1A021A02
• 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 persons 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 staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO’s Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, for Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life, leaving no one behind.
The Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) leads FAO’s support to countries in the Region in transforming their agri-food systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It identifies regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development and ensures the planning and implementation of FAO’s strategic response in the Region through a multidisciplinary approach. It implements approved programmes and projects, monitors programme implementation, and ensures that they contribute to addressing regional priorities. RNE also advises on the incorporation of regional priorities into the Organization’s Strategic Framework and Programme of Work and Budget.
RNE supports regional policy dialogues, facilitates the emergence of regional partnerships, and supports knowledge exchange, capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the Rsegion. It develops and maintains relations with region-wide institutions including the Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs).
The position is located in the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE) in Cairo, Egypt.
Reporting Lines
The Senior Programme Officer (Rural Transformation) reports to the Regional Programme Leader (RPL) in RNE.
Technical Focus
Rural development and transformation; smallholder empowerment and access to resources; inclusive value chains; economic inclusion; youth employment; women empowerment and gender equality; producer organizations and collective action; digital innovation, extension and advisory services; sustainable and climate-smart agriculture.
Key Results
Provides leadership and technical policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of the Regional Office programmes of work, projects, products and services in accordance with FAO’s Strategic Framework and in alignment with the Organization’s Gender Policy.
Key Functions
• Plans, manages or leads highly-specialized or multidisciplinary teams of assigned programmes/projects;
• Leads the preparation and implementation of regional programmatic activities in the areas of Technical Focus, and prepare work plans and the supporting budgets and/or resourcing strategies;
• Coordinates programme/project formulation activities;
• Leads resource mobilization activities; establishes partnerships to explore funding opportunities, leads negotiations of funding agreements and project relationships with key stakeholders throughout the project cycle, including provision of support to implementation, facilitates monitoring and compliance issues and ensures submission of report;
• 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, etc.;
• Leads and/or collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to, and ensures the quality/effectiveness of, capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within the country such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events, including preparation of related information, learning, and on-line tools;
• Monitors programme/project activities in the areas of Technical Focus.
Specific Functions
• Leads and facilitates the overall development and implementation of RNE’s Rural Transformation agenda;
• Coordinates the identification of policy trends and implications, and monitors and advocates on relevant policy issues for the strategic planning and implementation of RNE’s rural transformation agenda;
• Coordinates the development of studies; methodologies; tools and approaches covering multidisciplinary aspects of rural transformation to generate evidence, inform policies, develop capacities and facilitate uptake;
• Leads the development of regional knowledge exchange platforms, communities of practice, thematic networks to promote inclusive rural transformation and foster collaboration and partnerships for wider impact;
• Contributes to the development of RNE’s vision, strategy and programme development with specific focus on rural transformation and economic inclusion issues, and coordinates with leaders of other Regional Priorities and Technical Officers to ensure complementarities and leverage collective impact;
• Leads and coordinates RNE policy advice and technical support to promote policy dialogues, partnerships and resource mobilization on agriculture and rural development matters in the countries of the region;
• Acts as primary focal point for interactions with the coordinators of FAO Programme Priority Areas and technical units of relevance to the rural transformation agenda in headquarters and in the other regions and subregions and ensures that regional priorities are well reflected in corporate initiatives;
• Contributes to the organization of the Near East Regional Conference and other statutory and technical meetings organized by RNE from the perspective of rural transformation and its positioning within the regional development policy agenda;
• Provides advice and technical backstopping to project formulators, personnel and budget holders of FAO-funded projects during formulation and implementation;
• Manages and monitors budget, key deliverables, project results and main targets to ensure timely result based delivery of RNE’s Rural Transformation programme, and draws lessons for advancement and upscaling.
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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in an area related to the activities of the Organization, i.e. agriculture, forestry, fishery, economics, social science, business administration, political science or closely related field
• Ten years of relevant experience in project or programme planning and management, including at national and international level
• Working knowledge of English (proficient - level C) and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)
Competencies
• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking
Technical/Functional Skills
• Extent and relevance of experience in managing technical cooperation programmes in the field of rural development and rural transformation
• Extent of experience in multilateral cooperation environment
• Extent of knowledge of rural development issues
• Extent and relevance of experience in development and management of networks, partnerships and communities of practices
• Demonstrated experience in resource mobilization
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is essential
• Experience in the Near East and North Africa region is considered a strong asset
• Familiarity with the UN system-wide policies and processes applying to decentralized locations is desirable.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of Arabic and/or French is considered an asset