Organizational Setting

The post is located in the Office of the Deputy Director-General (DDG) Bechdol at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

The Programme Officer reports to the Senior Adviser, DDCB, and works under the general guidance of the Deputy Director-General.

Technical Focus

Provide overall management support and advice under the Programme Priority Areas and other key priorities of the Strategic Framework.

Key Results

Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate assigned programme/projects.

Key Functions

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation;

• Reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions;

• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, etc.;

• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. drafts background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.;

• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities;

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

   

Specific Functions

• Identifies priority problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions to the DDG, liaises with Divisions/Offices/Centres and other units or offices and tracks follow-up actions;

• Provides updates on programme/project performance through liaison with relevant coordinators and alerts on any potential fallouts;

• Researches, analyses and presents information and briefing notes to the DDG/Senior Adviser, DDCB gathered from diverse sources;

• Assists in preparing meetings and duty travels, including liaisons with Divisions/Offices/Centres, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries;

• Attends meetings both with and on behalf of the DDG and/or the Senior Advisor and prepares summary records, flagging issues of interest and/or requiring direct attention;

• Prepares and/or revises reports, briefing notes and talking points, of a technical content, for the DDG and other senior staff;

• Prepares and/or revises responses to comments, statements, and queries of parties, including from external stakeholders and Members;

• Assists in the review of outputs from the Office of the DDG to ensure quality control and high-quality standards in terms of substance, impact, coherence and compliance with relevant mandates, strategic vision and guidance of the Senior Leadership of the Organization;

• Performs 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, social science, political science, international development, international relations or a related field.

• Five years of relevant experience in project or programme management, administration or related area.

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

Competencies

• Results Focus

• Team Work

• Communication

• Building effective relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

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 programme and project management.

• Extent and relevance of experience in strategic policy analysis, programme/project formulation, planning and implementation.

• Experience working on partnership and outreach topics would be an asset.

• Excellent command of English, written and oral, and experience in drafting/editing would be an asset.

• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset.