Faculty of Food and Agriculture

National Technical Project Coordinator

Application Deadline: December 22, 2025, 11:59 p.m. (GMT-4)

Job Description

The Faculty of Food and Agriculture invites suitably qualified candidates to apply for the position of National Technical Project Coordinator: BioResilience: Nature based solutions for resilient landscapes in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Background:

BioResilience is a five-year project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and executed by The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.  The project budget is USD 3.5 million with a duration of 60 months.

The project’s objective is “To have nature-positive development and increased food security in Trinidad and Tobago, including nature-based solutions (NbS), that halt current land degradation trends, increase biodiversity and provide resilience to climate change impacts in the long run.” The project comprises the following components covering land degradation, biodiversity and climate change resilience:

 

Component 1:          Steps toward NCA

Component 2:          Increasing natural capital through NbS in degraded lands, includin integrated land planning and demonstration of approaches

Component 3:          Improving financial environment and implementing marketing instruments to enhance the adoption of nature-positive business strategies

Component 4:          Fostering, tracking and assessing project progress and impact through capacity development, knowledge management and M&E

 

Tenure of Contract:

The post of National Technical Project Coordinator (NTPC) will be for an initial period of one year, extendable to five years after review.

 

Duty Station:

Trinidad & Tobago (UWI Project Management Unit), with travel as required.

 

Eligibility:

Applicants must be nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. Both locally based and overseas nationals are welcome to apply.

 

Qualifications and Experience:

The successful candidate must possess:

  • An advanced degree in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Management or similar field, with experience in Project Management, Business Administration, Development Management or similar field.
  • A good understanding of biodiversity, soil and land management, climate change, rehabilitation and restoration, landscape and watershed management, forestry and monitoring, and evaluation

Candidates should also possess:

  • At least seven (7) years professional experience in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental management or a similar field;
  • At least five (5) years experience in management of development projects;
  • Extensive knowledge of the national context;
  • Good knowledge of and dealings with national institutions;
  • Experience in preparation and/or implementation of projects with international organizations;
  • Experience in workshop facilitation and coordination of multidisciplinary teams;
  • Writing technical reports according to UN quality standards;
  • At least 2-3 years of experience supervising and motivating others including multi-disciplinary teams, staff and consultants;
  • Experience with working with senior government officials, NGOs, and local communities;
  • Strong communication and presentation skills in English, and an ability to prepare appropriate and timely reports to multiple audiences including donors, government, community and private sector;
  • Good understanding of environmental and social safeguards and gender issues.

 

Other Skills:

  • Planning and organizing: Ability to establish a coherent course of action to achieve goals, ability to translate plans into actions, organize work, monitor & review outcomes, and communicate the results clearly both orally and in writing;
  • Teamwork: Ability to build trust and respect among fellow team members and contribute to the resolution of workplace conflict;
  • Communications and interpersonal skills: Ability to expresses thoughts clearly, accurately and succinctly in verbal and in writing to different audiences, and ability to relate well with others and to maintain relations with cordiality and diplomacy;
  • Ability to work in a multi‐cultural setting and under pressure: Ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures, ability to multi-task and remain efficient and productive under pressure;
  • Effective problem-solving skills: Ability to use sound judgment and initiative, develop options and achieve outcomes;
  • Organizational awareness: Ability to align thinking and actions to organizational values;
  • Flexibility and adaptability: Ability to respond positively to change and new organizational practices, structures, procedures and technology; and
  • Personal credibility: Has high regards for self-discipline, good attendance record, respect punctuality and set example to others, show consistency in words and actions, has high integrity and is conscientious.

 

Reporting Lines:

Under the direct supervision of the Project Steering Committee and The University of the West Indies (St. Augustine Campus).

 

Objectives of the Assignment:

The National Technical Project Coordinator (NTPC) will have direct responsibility for the overall day-to-day operations and management of the project and will lead on providing technical oversight to partners, project planning, programming, execution, monitoring, and evaluation, in accordance with the approved workplan(s), procurement plan(s) and budget(s).

The NTPC will also provide quality control to ensure that the project objectives are met and within timeframes set.

