Field Programme Associate

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

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.

Organizational Setting

The Office of Emergencies and Resilience is responsible for ensuring FAO's efforts to support countries and partners in preparing for and effectively responding to food and agricultural threats and crises by i) increasing the numbers of people reached in Integrated Phase Classification 3 (IPC 3) and above and ii) increasing the numbers of people supported to move out of IPC 3 and above from a humanitarian caseload onto pathways of resilience and development. FAO has mainstreamed a humanitarian, development, peace nexus approach and a localization agenda throughout its strategic positioning and programmatic design and implementation at country and regional levels. In this organizational setting, OER is responsible for coordinating the development and maintenance of corporate tools and standards to enable Decentralized Offices (DOs) to assist Member Nations to prepare for, and respond to emergencies as well as strengthen capacities of national and sub-national institutions and partners for resilience and risk-informed development. OER ensures humanitarian policy coordination and knowledge, liaison with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee as well as with humanitarian resource partners, co-leadership with World Food Programme of the global Food Security Cluster, organizational preparedness, surge capacity and response to large-scale emergencies. OER supports food and nutrition security and sectoral/systems assessments, early warning activities related to emergency and humanitarian analysis and responses. OER plays a major role in the development and leadership of the Organization's programme to increase the resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises of the Organization's programme in areas such as risk governance and coordination, anticipatory actions, disaster risk reduction, early warning and response in agriculture and food chain crises.

The position is located in OER at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Main Purpose

The Field Programme Associate plays a lead role in the coordination of Field Programme/project support services. He/she performs a broad range of programme, planning and budgeting activities requiring in-depth analysis and interpretation of relevant policies, procedures and practices. The incumbent provides procedural guidance to managers and staff .

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Field Programme Associate reports to the Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer/Team Leader of the Country Support Team. He/she works with wide latitude for independent action, gives guidance and advice to clerical and/or junior support staff and collaborates closely with colleagues of the other OER Teams, and outside OER to the Decentralized Offices as required. He/she works collaboratively with various Project Management Units operating under the Region and also with the administrative staff of the Office.

Working Relationships

The Field Programme Associate maintains a wide range of contacts with managers, staff and stakeholders inside and outside the Organization. The incumbent collaborates closely with colleagues in Regional, Subregional and Country Offices and relevant headquarters divisions, ensuring the quality and consistency of programme and project support services.

Key Functions/Results

• Ensure effective operational support to the FAO Field Programmes and projects executed; ensure consistency with the Organization's operational requirements and the FAO's rules and regulations.
• Participate in the identification, formulation and preparation of programme, project and workplan proposals in line with the new Project Cycle Guide; participate in the preparation of draft project documents; ensure high quality and consistency.
• Ensure that the necessary financial and human resources are in place and that the appropriate goods and services are procured for the effective functioning of projects, in collaboration with others on the project team.
• Coordinate the monitoring and review of project implementation to ensure that all operational activities are carried out in line with the work plan and the project document; coordinate the review of inputs, expenditures and time frames; identify inconsistencies and delays and, when necessary, propose corrective measures to overcome operational constraints.
• Accompany field visits to project sites and/or accompany project managers and/or experts in their meetings with donors and government officials.
• Coordinate the collection, maintenance, distribution and consolidation of technical and operational data. ensuring that all project-related data and documentation is up-to-date in the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS)\: analyse and summarize data from various sources, including FAO corporate systems, draft periodic or ad hoc management reports, verify data, answer queries and obtain additional information on transactions and operational matters.
• Prepare and finalize correspondence of operational nature regarding programme/project matters; initiate correspondence to verify data, answer queries, and obtain additional information on transactions and operational matters, as required.
• Ensure appropriate recording and administrative processing of requests and inputs for FAO's assistance received by Government, donors or other organizations.
• Review current processes and make recommendations to improve programme/projects' operational and administrative procedures.
• Perform other duties as required.

Impact of Work

The incumbent's work impacts directly on the smooth and efficient operations of the Field Programme/project activities. He/she plays a lead role in the coordination and provision of the programme operational support services for the successful achievement of the Office's mandate.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education\: Secondary School Education. Specialized training in project management and programme operations.
Experience\: Five years of experience in administrative/ financial/planning/programming/budgeting activities for both Regular Programme and Projects.
Languages\: Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
IT Skills\: Ability to effectively use standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point, Exchange). Ability to effectively use project management software and other information systems/databases.

Residency\: General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit, and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application. "Commuting distance" means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.

Competencies

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

Technical Skills

• Experience in providing training in project management support and programme operations support.
• Extent of knowledge of corporate information systems such as Oracle, COIN (Country Office Information System) and FPMIS (Field Programme Management Information System) is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of the communication and documentation management standards.
• Knowledge of administrative procedures and policies.
• Knowledge of organizational structure.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• Good knowledge of FAO and/or UN Field Programme management procedures and guidelines.
• Ability to develop and maintain plans for key administrative processes (human resources, travel and procurement).
• Extent of experience in emergency operations procedures; experience in training colleagues in the administrative procedures, including recruitment and travel process of all categories of staff and non-staff, Purchase Requisitions and Low Value Orders.
• Experience in front office support operations.
• Good knowledge of Letters of Agreement procedures and other contractual tools and their preparation and monitoring.
• Availability to travel to support operations in crisis countries is required.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of French is an asset.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http\://www.whed.net/

• The length of the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments

• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
• General Service Staff are recruited locally. To be eligible for this position, candidates must be nationals of the country of the duty station or possess an existing visa/work permit, and reside within commuting distance of the duty station at the time of the application."Commuting distance" means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.
• No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location
• For additional information visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

REMUNERATION
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link\:
http\://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm

HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate
• Incomplete applications will not be considered

• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered

• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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