Organizational Setting

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on issues related to climate change, biodiversity and the environment and is the focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as well as FAO's work on environmental safeguards and leads the Programme Priority Areas on Climate Change (PPA BE1) and Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (PPA BE2).

This position is located in the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

The Programme Officer (Programme Hub) reports to the Director, OCB.

Technical Focus

The position leads, within the Programming Hub, the provision of strategic and operational support to OCB's Director/Deputy and Executive Management Team. It is responsible for coordinating administrative, budgetary, and programming processes, and for ensuring timely and effective responses to implementation, monitoring, operational, and administrative requests.

Key Results

Develops, implements and evaluates effective leadership and management of major projects and teams in accordance with Divisional/Office/Centre objectives and the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions

• Develops, implements and evaluates assigned programmes/projects; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and initiates corrective action; liaises with relevant parties; ensures follow-up action.

• Performs specific assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.

• Researches, analyses and presents information gathered from diverse sources.

• Coordinates policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies.

• Generates survey initiatives; reviews, analyses and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.

• Organizes and prepares written outputs, e.g. background papers, analyses, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications.

• Provides substantive backstopping to consultative and other meetings and conferences to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations.

• Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; conducts training workshops and seminars; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.

• Leads and/or participates in large, complex field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries.

• Coordinates activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget).

Specific Functions

• Provides substantive support and strategic advice to the Director, OCB, and the Senior Management on operational, administrative, budgetary and human resources-related issues; assists the Director in carrying out leadership functions, managing priority and goal setting, and proposing solutions to improve quality, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness.

• Oversees and coordinates the planning, monitoring, and regular reporting on OCB's contribution to the FAO Strategic Framework, including the development and monitoring of the office's Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) and related Programme Planning, Implementation Reporting, and Evaluation Support System (PIRES) work.

• Coordinates the planning, monitoring, and regular update of the divisional regular budget allocation and extra-budgetary project portfolio and advises on strategic and operational coherence in approaches for efficient implementation.

• Provides management data and periodic financial statements to facilitate joint programming and delivery across teams and regular budgetary (RB) and trust fund (TF) portfolios.

• Monitors and reviews current operational procedures and processes ensuring their quality and compliance with FAO rules and regulations and makes recommendations for improvement.

• Facilitates information sharing and continuous learning, including through Senior Management and Personnel Meetings, on FAO procedures, tools, and manuals, to enhance efficiency and delivery; promotes and facilitates interactions and exchanges within the Office and fosters teamwork and communication among its personnel.

• Leads administrative support for office and programme management, including, the application of the control framework and the formulation of standard operating procedures, consolidation of audit issues, evaluation actions, risk logs, and fraud prevention actions.

• Provides overall advice on project cycle management and corporate rules related to resource mobilization.

• Performs any other duties, as required. 
  
   

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration or public administration, economics, agriculture, environmental sciences or a related field.

• Seven years of relevant experience in project or programme planning and management, administration and the development of results-based management systems applied to the project and programming cycle.

• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

   

Competencies

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building effective relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.

• Extent and relevance of experience in the field of administration, human resources, finance and management.

• Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project formulation, planning, implementation and monitoring.

• Extent and relevance of experience in supporting corporate executive management.

• Knowledge of results-based management methodologies and tools, and experience in their application.

• Previous experience in the United Nations and/or knowledge of FAO policies and systems is considered a strong asset.