Senior Liaison Officer (Emergencies and Resilience)

1A101A10

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments

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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 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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Organizational Setting
The FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York (LON) has a lead responsibility in developing and implementing policies that enhance FAO's cooperation with the UN system, capitalizing on synergies between our work and that of other UN bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, and of Members. In doing so, LON supports decision-making processes carried out at FAO headquarters in relation to developments in the UN system, mainly by representing FAO at working and coordination meetings, liaising with permanent delegations to the UN in New York, and establishing partnerships with relevant institutions in the New York area. One of the key areas of work for FAO is the focus on humanitarian and resilience work and objectives; LON plays a critical role in this domain, in coordination with the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) and in support to country offices in food crises settings.

Reporting Lines
The Senior Liaison Officer reports to the Director of the Liaison Office (LON Director) and will work under the overall functional supervision of the Director, Emergencies and Resilience (OER), FAO Rome.

Technical Focus
Coordination of activities with FAO strategic programmes and technical divisions.

Key Results
Leadership, technical and policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of office work, projects, products and services in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions

• Develops comprehensive programmes of engagement for FAO with external institutions on the issues of significance.
• Represents the Organization in major interagency forums, projecting FAO's priorities and programme activities positioning FAO to influence programme work in other organizations.
• Assesses FAO participation in interagency forums, identifies areas to improve effectiveness of FAO communication strategies and approaches.
• Builds awareness within FAO of the perspective and priorities of collaborators, assists FAO programme unit with networking with external counterparts.
• Builds institutional networks promoting FAO position and establishing FAO as a centre of expertise on significant policy issues; identifies programme synergies with collaborating partners and establishes collaborative frameworks of engagement for FAO programme activities.
• Establishes infrastructure of engagement for FAO on issues of major programme importance.
• Builds collaborative networks that position FAO to take leading roles on programme development, delivery and funding.
• Leads mobilization of resources for partnerships in support of agriculture and food security to support countries of mutual interest.
• Builds capacities within FAO senior management and programme managers to engage partners and projects FAO's priorities into development agendas.
• Performs other duties as required.

Specific Functions

• Represents the Organization at intergovernmental and interagency meetings of the United Nations and the specialized agencies held in New York, makes statements on behalf of FAO in the area of emergencies and resilience, as and when required, and reports on such meetings to headquarters, in particular on subjects which could have policy implications for the Organization.
• Provides technical inputs to inform intergovernmental humanitarian policy development in areas of relevance to FAO's mandate, including Secretary-General reports, briefings, etc., in liaison with FAO Decentralized Offices, OER and other relevant divisions.
• Coordinates and disseminates FAO messaging on priority areas related to emergencies and resilience in appropriate fora to inform intergovernmental and interagency policy making and decisions.
• Supports as necessary the country offices, in collaboration with OER and other liaison offices, providing information and analysis, internal briefings on relevant decision-making processes and opportunities.
• Maintains contacts with the Permanent Representations accredited to the organizations of the United Nations system in New York, keeping them informed of FAO's work, activities and impact in emergencies and resilience, providing them with background documentation, analyses, etc.
• Facilitates the exchange of technical information related to emergencies and resilience between FAO and the United Nations and the specialized agencies and arranges, as necessary, interagency meetings in this regard.
• Liaises with intergovernmental, non-governmental and private institutions associated with FAO's activities in the area of emergency and resilience and deals with public requests for information.
• Engages with key partners - UN agencies, donor countries and private sector - to promote and mobilize resources for FAO's emergency and resilience programming (USAID, BHA, etc.), in collaboration with the FAO Liaison Office in Washington (LOW) as appropriate.
• Organizes and supports FAO senior management missions and participation in key interagency and intergovernmental meetings in New York; undertakes duty travels, if needed, also on short notice.
• Provides support, information and regular briefings to FAO Representatives, Regional Offices and Subregional Offices on relevant New York-level policy discussions and decisions as well as supporting them to access formal and informal fora to increase advocacy and visibility of FAO's work at country and regional level.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Social or Political Sciences, Economics, Public Administration, International Relations or related field relevant to the work of the Organization.
• Ten years of relevant experience in development work and/or designing and managing projects, interacting with social partners and with governments, international organizations, research institutions, civil society and the private sector.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and of one of the other official languages of the Organization (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

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Extent and relevance of experience in a field relevant to the work of the Organization and development work and/or designing and managing projects, interacting with social partners and with governments, international organizations, research institutions, civil society and the private sector.
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian liaison and coordinating among partners.
• Demonstrated experience in rehabilitation and humanitarian policies development, programme formulation and implementation.
• Depth of knowledge of FAO's programmes and priorities.
• Extent of relevant experience at international level in formulating policy and informing intergovernmental and interagency discussions and programming.
• Depth of experience in identifying and preparing programme strategies and policy position on humanitarian and transition contexts, at both global and country levels.
• Extent of knowledge of international humanitarian architecture, including agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other partners.
• Experience in response management and surge support coordination.