Programme Officer (CRI) - Fixed-Term co-terminus 2 years

This  is  a  two-year  fixed-term  co-terminus  position. A co-terminus fixed-term appointment is an IFAD employment contract externally funded (supplementary funded, funded by trust funds in administration or other), strictly limited in duration to the funding of the position, where appointment and extension is conditional on the availability of resources and limited to the externally funded assignment. A co-terminus appointment shall not exceed the duration of the specific assignment and/or project outlined in the letter of appointment and does not carry any expectation, legal or otherwise, or conversion, irrespective of the length of service. There is no guarantee of renewal or conversion into another kind of contract. 

Staff members holding an IFAD fixed-term or indefinite appointment are eligible to apply to this co-terminus position with their employment terms and conditions, including contractual status, remaining unchanged. Given that the funding of this position is strictly limited in duration and conditional on the availability of supplementary funds, should the funding finish, the position will be abolished and the staff member will be subject to the relevant provisions foreseen in the HR Implementing Procedures.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and  advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Programme Management Department (PMD), under the leadership of an Associate Vice-President, is responsible for the overall programme of loans and grants of the Fund and is composed of five (5) regional divisions and the Operational Policy and Results Division. 

Since the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine, IFAD has been working to track and respond to the impact of the ensuing international crisis on its target group, on borrowing countries, and on its portfolio. Such impact has taken primarily the form of rising costs for agricultural goods, products and services, as well as rising costs for fuel, construction material, and other key goods on which rural livelihoods depend. 

IFAD’s efforts to respond to the crisis have included supporting out analytical work to inform policy responses at country level as well as portfolio management responses, managing in an adaptive manner project activities and budgets to respond to changes in needs and costs, participating in selected crisis response initiatives by some key donors and partners, contributing to efforts to coordinate international responses notably within the UN system, and designing and launching a dedicated IFAD Crisis Response Initiative (CRI). As of the first quarter of 2023, the CRI is at the first stages of implementation, with design of activities almost completed and/or implementation having been kicked off for 15 out of 22 CRI countries. The initiative is expected to reach completion at the end of June 2024 and financial closure at the end of December 2024. In parallel with the CRI, IFAD is continuing to support the crisis-response initiatives for food and agriculture launched in the past month by key partners like the European Union and France, with dedicated allocation of EC and France funding, respectively, for activities supporting sustainable soil fertility management (under the EU Crisis response programme for ACP countries) and sustainable production increase (under the “FARM” initiative), both with a focus on Africa.

The Programme Officer (CRI)  works under the overall policy and management guidance and direct supervision of the Lead Policy and Technical Advisor to the Associate Vice-President.

The position is located in Rome, Italy and is a co-terminus 2 year position to align with the timeline of the IFAD Crisis Response Initiative and of its post-closure reporting.

The Programme Officer is responsible for coordinating programme or projects within the assigned portfolio.

The Programme Officer (CRI) provides support to the PMD Front Office in coordinating different elements of IFAD’s ongoing international food, fuel and fertilizer price crisis (henceforth, “crisis”) response initiatives, including coordination of analytical efforts about the impact of the crisis on the portfolio, coordination of the engagement of regional divisions in relevant partner or donor-led initiatives for crisis response, and leading on the implementation of the IFAD Crisis Response Initiative (CRI). 

The incumbent will coordinate the day-to-day management of the CRI and the engagement of country and regional teams in other crisis response initiatives (notably the EU programme and FARM), in collaboration with their respective coordinators. The incumbent will, moreover, support the PMD Front Office in coordinating and implementing analytical work about IFAD’s crisis response offering, leveraging programme management data as well as undertaking ad hoc analytical work, feeding into IFAD’s positioning on crisis response and on the broader IFAD positioning on fragility. In carrying out these functions, the incumbent will maintain close working relationships with SKD management and work collaboratively with OPR and regional divisions particularly on CRI implementation.

The Programme Officer (CRI) acts as a focal point for all queries related to the CRI, working with project teams to solve issues as they arise, and ensuring smooth communication between PMD, SKD, GPR, QAG and external donors.

1. PROGRAMME SUPPORT: The Programme Officer (CRI) provides a solid understanding of international practices and of IFAD's policies and procedures to ensure activities of a programme or project within her/his assigned portfolio – notably the Crisis Response Initiative (CRI) contribute to effective programme (COSOP) and project (grants and loans) delivery. S/He also provides substantive contributions toward a.) the development of advice and technical guidance in support of CRI project design, implementation, and reporting;  b.) the implementation of all aspects of the CRI in close coordination with relevant country teams in PMD, as well as with all divisions involved in the quality assurance process for CRI projects, and  c.) closely following the entire process of implementation of CRI projects through to final reporting, including identifying possible challenges or bottlenecks and advising on or supporting their resolution; d.) CRI reporting, including working with RIA to conduct rapid impact assessments of selected CRI projects, and supporting project teams on supervision and completion. 

2. PMD FRONT OFFICE SUPPORT: The Programme Officer (CRI) is accountable for day-to-day administration and reporting in support of the Supervisor and has accountability for financial and material resources and related processes including managing contracts for services related to the CRI. S/He provides inputs to budget preparation and monitors expenditures, manages contract completion and certifies payments related to the CRI, as appropriate. She further supports the PMD Front Office in coordinating PMD engagement in different crisis impact analysis or crisis impact initiatives and provides data analysis of CRI portfolio, including tracking of disbursements and results and providing recommendations as required.

