses, small agricultural equipment, beehives and other auxiliary items.
• Check the condition of the received items and confirm that they have been used properly, in accordance with instructions and recommendations.
• Check if the beneficiaries are following necessary protocols which have been previously introduced to them in terms of adequate maintenance and storage of received equipment.
• Confirm that adequate preparations have been made by the beneficiaries for the upcoming planting season (preparation of land, greenhouses, mechanization, seedlings, etc.).
• Gather information on value chain integration and verify generated income.
• Identify potential problems and report any defects in received equipment, as well as any misconduct or improper usage of the received support packages by the beneficiaries to the Project team.
• In case when remedy of identified defects is necessary by the supplier within the warranty period, follow up on the process and conduct additional field visit if needed, to confirm that all the defects have been eliminated.

c) Technical support to the project beneficiaries 

• Design and prepare comprehensive training materials tailored to the needs of agricultural producers, submit the developed materials to the UNDP project team for review and approval. The training material will include sustainable agricultural practices as well as risk mitigation and adaptation strategies to adapt to the challenges of climate change.
• Develop a structured training plan that outlines the topics to be covered, methodologies to be used, and the schedule for training sessions.
• Conduct both one-on-one and group training sessions for agricultural producers to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Provide hands-on demonstrations and field visits where necessary to facilitate practical learning, plan at least 3 visits to each beneficiary.
• Collect feedback from participants to assess the effectiveness of training and make necessary improvements.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for improving future training initiatives.

The employee will provide monthly progress reports to the Project Manager in form defined by UNDP.

Institutional Arrangement

The employee will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager.

Competencies

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

•     Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Agricultar from a recognized university is required or
•     University degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree
Experience:

•     Minimum 2 years of professional experience in the relevant field of Agronomy with Bachelor’s degree; Master Degree does not require experience.
•     Proven experience in work of project implementation and monitoring, and quality assurance regarding relevant regulations and by-laws.
Required skills: 

• Excellent computer skills (especially Microsoft Office applications) and ability to use information technologies as a tool and resource.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.
• Ability to identify discrimination, address it, and maintain an enabling working environment based on fairness, respect and freedom from any forms of harassment and abuse.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Demonstrated knowledge of agri-food sector and rural development needs and processes in BIH.
• Specific experience with UN/EU post-disaster recovery interventions focused on support to agricultural producers.
• Experience in conducting field verification of beneficiaries, agricultural households and holdings.
• Experience in collaborating with suppliers, local authorities, and beneficiaries to facilitate economic recovery and support initiatives;
• Previous experience in work with UNDP will be an asset.

Required Language(s):

• Excellent writing and oral communication skills in in the official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• English language proficiency will be considered an asset.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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