Agriculture Engineer - Project Officer

About World Vision

For more than 75 years, World Vision has been committed to making a positive and lasting difference in the world. We have become a global leader in improving and transforming the lives of children, their families, and their communities. We help children, families, and communities overcome poverty and injustice, irrespective of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Every child deserves a life rich in meaning and purpose. We work with the most vulnerable children in the world so they can experience life in all its fullness.

Job Location: Northwest Syria – Idleb or Aleppo

Job purpose:

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Officer leads day-to-day implementation of the RISE Syria project (Resilient Irrigation for Smallholder Empowerment), funded by the Humanitarian Innovation Programme (HIP)/Innovation Norway. The Officer facilitates coordination and dialogue between the private sector partner and smallholder wheat farmers, ensures adherence to project timelines and objectives, and works closely with the MEAL team and consortium partners Engineers Without Borders Norway and Field Ready MENA to deliver a high-quality, accountable pilot and scale-up process.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Farmer–Private Sector Dialogue and Coordination

• Serve as the primary day-to-day liaison between the private sector partner and the 50 pilot smallholder wheat farmers in Southern Aleppo, ensuring clear, culturally appropriate two-way communication throughout Phase 2 and Phase 3.

• Organize and facilitate regular farmer–private sector dialogue sessions, joint field visits, and mentoring sessions aligned to the wheat production calendar.

• Support farmer registration, onboarding, and baseline data collection in coordination with the private sector partner and the MEAL team.

• Facilitate co-design sessions between farmers, technical experts, and the private sector partner on system installation, interface design, alarms, and workflow adaptations.

• Support resolution of operational misunderstandings or grievances between farmers and the private sector partner, escalating unresolved issues to the Project Manager.

• Track farmer feedback, adoption barriers, and satisfaction, feeding this information into MEAL processes and design pivot decisions.

• Maintain a log of all farmers–private sector interactions, agreements, and issues raised, for project accountability.

2. Project Implementation, Planning and Partner Coordination

• Support the Project Manager in translating the RISE Syria workplan into detailed weekly/monthly implementation plans for Phase 2 and Phase 3 activities.

• Coordinate with Engineers Without Borders Norway (EWB-N) and Field Ready MENA on technical inputs, site access, logistics, and field-level implementation requirements.

• Monitor progress of the staged pilot rollout (5 → 15 → 30 farms) against agreed milestones and flag delays or risks to the Project Manager.

• Support site verification processes (water access, soil conditions, farmer consent) in coordination with the private sector partner.

• Ensure project activities comply with HIP/Innovation Norway requirements, World Vision internal policies, and applicable national regulations.

• Provide regular field-based updates, progress reports, and technical recommendations to the Project Manager

3. Monitoring, Evaluation Support

• Work closely with the MEAL team to apply the Response Innovation Lab (RIL) MEAL Toolkit, including tracking pilot performance and farmer satisfaction.

• Support MEAL team in data collection for baseline, postimplementation monitoring (PIMs), and endline assessments related to farmer adoption, water-use efficiency, and irrigation decision-making.

• Contribute to maintaining the project's pivot diary, documenting design adaptations and their rationale based on farmer feedback.

• Support the establishment and ongoing functioning of community feedback and complaint mechanisms for pilot farmers.

• Ensure MEAL-related field data is accurately entered, verified, and shared with the MEAL team in a timely manner.

4. Development Documentation, Case Study, and Internal WV Reporting

• Contribute to development of the RISE Syria case study, including collecting farmer stories, field data, and photographic evidence structured around the RIL innovation methodology.

• Draft and compile internal World Vision reporting requirements (donor reports, internal updates, SharePoint documentation) related to the Project Officer's areas of responsibility.

• Support preparation of materials for dissemination events, learning briefs, and scale-up planning documentation.

• Maintain accurate, organized project records (photos, field evidence, farmer engagement logs) per donor (HIP/Innovation Norway) and WV documentation standards.

5. Networking and Stakeholder Engagement

• Coordinate with local authorities, community representatives, and relevant stakeholders in Southern Aleppo to support smooth pilot implementation.

• Participate in relevant food security, agriculture, or humanitarian innovation coordination forums as required.

• Represent World Vision professionally when engaging with the private sector partner, farmers, and other consortium partners.

6. Child Protection and Safeguarding

• Ensure all farmer engagement and field activities comply with World Vision's Child Protection Policy and safeguarding standards.

• Identify and report any child protection or safeguarding concerns arising during farmer dialogue, field visits, or private sector engagement activities.

• Promote awareness of Do No Harm principles among farmers, technicians, and private sector partners involved in the pilot

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Team Lead or Project Manager.

Knowledge/Qualifications for the Role

Required Professional Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in agricultural project implementation, preferably within humanitarian innovation, private-sector engagement, or livelihoods programming. Solid knowledge of wheat production, irrigation systems, and climate-smart agriculture is required, along with demonstrated experience facilitating coordination and dialogue between private-sector actors and smallholder farming communities.

Required Education, training, license, registration, and certification:

• Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, or another closely related field. Candidates without this specific degree but with extensive, demonstrable professional experience in agriculture and food security programming may also be considered.

Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications

• Excellent English and Arabic communication skills (both oral and written).

• Strong interpersonal and coordination skills, with a demonstrated ability to build trust and manage relationships between diverse stakeholders — particularly private-sector actors and smallholder farmers.

• Familiarity with private-sector engagement models, market-based approaches, or innovation piloting within humanitarian contexts.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Motivated to work in the humanitarian innovation field and grow professionally; eager and quick to learn.

• Familiar with core principles of Children's Rights, Child Protection, Participation, and Do No Harm.

• Knowledge of and adherence to the Child Protection, Red Cross and NGO Code of Conduct.

• Working knowledge of the logical framework approach and basic MEAL principles.

Travel and/or Work Environment Requirement

• The position requires 100% of the time to be field based.

• Position requires willingness and ability to continue functioning during a crisis, including during a World Vision response to a manmade or natural disaster.

Language Requirements:

• Fluent Arabic and working proficiency in English (spoken and written).