 

Specific Responsibilities:

Technical Tasks

 The incumbent will carry out the following functions:

  • Component 1 (8% dedication): Assist with building ownership with stakeholders who will compile data and use NCAA in decision-making by establishing a multi-sectoral working group to guide the design of a roadmap for including the agriculture/forest sector into NCAA; spearhead the integration of AFOLU into T&T’s environmental monitoring and information systems; assist with executing workshops and learning-by-doing programmes; provide technical support and assess the outputs of national consultants, as well as the products generated in the implementation of the project.
  • Component 2 (38% dedication): Spearhead the employ of NbS, such as RECSOIL and the ridge-to-reef approach to restore and renaturalise areas, that address erosion, low agricultural yields, flood and drought and drought risk, and diminished ecological connectivity, to increase the natural capital in the project; assist with executing Global Soil Doctors and learning-by-doing programmes; provide technical support and assess the outputs of national consultants, as well as the products generated in the implementation of the project.
  • Component 3 (27% dedication): Support the mainstreaming of natural capital principles and practice in the private sector in the Caribbean; assist with the development of a mentoring programme to support capacity building for entrepreneurs to create sustainable businesses; and supporting the development of marketing campaigns to improve the visibility of ecotourism assets and farm-to-table experiences that support community, private sector, nature-positive businesses; provide technical support and assess the outputs of national consultants and partners, as well as the products generated in the implementation of the project.
  • Component 4 (27% dedication): Assist with the development of a learning strategy and action plan, a communication strategy and action plan and a multiscale knowledge management strategy and action plan, including the regional and global levels; ensure that there is gender balance within the scope of the project, that appropriate target beneficiaries are the subject of interventions, that data is not being lost, that results are relevant, that activities are appropriate for delivering the types of results required, that resources are used efficiently and effectively, that interventions are not duplicated and there is effective collaboration with other initiatives; assist with organizing and participation in mid-term and terminal evaluations in close coordination with the FAO BH and the independent FAO OED.

 

Project Management Tasks

  • Assist with the organization of the Project Inception Workshop, combined with the 1st PSC meeting, within three (3) months of project launch. Ensure the Inception Report is submitted to the FAO, immediately after the workshop;
  • Field missions:  Lead the missions, if necessary, to engage local stakeholders and communities in the areas of incidence of the project;
  • Ensure local stakeholder needs and priorities are included in the design of project activities and that these are reflected in the AWP/B;
  • Design and implement international technical missions as needed, as well as FAO supervisory missions in order to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of the project.
  • Reporting:  Responsible for preparing and submitting the six-monthly PPRs with the AWP/B to the PSC and FAO;
  • Responsible for preparing the annual PIR;
  • Responsible for preparing and submitting the OP six-monthly technical and financial reports to FAO and facilitate information exchange between the OP and FAO when needed.
  • Responsible for the overall delivery of project results, outcomes, and indicators;
  • Observe project management procedures to facilitate project implementation and ensure delivery of high-quality outcomes;
  • In consultation with local partners, prepare the project’s annual work plans and budget allocations;
  • Facilitate communications and linkages at the national and local levels
  • Direct supervision of the experts/contract institutions, as required, to undertake tasks and to ensure delivery of all project outcomes and outputs;
  • Coordinate committed in-kind and in-cash contributions for the project
  • Supervise the management of the project budget in accordance with the agreed work plan and approved disbursal of project funds
  • Maintain good communications with project partners and others

Renumeration package:

  • A competitive compensation package is offered.
  • Applicants residing outside of Trinidad and Tobago will be subject to withholding tax at the rate applicable to the country in which they reside.

 HOW TO APPLY:

To apply applicants are asked submit an Application Form, a full curriculum vitae and a letter of motivation to the Business Development Unit,  Faculty of Food and Agriculture, Frank Stockdale Building, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I. via email at bdu@sta.uwi.edu.

Applications should be identified as Vacancy: National Technical Project Coordinator (NTPC): BioResilience Project.

Three (3) references (one of which should be from your present organization) must be indicated. To expedite the appointment procedures, applicants are advised to ask their referees to send their signed references under CONFIDENTIAL cover DIRECTLY to the Dean, Faculty of Food and Agriculture at the above email address without waiting to be contacted by The University. Applications received after the deadline date will not be considered.

Click here for the Application Form

 Please note that unsuitable applications will not be acknowledged.