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 over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. We believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger.
FAO’s Country Office for Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname (FAOTT/FAOSUR) and its Food Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF) at FAO HQ (Rome), under the Agri-food Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA) program co-led with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and funded by the UNSDG fund, is implementing a project for the sustainable development of the pineapple value chain (VC) in Suriname.
ESF supports a coordinated approach to the development of food systems, including inter alia, (i) the development of sustainable food value chains (SFVC) and sustainable investments across value chains (VC); (ii) the strengthening of food safety and quality at national, regional and international levels, (iii) the reductions in food loss and waste, (iv) the implementation of the urban food agenda and (v) the engagement in global level dialogues, platforms and initiatives
The ASTA project in Suriname aims to facilitate the country’s transformation from a marginal pineapple producer characterized by traditional growing practices, little value-addition and no exports, to an established producer and exporter of high quality organic fresh and processed pineapples. Applying an inclusive, sustainable VC approach, the programme will enable pineapple VC actors, notably indigenous producers, to increase their productivity, competitiveness, and access to markets.
To do so, three separate yet interconnected entities, will be introduced by the project: a Collateral Support Facility, a Pineapple Cooperative Development (PCD) company and a pineapple innovation Hub (the ‘Hub’), which will be set up as a one-stop-shop for all producer needs in terms of access to inputs, services, finance and technical assistance.
The purpose of this call is to provide FAOTT/FAOSUR and ESF with a list of qualified National Business Coordinators (Pineapples) to support the Hub and PCD activities. Selected candidates could be contracted for short term technical assignments (2-6 weeks) or for longer contracts (up to 12-month with the possibility of extension).
The National Business Coordinator (Pineapples) will be part of the ASTA team, with support from a range of UN experts. Her/his primary role will be to support the day-to-day management activities under the supervision of the international business manager of the project. This covers everything from ensuring the Hub’s overall direction, vision, and culture are in line with the project objectives and guidelines, manging organizational, finance, operational, sales and marketing aspects, managing the project and its reporting, engaging with all stakeholders and using a digital platform for production and marketing planning.
Reporting Lines
The National Business Coordinator (Pineapples) will work under the overall supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname Country Office and the direct supervision of the ASTA project manager or ESF Economist Officers.
Technical Focus
The role of the National Business Coordinator (Pineapples) will be directly linked to the Hub and PCD. She/he will provide managerial support and advice, and ensure the smooth operationalization of the ASTA pineapple value chain project, in collaboration with country stakeholders and cooperating partners, to generate positive sustainability outcomes, notably in terms of value-added generation, smallholder farmer incomes, job creation, government revenue generation, and impacts on natural resources (notably forests).
Tasks and responsibilities
The successful candidate will support the above areas of work, and in particular will assist with one or more of the following tasks:
Get familiar with the ASTA methodology, project goals, structure and activities, and with the upgraded business model for organic pineapple production.
Under the guidance of an international finance and management expert, acquire knowledge and skills about modern organic pineapple business management, and build project management capacities with the aim to fully and independently manage the Hub's management and finance activities by the end of the project (March 2026).
