Programme Officer

The Programme Officer reports to the Director, OSL.

Programme support; establishment of partnerships; resource mobilization; coordination with headquarters and decentralized offices; engagement with FAO partners and member states.

Key Results

Develops, implements, evaluates, effective leadership and management of major projects and teams in accordance with Departmental objectives and FAO's Strategic Objectives.

• 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 consulting 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, analysis, 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).

• Supports the development of corporate workflows and processes, in consultation with other relevant FAO departments/offices, to faciliate implementation of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative in the countries concerned;
• Coordinates activities with FAO technical departments/divisions, Strategic Programme teams and Decentralized Offices, in order to facilitate implementation of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative in priority countries;
• Engages with external actors and partners, including Member States, the private sector and UN System to support the Office through, inter alia, resource mobilization and/or complementary interventions in areas beyond FAO’s mandate or capacity;
• Liaises closely with the Economic and Social Development Department (ES) and other FAO units/offices to ensure corporate data align to best support evidence-based, country-led and country-owned programme design and policy solutions;
• Contributes to analyses and recommendations for the Director OSL and other FAO senior management on options for policies, strategies and programmes that will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

• Advanced university degree in business administration, development studies, natural resources, political science, social sciences, agriculture or a related field
• Seven years of relevant experience in project and/or programme design and management in areas related to rural and community development, natural resource management, land management, climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture, and/or sustainable food systems.
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

• Results Focus
• Team Work
• Communication
• Building effective relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable
• Relevant experience in management and administration of agricultural or food security projects/programmes in developing countries, in particular SIDs, LDCs, and/or LLDCs is considered strong asset
• Extent and relevance of experience in institutional collaboration and partnership with UN agencies, governments, private sector, international financial institutions (IFIs), and regional, national and local agencies
• Demonstrated ability to process complex data and analyze information as the basis for technical and policy advice for governments and input to national and international fora
• Extent and relevance of experience in establishing partnerships and networks with relevant partners
• Extent and relevance of experience in supporting the development and design of programmes and/or projects is considered a strong asset
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes, in particular the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, is considered a strong asset