Cooperative Legislation Specialist Job Olathe area,Kansas USA,Research/Development

Organizational Setting

This assignment is situated within Regional Priority 1 (RP1) of the Near East and North Africa Regional office of FAO on Rural Transformation and Inclusive Value Chains, which focuses on enhancing productivity and income of small‑scale farmers, with particular emphasis on youth employment, women’s empowerment, and the development of inclusive value chains. RP1 is grounded in a people‑centred systems approach to rural transformation, recognising that sustainable change requires reinforcing the linkages between individual capacities, collective organisations, and enabling institutional and policy environments, rather than relying on fragmented or isolated interventions.

Role

Within RP1, the action area on cooperative development works at the critical intersection between the collective action of small‑scale farmers, youth, and women and the transformation of agrifood systems. For the 2026–2027 biennium, this work is framed under TCP/RAB/4101, which aims to catalyse agrifood system transformation in the NENA region by strengthening inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cooperative ecosystems through which youth, women, and small‑scale producers are empowered to act as central economic and social agents of food security, innovation, and rural development.

The expected outcome of the TCP is that youth, women, and small‑scale producers are empowered as central actors within inclusive, innovative, and economically viable cooperatives, while institutional stakeholders across the NENA region demonstrate improved role clarity, coordination, and capacity to support a resilient, cooperative‑led agrifood ecosystem. The work under this TCP is organised around three main outputs:

Outputs

Cooperative‑enabling regulatory and policy frameworks strengthened. Targeted regional analysis, practical policy guidance, and lean capacity development initiatives are implemented to strengthen cooperative‑enabling regulatory, policy, and strategic frameworks in priority NENA countries, supported by an institutionalised regional dialogue platform.

Capacities of small‑scale cooperators, including youth and women, on cooperative performance strengthened. Cooperators, including youth and women, are empowered as leaders, managers, and decision‑makers in cooperatives, with strengthened capacities, platforms, and representation mechanisms that enable them to drive good performance, innovation, inclusivity, and economic viability across the NENA region.

Interregional dialogue on cooperative innovation and strategic cooperation among cooperative actors established and strengthened. Cooperatives, apex bodies, governments, and academic institutions engage in structured inter-regional dialogue and strategic cooperation, fostering shared innovations, coordinated advocacy, and inclusive growth across the NENA region and beyond.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall leadership of the Regional Programme Leader OIC and the supervision of the LTO of TCP/RAB/4101. He/she will conduct the present assignment under the close guidance of the RNE Cooperative Development Expert, and in close collaboration with the LEGN Legal Officer, and the ESP Rural Institution Specialist.

Technical Focus

The assignment will provide technical legal support to strengthen cooperative‑enabling legislative and regulatory frameworks in the NENA region, under Output 1 of TCP/RAB/4101. The incumbent will lead the comparative legal and regulatory analysis of cooperative legislation across NENA countries, assessing alignment with international standards, including ICA principles and ILO Recommendation No. 193. The analysis will focus on governance provisions, registrar roles and practices, and legal mechanisms supporting the inclusion of youth, women, and small‑scale producers.

Findings will be summarised into concise country reports and a regional synthesis brief highlighting legislative and regulatory gaps and reform options.

The incumbent will also contribute to the development of a flagship regional guideline document providing harmonised, cooperative‑enabling legal recommendations. The guideline will include modular chapters, model…