Back Technical Advisor (Behavior Change Communication) – SB-5

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. The main aim of the FAO Representation in Cambodia is to assist the government to develop policies, programmes, and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries, and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The Public-Social-Private Partnerships for Ecologically-Sound Agriculture and Resilient Livelihood in the Northern Tonle Sap Basin (PEARL) is a six-year project (2023 – 2029), funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This adaptation project aims to enhance the climate resilience of farmers and local communities in the Northern Tonle Sap Basin (Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, and Oddar Meanchey) through public-social-private partnerships and improved access to growing segments of the premium agricultural product market while ensuring climate-resilient practices. 

A Technical Advisor (Behavior Change Communication) is recruited to ensure that farmers and extension workers understand, trust, and act on weather and climate information for improved decision-making, monitor and provide guidance to strengthen adoption of climate resilient technologies and practices as well as the use of knowledge and information received through Project trainings and capacity building. 

Reporting Lines

The Technical Advisor (Behavior Change Communication) reports to the Senior Project Officer under the direct technical guidance of the PEARL Components 1 and 2 Leads while working under the technical oversight of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in the FAO regional office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and relevant technical units at FAO headquarters. 

Technical Focus 

Provide technical leadership in behavior change communication to enhance farmers’ adoption of climate-resilient practices under the PEARL project. Ensure effective translation and dissemination of agrometeorological information, strengthen rural advisory services, and promote inclusive communication strategies, integrating gender, youth, and indigenous perspectives.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Develop localized communication strategies to enhance farmers' trust in and uptake of agrometeorological advisories, ensuring gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and minority groups;
•    Train extension officers and lead farmers in communicating agrometeorological information in farmer-friendly formats, while ensuring gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and minority groups;
•    Translate scientific weather and climate data into clear, actionable advisories for different farming communities;
•    Support establishing a digital monitoring system to assess how farmers interact with advisories via SMS, mobile apps, and social media platforms, ensuring the effectiveness of digital tools in behavior change. Conduct periodic assessments to evaluate information retention and real-world application of advisories, particularly among women farmers, youth, and indigenous groups;
•    Translate agrometeorology bulletins and advisories from English to Khmer and vice versa to ensure accessibility for all stakeholders.
•    Translate farmer feedback and field reports from Khmer to English to support program monitoring and evaluation;
•    Develop agrometeorological visual, audio, and print materials (infographics, radio scripts, SMS alerts, etc.) tailored to local contexts, integrating approaches to strengthen gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and other minority groups;
•    Coordinate with media, NGOs, and government agencies to amplify outreach;
•    Facilitate community feedback loops to assess agrometeorological advisory effectiveness and refine approaches;
•    Collaborate with the PEARL M&E Specialist to develop and implement M&E frameworks to track agrometeorological advisory reach, farmer adoption, and impact;
•    Conduct field visits and surveys to assess farmer perceptions and barriers to agrometeorological information uptake;
•    Write progress reports as required, ensuring that the works progress timely to meet agreed deadlines;
•    Provide methodological guidance to project provincial teams and extension officers on communications towards strengthening adoption of climate resilient technologies and practices, ensuring gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and minority groups;
•    Provide methodological guidance to service providers, project provincial teams and extension officers on communications towards strengthening the use of the knowledge and information received through trainings and technical assistance on value chain development including business plans development and implementation, while ensuring gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and minority groups;
•    Develop a structured mechanism to collect and analyse farmer feedback on the effectiveness of advisory communications, ensuring that extension strategies are continuously refined to meet local needs and cultural contexts. Work with the PEARL M&E Specialist to track adoption trends and identify behavioural barriers to adoption, integrating findings into updated advisory approaches;
•    Support the beneficiary groups and public (including the PDAFF Extension Officers, commune agricultural officers/CAOs) and private extension services in identifying and demonstrating appropriate climate-resilient, high-value and sustainable techniques, and technologies through various outreach and extension activities in coordination with relevant experts and government counterparts, while ensuring gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and minority groups;
•    Develop Training Promotional Extension materials related to Climate resilient agricultural Practices, ensuring integration of gender, youth, IP and other minority group aspects;
•    Provide capacity building to Public and private Extension Service providers, ensuring effective gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and other minority groups;
•    Coordinate with other extension service providers to ensure that the extensive service provided by the PEARL project reach a greater number of beneficiaries, including working with the government and private sector to integrate the extension materials and messages into the extension platforms (e.g., web-based platform or digital Apps) for a wider dissemination, while ensuring gender mainstreaming, youth, indigenous people and minority groups; 
•    Support the design and implementation interactive digital learning modules, including chatbot-based advisory tools, video tutorials, and SMS-based decision support systems, to expand farmer engagement beyond traditional extension methods. Collaborate with service providers and digital agriculture experts to enhance accessibility of climate-resilient agricultural knowledge through mobile applications and social media platforms;
•    Coordinate Behavior Change Communication (BCC) activities under Outcomes 1 and 2 together with the National Communications Specialist;
•    Work with gender and social inclusion specialist to enhance the agricultural Extension Service cater to women specific needs, designed the extension material that appropriate to the noble and literacy of the indigenous peoples, young farmers etc.;
•    Submit quarterly reports analysing gender-disaggregated adoption rates, highlighting gaps in access and participation for women, youth, and indigenous groups. Identify and implement corrective measures to ensure inclusive participation in climate-resilient agricultural practices;
•    Perform any other relevant tasks as assigned.

FAO Standards and guidelines:

•    Liaison with OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes.
•    All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
•    FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en  
•    FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia   
•    Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044en 
•    FAOSTYLE https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081en 
•    FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm 
•    FAO Names of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en    
•    Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff). 
•    Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Master’s degree in Agricultural Extension, Communication for Development (C4D), Rural Sociology, Climate Change Adaptation, or related fields
•    At least 5 years of experience in extension, farmer outreach, or climate services communication
•    Working knowledge of English and Khmer
•    National of Cambodia

FAO Core Competencies

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

Selection Criteria

•    Proven expertise in behaviour change communication, rural advisory services, and participatory approaches.
•    Strong facilitation, training, and stakeholder engagement skills.
•    Ability to translate complex climate information into simple, actionable messages for diverse audiences.
•    Experience working with digital platforms (SMS, apps, community radio) for extension is an advantage.
•    Familiarity with climate-smart agriculture and agrometeorology is desirable.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION