Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) Program Specialist (SC7)

Organizational Setting

The key mission of the FAO Representation in Somalia, which is led by the FAO Representative (FAOR), is to assist and support the national government in developing policies, strategies and programme aimed at accelerating the implementation and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in FAO's global mandate and strategic objectives.

More specifically, FAO's response aims to address national needs and priorities in achieving food security, reducing hunger and malnutrition, developing agricultural, fishery and forestry sectors, ensuring the sustainable use of environmental and natural resources and responding to recurrent emergencies.

The current portfolio of activities of the FAO Representation in Somalia includes a wide scope of technical support interventions ranging from policy support through livestock and crop production to natural resource management, Nutrition, value chain, food security analysis and water and land information management. FAO is also implementing several emergency, resilience-building, and development interventions, with the support of its five field offices and close to 400 staff in partnership with the Federal and State line ministries.

Reporting Lines

The position is under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Somalia, direct supervision of the Head of Programmes and the Social Protection Officer.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will be responsible for providing support to the Climate adaptation for Resilient Livelihoods (CadRe), particularly in supporting the coordination of VSLA activities. S/He will liaise closely with the programme team to ensure that Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) activities are line with FAO’s strategic focus, as well as with FAO-Somalia’s Country Programming Framework (CPF). S/he will provide day-to-day support needed for implementing the VSLA activities and programming. In particular, the incumbent will perform the below tasks:

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Support capacity-building efforts for the implementing partners by supporting training activities and monitoring programme implementation throughout the duration of the contractual obligations (LoA) to ensure quality implementation of VSLA activities;
• Closely supervise the work of implementing partners on the ground while ensuring that programme activities are running smoothly;
• Review reports activities submitted by the partners against the LOA targets and liaise with them to ensure proper utilization of project funds in the implementation of CadRe Project;
• Assess the quality of the programme implementation to ensure its meets FAO requirements;
• Ensure effective communication with implementing partners and support for proper/effective coordination of all VSLA activities within the relevant FAO teams including the CadRe Project and the Transitional/Long Term Cash Team (LTCL);
• Track implementation challenges and report them in a timely manner and ensure timely and effective deployment of programmatic solutions;
• Assist in the preparation and follow-up on programme actions necessary for the timely implementation of the VSLA activities;
• Participate in consultation workshops and field missions to review progress, learn from challenges, recommend improvements and identify best practices;
• Support the team by ensuring that filing, scanning, and routing of relevant documents take place in a timely manner;
• Support the team with any administrative duties where required;
• Support in any work related to Social Protection, mainstreaming of gender and youth initiatives within FAO Somalia activities;
• Perform any other duties and activities upon instructions by the supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Community Development, Development Economics, Gender, Social Protection, Project Management or related field.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in Project Management and experience in International agencies (e.g., The United Nations) or safety net programmes is an added advantage.
• Working knowledge (level C) of the FAO official language used for communication within the country (English) and working knowledge of the local language(s) is required.
• National of Somalia.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in implementation and follow up of the emergency agriculture and cash transfer programme activities
• Experience in effective preparation and management of the emergency agriculture georeferenced database and appropriate information shared whenever needed
• Track record of timely verification of e-vouchers and proper documentation of evidence of proper execution of the programme or discrepancies in vouchers

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION