Emergency Coordination and Cash Specialist

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• 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 person 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

For more than four decades, FAO has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines

The Emergency Coordination and Cash Specialist will report to the Assistant FAOR (Programme).

Technical Focus

This engagement is envisioned to support the mainstreaming and implementation of anticipatory action (AA) at the country level in the next 3 years. FAO’s AA programme represents the growing shift in the way natural-related hazards are tackled, with special attention on AA’s approach for human-induced hazard. In FAO, this initiative is supported by a number of resource partners including the EU, Germany, Belgium and Sweden. FAO’s AA programme is designed to be a core part of disaster risk management in recognition of the need to reduce the negative impacts of disasters and avert emergencies. In the Philippines, FAO coordinates a consortium of UN and NGO partners to work with the government on integrating AA and adaptive and shock-responsive social protection nationwide and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The Philippines is also spearheading this agenda in the ASEAN through a regional programme funded by EU, led by FAO.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Emergency Coordination and Cash Specialist will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide oversight support in the implementation of FAO’s emergency and response preparedness initiatives (including link to humanitarian-development-peace nexus), ensuring coherence to overall approach;
• Facilitate the link the broader work of FAO in emergencies and humanitarian action, with anticipatory action and adaptive and shock-responsive social protection as a strategy towards building resilience to shocks;
• Develop a strategy and lead the programming process from needs assessments through programme development and implementation, while including FAO components of appeals, strategy documents, and project proposals;
• Coordinate the operational activities to ensure readiness of country office in selected interventions including cash, voucher or in-kind distribution; Provide technical assistance, operational and administrative support to project teams and serve as resource person within area/s of expertise;
• Update FAO’s cash readiness operational plan and liaise with financial service providers; Coordinate with and participate in the UN cash working group meetings and other coordination mechanisms linked to cash-based interventions;
• Participate in the development of appropriate M&E tools for data collection, data quality monitoring, analysis, regular reporting on approved indicators (outputs and outcomes) and track the progress of each project activity (incorporating problems encountered, if any), and recommend adjustments as necessary;
• Contribute in the formulation of project exit strategy and after-action review (AAR), including process of handover of relevant responsibilities to project partners;
• Initiate/conduct regular strategic consultations/dialogues with relevant government agencies, development partners/ donors, and stakeholders including private sector, for positioning and sustaining the gains of the project and FAO in relevant priority areas where it has comparative advantage;
• Ensure synergies of the project with relevant FAO initiatives;
• Assist in the planning, strategy development, including project design (concept notes and proposal) for follow-up/upscaling of the project, and resource mobilization work including dialogue with donor institutions and development partners as well as with other UN agencies;
• Participate in various meetings, fora and other coordination activities and collaborate with other relevant government agencies, development partners/donors, NGOs and other external actors in emergency response and anticipatory action;
• Review/finalize project progress and terminal reports;
• Ensure operational and financial closure of the project;
• Maintain a directory of relevant government stakeholders, development partners/donors, NGOs and other external actors in emergency response and anticipatory action;
• Provide timely information to the FAO Representative of any significant emerging project implementation issue or development and seek guidance on appropriate action or response; and,
• Perform any other tasks/functions that may be assigned by the FAO Representative, and the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in relevant agriculture or social science fields such as Agriculture, Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness Management, Rural Development, Development Studies, Environment Planning other related degrees
• At least 9 (nine) years of professional and practical experience in the planning and implementation of rural development programmes/projects, including experience in strategic participation in DRR/CCA initiatives at the programme level
• A National of the Philippines or a legal resident in the country
• Working knowledge of English and Filipino is essential

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in Emergency Projects particularly by UN agencies
• Familiarity with relevant government frameworks at the national and ASEAN level
• Experience in implementing humanitarian cash/voucher assistance is an asset
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Filipino
• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.