Organizational Setting

Food loss and waste (FLW) occur at all stages of the food supply chain, from production to consumption, posing significant social, economic, and environmental challenges. FLW exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition while contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss. Additionally, it represents a waste of valuable resources such as energy, water, land, and agricultural inputs. The causes of FLW are context-specific but generally stem from inadequate practices, insufficient public infrastructure, lack of awareness and technical capacity, weak institutional and regulatory frameworks, fragmented policies, and poor commodity management. These challenges disrupt supply chains, increasing FLW levels and potentially leading to unsafe food circulation.

The FAO Sub-programme aims to catalyse FLW reduction by fostering systemic improvements in agrifood systems at global, regional, national, and subnational levels across three beneficiary countries: Grenada, Liberia, and Viet Nam. The Sub-programme’s activities focus on three interconnected outputs:

•    Policies and Strategies for reducing food loss and waste.
•    Capacity building and good practices to reduce food losses.
•    Awareness-raising, collaboration and synergy of FLW reduction initiatives.

Through project GCP/GLO/1084/SWI, FAO is supporting Costa Rica, Uganda and Viet Nam in operationalizing their National Pathway for Food Systems Transformation by strengthening enabling environments and human and institutional capacities for food systems transformation, strengthening coordination and fostering inclusive stakeholder engagement. This support also aims to align agrifood systems with climate, biodiversity, nutrition and equity agendas, reinforcing policy coherence and promoting a systemic approach to transformation. This support builds on and connects with past ESF and FAO initiatives in the three countries.

In 2023, Viet Nam adopted its National Action Plan for Food Systems Transformation (NAP-FST), recognizing FLW reduction as a national priority. Recent assessments by the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) identified key FLW hotspots and barriers within agrifood value chains. Building on these findings and ongoing efforts – including a new Letter of Agreement (LoA) with IPSARD – the FAO Sub-programme and the GCP/GLO/1084/SWI project in Viet Nam aim to:

•    Improve the institutional enabling environment needed to develop a national FLW strategy, including by supporting the Working Group on FLW of the FST Partnership of the NAP-FST.
•    Strengthen technical capacities to reduce FLW of local cooperatives and women’s organization in the Mekong River Delta region.
•    Document and share Viet Nam’s experiences through case studies and stories on food systems transformation and linking different agendas, raising awareness on FLW and contributing to the work of the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems Programme.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent is put under the overall supervision by the FAO Representative in Viet Nam, technical supervision by the Lead Technical Officer in FAO-ESF, and day-to-day management by Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) in Viet Nam.

Technical Focus

The overall technical focus of the incumbent is to provide technical and strategic support for key activities aligned with the workplan for country level activities in Viet Nam of the Sub-programme and of project GCP/GLO/1084/SWI. The incumbent will also play a central role in supporting the alignment and coordination of the FLW work in FAOVN, supporting with the organization of sessions and workshops of the Working Group on FLW of the FST Partnership of the NAP-FST and in developing stories/case studies on linking agendas and awareness material on FLW.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Support the coordination of FLW country activities in FAOVN. 

o    Provide technical and policy support for FLW work in FAOVN.
o    Support the coordination among different FLW activities, including those of the Working Group on FLW of the FST Partnership of the NAP-FST, LoAs with IPSARD (FAO RAP) and other agencies.
o    Support oversight of the LoA implementing capacity-building activities.
o    Provide technical input for awareness-raising and advocacy on FLW in FAOVN, including developing communication materials (case studies, policy briefs, infographics, videos) and organizing the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) in Viet Nam

•    Support the working group on FLW of the FST Partnership of the NAP-FST

o    Support the development and implementation of the 5-year work plan and annual work plan, including a framework for experience sharing, learning, and monitoring and evaluation.
o    Map activities supporting FLW reduction in Viet Nam and support senior colleagues with the engagement of relevant stakeholders in the working group.
o    Support the organization of regular meetings of the working group to facilitate inclusive, multi-stakeholder discussions, including to present the outcomes of IPSARD’s assessment and gathering feedback and additional evidence from a diverse range of actors, including farmers, supply chain participants, youth organizations, consumers, and local government officials.
i.    Compile discussion of key gaps and opportunities / entry points for FLW reduction in Viet Nam among different experts with diverse views and experiences to discuss.
ii.    The expert will document workshop outcomes and prepare comprehensive reports.
o    Support the organization of a training session on systems approaches to enhance the capacity of members of the working group and the rest of the FST Partnership, including policymakers.

•    Support the development of a case study on linking agrifood systems with climate, biodiversity, nutrition and equity agendas. 

o    Develop a 4-page case study focusing on FLW as an entry point for linking agrifood systems with climate, biodiversity, nutrition and equity agendas. The case study will focus on the FLW working group within the FST Partnership and other ongoing initiatives at both national and local levels. If relevant, it could include a section/box examining the merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) analysing its impact on the NAP-FST, the FST Partnership, and the FLW working group and how the merger facilitates synergies between agrifood systems and broader environmental and social priorities, outlining the main motivations behind the decision, key lessons learned, and how this experience can inform similar efforts in other countries.
o    Conduct a review of relevant policy documents, including NAP-FST.

•    Reporting and liaison:

o    Maintain regular communication with FAO RAP, FAO HQ and other relevant stakeholders.
o    Prepare and submit periodic progress reports and a final consultancy report summarizing key achievements and recommendations.
o    Perform any other required duty related to project implementation and as instructed by the FAOR.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•    High level academic degree (Masters or PhD) in agriculture, environment, social sciences or related fields;
•    At least 10 years relevant experience with at least 5 years in food supply chain, post-harvest management, sustainable food system issues and related field;
•    Working knowledge of English;
•    National of Viet Nam.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Strong experience and knowledge in agrifood system and food loss and waste topic;
•    Familiarity with innovative approaches and technologies for reducing food loss and optimizing food waste utilization;
•    Strong analytical thinking, interpersonal skills as well as technical research and report writing skills;
•    Relevant experience in working in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, particularly in multilateral organizations;
•    Strong coordination and interpersonal skills to engage with partners in Viet Nam at all levels (Ministries, donors, private sector, NGOs and local community-based organizations);
•    Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and meet deadlines.