Operations Specialist

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• 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 person 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’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

The FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Kazakhstan is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing, and implementing strategies for addressing food security, agriculture, and rural development priorities in the country in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan and other national stakeholders.

Reporting Lines

The Operations Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Investment Support Officer/OiC FAO Kazakhstan, in close collaboration with the Programme and Administration Units, Operations Unit, Regional and Subregional Offices.

Technical Focus

Provide operational coordination for FAO Kazakhstan projects, ensuring efficient project implementation, compliance with FAO’s Project Cycle Management (PCM) procedures.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Investment Support Officer/OiC FAO Kazakhstan, the incumbent will perform the following duties and responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day project operations of the FAO Kazakhstan projects in order to ensure timely provision of scheduled inputs and monitor their timely execution in line with the project work plan including facilitation of personnel recruitment and procurement actions (including LoAs);
• Organize periodic Project Task Force meetings and provide guidance and advice on the PCM procedures, and ensure conformity of the activities with the project document;
• Be responsible for budgetary management and monitoring of the approved field expenditures including conduct budget revisions, regular update of delivery estimates in FPMIS, facilitate Call for Funds (CCF) and prepare financial report as per donor requirements;
• Coordinate the preparation or update of work plans including budget and logical framework matrices;
• Ensure timely updating the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS) inputs, including delivery estimates, logical framework matrices, work plans, budget (as mentioned above) and uploading documents such as BTOR, Technical reports, Workshop Proceedings, LoAs, etc.;
• Formulate correspondence with recipient governments, donors and other entities ensuring the quality of correspondence in consultation with FAOR;
• Participate on behalf of the team leader or project manager in various meetings organized for donor coordination and resource mobilization, as required;
• Prepare analytical reports/information on project performance and other issues, as required;
• Train FEKAZ personnel to ensure knowledge transfer and build local capacity for sustainable project implementation;
• Perform other related duties as required by the supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in agriculture, economics, business administration, agricultural economics or any other field related to the work of the Organization.
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in agriculture, economics, business administration, agricultural economics.
• Working knowledge of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Selection Criteria

• Working knowledge of Russian is an asset.
• Knowledge of United Nations/FAO’s operational guidelines and project / programme management procedures is an asset.
• Ability to effectively use standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point, Exchange).

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• 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 FAO 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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