Post-Harvest Management Specialist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, program, and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, improving agricultural productivity, strengthening value chains, and ensuring sustainable management of natural resources.

FAO Rwanda is implementing activities under the SAIP II Project, with a focus on supporting farmer organizations, strengthening value addition, improving post-harvest handling systems, and enhancing market access for smallholder farmers.

The Post-Harvest Specialist will support technical and operational activities aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, strengthening storage and handling practices, improving market systems, and building capacity across farmer groups and cooperatives.

Reporting Lines

The specialist will work under:

•     The overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Rwanda
•     The technical supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme)
•     The direct supervision of the Project Manager and Project Coordination Unit (PCU)
•     Close collaboration with relevant Government institutions, cooperatives, and field teams.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will support the enhancement of post-harvest management systems for perishable and staple crops, with emphasis on reducing losses, improving quality, and strengthening value chain efficiency. The work will focus on practical technical support, capacity development, and application of improved post-harvest technologies.

•     Conducting value chain assessments to identify post-harvest constraints and opportunities
•     Supporting adoption of improved post-harvest practices and technologies for handling, storage, and value addition.
•     Designing and delivering tailored capacity-building programmes for farmers, cooperatives, and value chain actors.
•     Providing inputs to post-harvest policy discussions, guidelines, and strategic planning.
•     Promoting food quality and safety throughout post-harvest operations.
•     Contributing to monitoring and evaluation of post-harvest interventions and documenting lessons learned.

Tasks and responsibilities

The specialist, under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative a.i. in Rwanda and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programmes), will perform the following duties:

•     Lead the implementation of the farm-gate analysis on the root causes of post-harvest losses for selected horticulture and staple crops, ensuring the integration of a robust gender analysis to examine the different vulnerabilities of and barriers faced by men and women farmers.
•     Develop a comprehensive training module in Kinyarwanda on post-harvest handling, management, and aflatoxin prevention, based directly on the findings from the farm-gate analysis of the selected horticulture and staple crops along with other strategies.
•     Conduct hands-on Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions for selected project staff, district officers, and lead farmers on post-harvest handling for selected staple and horticultural crops, ensuring the practical transfer of skills and the inclusion of a module on delivering gender-sensitive advisory services.
•     Prepare and submit a final consultancy report consolidating the assessment findings, the training materials developed, the outcomes of the ToT sessions, and recommendations for scaling.
•     Perform any other related duties as required by the supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Be a national of Rwanda.
•     At least a Masters University degree in Post-Harvest Management with a background in Crop Production, Horticulture, or a related field.
•     At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in post-harvest management of perishable crops 
•     Working proficiency (Level C) in English.
•     Knowledge of Kinyarwanda is required; French is an added advantage.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
•     Extent and relevance of experience in post-harvest management of perishable crops and staple crops.
•     Proven experience providing technical support on post-harvest handling of perishable and staple crops, including post-harvest technologies, capacity development initiatives, and post-harvest management policy dialogue.
•     Experience supporting stakeholders in the formulation of tailored training, value chain assessments, and post-harvest programmes.
•     Ability to communicate clearly and concisely to diverse audiences and work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
•     Experience in monitoring and evaluation of project activities, with the ability to synthesize lessons learned and produce empirical, evidence-based conclusions.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION