National Administration and Operations Assistant

Under the Least Development Country Fund, the GEF-CEO has approved the project on “Climate Adaptation in Wetland Areas of Lao PDR” (CAWA), with FAO as the Executing Agency and the Executing Partners being the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) of Lao PDR and the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN). The CAWA project started in 2016 and will end in 2021.

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative Lao PDR, the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Adviser of the CAWA project, with specific collaboration with the CAWA Administration and Operations Officer and CAWA Project and Administration Officer during periods of hand-over and contract overlap, and in general collaboration with the Assistant FAO Representative – Programme, the incumbent will provide operational and administrative support to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project to enable the timely delivery of outcomes and outputs.

The CAWA project is looking for a national administration and operations assistant with strong project administration and management skills to support the day-to-day implementation of the CAWA project, as part of the team of the Project Management Unit (PMU), to provide key back-up project support during the absence of current project operations and administration officers on maternity leave.

In particular she will perform the following tasks\:

• Assist smooth and timely implementation of project activities in support of the results-based work plan, through operational, administrative, TA, TEC and logistical support procedures according to FAO rules and standards;
• Assist coordination and review of project operational arrangements through contractual agreements with key project partners and service providers, in collaboration with the CAWA Provincial / District Facilitators and CAWA National Capacity Development Specialist, in regard to review and update of project field activities and schedules;
• Maintain inter-departmental linkages with FAO units for Finance, Human Resources, and other units as required;
• Day-to-day management of the project operating budget for project staff, including the monitoring of petty cash availability, budget preparation and budget revisions associated with TA, TEC, missions, events and operational advances, to be reviewed by the Project National Administration and Operations Officer and the Project Chief Technical Advisor;
• Assist to manage the overall project budget, including the related monitoring of project cash availability, budget preparation and budget revisions to be reviewed by the Project Chief Technical Advisor;
• Ensure the accurate recording of all data relevant for project operational and financial monitoring, and to assist the Knowledge Management and Participation Expert with project results-based monitoring and overall project M&E operations;
• Ensure that relevant reports on expenditures, forecasts, progress against work plans, project closure, are prepared and submitted in accordance with FAO and GEF defined procedures and reporting formats, schedules and communications channels (i.e. FPMIS and GRMS), as required;
• Execute accurate and timely actions on all operational requirements for larger-budget equipment and material procurement, and LoA and partner related field disbursements;
• Assist responsible project officers, the Administration and Operations Officer and Project and Administration Officer, in regard to achievement of results within her area of work, and ensure issues affecting project delivery and success are brought to the attention of higher-level authorities through the CTA and BH in a timely manner;
• Assist the execution of accurate and timely actions on all operational requirements for personnel-related matters,
• Assist in regard to smaller-budget equipment and material procurement, and project staff and consultant related field disbursements;
• Participate, represent and assist the project in collaborative meetings with project partners and service providers, as required;
• Perform other related duties as required.

• At least 5 years demonstrated experience in project administration, management and implementation
• Some experience in implementation of rural development or conservation programmes, whether government, door-funded or NGO;
• Demonstrated experience in working cooperatively with government agencies (national, provincial and district), NGOs and international technical agencies;
• Strong oral and written communication skills in Lao language and in English
• National of Lao PDR

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