Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide and has started working in Sri Lanka since 1979 with its Representation (Country Office) opened in Colombo. The FAO contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, and through four Betters (Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life) - leaving no one behind.

Context:

FAO is implementing a United States (US) Macro Grant project in Sri Lanka aimed at strengthening the preparedness, resilience, and adaptive capacity of vulnerable farming communities facing multiple and interconnected shocks. This includes responding to the long-lasting impacts of Cyclone Ditwah, disruptions associated with the Middle East crisis, with El Niño unfolding alongside a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, which can initially increase the likelihood of above-average rainfall in Sri Lanka, particularly during the second inter-monsoon, before shifting towards an increased risk of rainfall deficits and drought as El Niño decays into early 2027.

The project targets smallholder paddy farmers in the districts of Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Puttalam, and Vavuniya, as well as vegetable farmers in Badulla and Nuwara Eliya. The core aim of the project is to safeguard agricultural production, enhance food security, and strengthen livelihoods through a combination of agricultural input support, climate-resilient production practices, and anticipatory action measures.

The Multi-Hazard Anticipatory Action Framework Development Specialist will provide technical, analytical and documentation support for the development and finalization of the National Multi-Hazard Agriculture Anticipatory Action Framework. The assignment will provide technical inputs and facilitation support to FAO and relevant institutions in reviewing and documenting institutional, technical, and operational considerations required to strengthen anticipatory action for agriculture and food security, including forecasting, trigger development, preparedness planning, and operational protocols for flood, drought, and high-wind hazards. The role will focus on technical analysis, evidence compilation, drafting inputs, and consultation support, providing the foundations for future operationalization and scaling of anticipatory action systems.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall administrative leadership of the FAO Representative in Sri Lanka, the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), and the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer at the FAO Regional Office and relevant FAO technical teams, the Specialist will support FAO in coordinating and facilitating the development of the National Multi-Hazard Agriculture Anticipatory Action Framework.

The incumbent will support FAO in facilitating engagement with relevant government institutions, technical agencies, farmer organizations, partners, and other stakeholders to help ensure the framework is technically sound, operationally feasible, aligned with national priorities, and consistent with international good practices on anticipatory action, climate risk management, and resilient agrifood systems.

Technical Focus

Provide technical support to FAO in the development of the National Agriculture Anticipatory Action Framework, including evidence review, risk analysis, institutional mapping, trigger development, framework documentation, and the preparation of technical inputs to inform institutional arrangements for framework ownership and coordination, as well as standard operating procedures for implementation.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Support Situational Analysis and Institutional Mapping

•    Review relevant policies, strategies, disaster risk management frameworks, climate adaptation plans, and preparedness mechanisms related to agriculture, livestock, fisheries, plantations, irrigation, and climate services.
•    Compile and analyse information on early warning systems, climate services, agro-meteorological advisories, disaster loss data, farmer and land registries, and existing anticipatory action practices.
•    Support mapping of institutional roles, coordination arrangements, data systems, and operational capacities at national and subnational levels.
•    Review and document information and decision flows from forecasting and monitoring systems through impact interpretation, trigger confirmation, authorization, and dissemination of advisories.
•    Review arrangements for rainfall and water-level monitoring systems, including requirements for integration of project-supported automated monitoring infrastructure.
•    Identify key gaps, opportunities, and priorities for strengthening anticipatory action within the agriculture sector.

Provide Technical Inputs for Risk and Vulnerability Analysis

•    Support assessment of flood, drought, and high-wind risks affecting crop, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture, and plantation systems.
•    Assist in identifying priority geographic areas, vulnerable groups, exposed assets, and critical seasonal windows for anticipatory action.
•    Prepare technical inputs for sector-specific risk matrices linking hazards, vulnerabilities, impacts, forecast indicators, and feasible anticipatory actions.
•    Support consideration of climate risk, food security, gender, youth, disability inclusion, and livelihood resilience dimensions.
•    Explore the use of farmer and land registries to facilitate timely identification of potentially affected populations.

Support Development of the National Anticipatory Action Framework

•    Provide technical drafting and analytical support for preparation of the National Agriculture Anticipatory Action Framework.
•    Provide technical inputs to inform the framework’s objectives, scope, guiding principles, governance arrangements, coordination mechanisms, and operational modalities.
•    Facilitate alignment with national disaster risk management systems, sector policies, climate adaptation priorities, and relevant preparedness and response mechanisms.
•    Prepare technical analysis and documentation to inform institutional arrangements for framework ownership, trigger review, monitoring responsibilities, and long-term sustainability.
•    Ensure the framework reflects the needs of crop agriculture, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture, and plantation sectors.
•    Ensure proposed arrangements are practical and relevant to the six Macro Grant districts.

Support Development of Triggers and Operational Tools

•    Provide technical inputs to identify feasible and scientifically credible triggers and thresholds for floods, droughts, and high-wind events.
•    Support the design of trigger calibration and validation processes, including forecast indicators, lead times, uncertainty considerations, and review mechanisms.
•    Facilitate assessment of opportunities for introducing impact forecasting approaches and documenting potential use cases within Sri Lanka.
•    Provide technical inputs to support the preparation of hazard-specific and sector-specific anticipatory action and preparedness protocol options, including decision points, activation criteria, lead times, and institutional responsibilities.
•    Provide drafting and documentation support for standard operating procedure options covering trigger monitoring, authorization, activation, coordination, implementation, monitoring, and deactivation processes.
•    Facilitate identification of feasible anticipatory measures such as input pre-positioning, crop and livestock protection measures, fisheries asset protection, water management advisories, and early harvesting guidance.
•    Provide technical inputs on possible linkages between anticipatory action protocols and water-management decision support systems relevant to irrigation schemes and reservoir operations.

Support Consultation, Validation and Documentation

•    Assist FAO with technical and logistical preparation, facilitation support, and documentation for consultations, coordination meetings, and validation workshops with relevant institutions and stakeholders.
•    Support inclusion of perspectives from national and subnational institutions, including representation from all six Macro Grant districts.
•    Document key decisions, recommendations, agreed actions, and follow-up requirements arising from consultations.
•    Prepare briefing materials, presentations, workshop documentation, and technical guidance notes.
•    Support awareness and capacity-strengthening activities related to anticipatory action and impact forecasting concepts.
•    Compile feedback and provide drafting, consolidation, and documentation support for finalization of the framework and associated annexes by FAO and relevant institutions, including trigger matrices, institutional roles, standard operating procedures, coordination arrangements, monitoring indicators, and implementation roadmaps.
•    Provide technical inputs to inform operational readiness indicators that measure functionality, use, timeliness, reach, and effectiveness of the anticipatory action system.

Other Duties

• Undertake any other related tasks assigned by FAO in support of effective delivery of the assignment and achievement of project objectives.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Climatology, Disaster Management, Social sciences or any another related discipline
•    At least six (6) years of relevant experience in the field of Agriculture, Climatology, Disaster Management and Social sciences
•    Working knowledge of English and Sinhala and/or Tamil
•    National of Sri Lanka or resident of the country with a valid work permit

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Demonstrated experience and technical knowledge in agriculture, climatology, disaster risk management, climate adaptation, and resilience programming at the national level.
•    Proven experience in coordinating and facilitating complex multi-stakeholder consultations, including engagement with government institutions, development partners, technical agencies, academia, and community-level stakeholders.
•    Strong understanding of UN administrative and operational procedures, with familiarity with FAO policies, programmes, project management processes, and reporting requirements considered a distinct advantage.

Multi Hazard Anticipatory Action Framework Development Specialist