3. SUPPORT TO PARTNERSHIP BUILDING: The Programme Officer (CRI) enhances IFAD's relationships and collaborations with donors and partners in the CRI and in other crisis response initiatives in which IFAD is involved, as well as with key stakeholders liaising  crisis response in the area of IFAD’s mandate, including stakeholders coordinating initiatives to assess and understand the impact of the crisis on IFAD’s target group and stakeholders funding or implementing relevant and complementary initiatives. S/He establishes and maintains counterpart contacts to promote programme and project collaboration and harmonization as well as identifies financing opportunities with other donors with respect to the CRI. The incumbent shares information and facilitates the identification of synergies among different crisis response initiatives led by or involving IFAD, notably CRI, the EU programme on crisis response through sustainable soil fertility management in ACP countries, and the France-funded FARM initiative.

4. POLICY DEVELOPMENT/KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: The Programme Officer (CRI) participates in relevant policy meetings and events of interest to IFAD’s crisis response initiatives. S/he contributes substantively to manage all knowledge management activities related to the CRI initiative, as well as to ensure regular sharing of knowledge and information across other crisis response initiatives in which IFAD is directly involved, notably the EU-funded crisis response programme focused on sustainable soil fertility management in ACP countries and the France-funded FARM initiative. S/he  a.) contributes to IFAD's policy intelligence related to crisis impact analysis and policy responses in the countries included in the CRI and across the regional portfolios; b.) produces periodic updates for the Executive Board on the progress of the CRI; c.)  contributes to other crisis response updates and d,) authors interim and final implementation reports for the CRI;

5. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The Programme Officer (CRI)  is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources.

The Programme Officer maintains the standards for IFAD’s competence in development in her/his assigned portfolio. S/He has demonstrated technical expertise and credibility in portfolio management and creates the foundation for IFAD’s capacity and reputation for programme delivery and enhances its recognition as a reliable development partner. S/He provides substantive support in the development of project design, partnership building and policy development and the foundation for enhancing sustainable government strategies and policies to improve the livelihoods of the poor and other disadvantaged groups.

In the context of programme development and delivery, the Programme Officer ensures the exchange of information, advocates for programme and policy enhancements and ensures consistency and reliability in the provision of development assistance to the government. In collaboration with other members of the UN country team, bi-lateral development agencies, NGOs and country programme counterparts, s/he establishes and maintains relationships and projects the image of IFAD as a credible/reliable partner striving for harmonization of development activities.

Position specifics:  The incumbent will be required to work collaboratively within PMD, and SKD and across IFAD in exchanges of information and collaboration across country teams participating in the CRI initiative, as well as with IFAD divisions involved in fund-raising and donor management for the CRI and other crisis response initiative  in the fulfilment of his/her tasks.

Organizational Competencies:

Level 1:

• Building relationships and partnerships - Builds and maintains effective working relationships
• Communicating and negotiating - Communicates effectively; creates understanding between self and others
• Demonstrating leadership - Personal leadership and attitude to change
• Focusing on clients - Focuses on clients
• Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating - Continuously seeks to learn, shares knowledge & innovates
• Managing performance and developing staff -
• Managing time, resources and information - Manages own time, information and resources effectively
• Problem-solving and decision-making - Demonstrates sound problem-solving and decision-making ability
• Strategic thinking and organizational development - Personal influence
• Team working - Contributes effectively to the team

Education:

Education includes Advanced university degree from an accredited institution listed on https://whed.net/home.php in rural development, agriculture, economics, rural finance, development policyor related field is required (*):
(*) Note:  For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in IFAD’s Human Resources Implementing Procedures.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in rural development, agriculture, economics, rural finance, development policy or other job related fields.

Languages:

• Required English (4 – Excellent) 
• Desirable: French, Spanish, or Arabic 

Skills:

• Analytical skills: Outstanding ability to analyse and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations
• Time management: Adherence to deadlines under time constraints and pressure (e.g. to deliver governing body documents on time); ability to coordinate and manage complex workflows and in-house and external teams
• Initiative and good judgment: High sense of proactive initiative-taking and good judgement (including on security matters)
• Verbal communication: Clear, succinct and convincing verbal communication; highly professional, balanced and diplomatic language
• Written communication: Clear, succinct and convincing written communication in the language needed for specific role; highly professional, balanced and diplomatic language (e.g. for drafting of position papers, briefings, etc.)
• Loans & grants: Know-how in designing loan and grant operations and managing loan and grant preparation process
• Topical expertise - Programme Mgmt for Agricultural Development: Expertise relevant to the specific role (e.g. For ethics office assistant, procedures outlined in the Code of Conduct, Discipline and Anti-harassment provisions of applicable rules and guidelines)
• Project/Programme mgmt (incl. coordination, design, development): Know-how in Project design and evaluation

This  is  a  two-year  fixed-term  co-terminus  position. A co-terminus fixed-term appointment is an IFAD employment contract externally funded (supplementary funded, funded by trust funds in administration or other), strictly limited in duration to the funding of the position, where appointment and extension is conditional on the availability of resources and limited to the externally funded assignment. A co-terminus appointment shall not exceed the duration of the specific assignment and/or project outlined in the letter of appointment and does not carry any expectation, legal or otherwise, or conversion, irrespective of the length of service. There is no guarantee of renewal or conversion into another kind of contract. 

Staff members holding an IFAD fixed-term or indefinite appointment are eligible to apply to this co-terminus position with their employment terms and conditions, including contractual status, remaining unchanged. Given that the funding of this position is strictly limited in duration and conditional on the availability of supplementary funds, should the funding finish, the position will be abolished and the staff member will be subject to the relevant provisions foreseen in the HR Implementing Procedures.

IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic, social or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size or sexual orientation. 

Please be aware of fraudulent job offers. IFAD does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. Official communication from IFAD will always come from e-mails ending in @ifad.org.