Programme Specialist

Organizational Setting

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. The main aim of FAO Country Offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist the governments to develop policies, programmers and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Reporting lines

The programme specialist works under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, and direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR-Programme, and in close consultation with relevant Technical Units at FAO country office, headquarters, RAF and SFS, Lead Technical Officers, and in close collaboration with the recourse and humanitarian partners and line government ministries in Angola.

Technical Focus

• Programme development, coordination and operational support based on the knowledge of the country context, culture and institutions of the country of assignment.
• Coordinate with the Head of Field Offices and services delivery units (Operations, logistics, procurement, HR, engineer) for effective and timely implementation of the overall FAO Angola programme and projects .

Tasks and responsibilities

• Liaises and assists government authorities and local, national and international institutions in the areas of FAO's activities in the country and with other UN agencies. He/she may represent FAO at interagency meetings as required.
• Participates in the identification, formulation and preparation of programme and project proposals; monitors and reviews the status of programme/project implementation to ensure that all operational activities are carried out in line with the work plan and the project document; identifies inconsistencies and delays and, when necessary, proposes corrective measures to overcome operational constraints.
• Participates in producing technical, economic and policy studies as required and contribute to the development of country level development frameworks such as the Country Programming Framework (CPF) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
• Tracking activities related to funding (programme/project planning, implementation, narrative reporting etc) and preparation of related documents/reports.
• Participate in field monitoring and assessment missions, including interagency assessments to inform programming and implementation.
• Coordinates the collection, consolidation and maintenance of country data on food, crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries, including information on external aid in FAO's corporate systems and monitors changes in national policies affecting the agricultural sector.
• Participate in formulating regular progress reports, terminal reports, briefs and comprehensive reports for ongoing projects as well as correspondence with recipient governments and donors.
• Support project leads in work-planning, implementation, reporting and project coordination with stakeholders, initiate actions to be taken with relevant partners, Agencies, institutional and stakeholders on issues related to projects management to enhance effective implementation of programmes.
• Undertake outreach activities, prepare and facilitate workshops, trainings and webinars related to program and projects for field staff, farmer organizations (groups, associations and cooperatives) in achieving the desired goals and objectives.
• Develop, adapt and support the implementation of relevant planning, programming and monitoring tools.
• Ensure efficient utilization of allocated financial resources in compliance of FAO policies.
• Ensure and support the development of high quality training materials, manuals, guidelines, knowledge gap analysis and learning sharing mechanism.
• Identify technical capacity gaps within the project team and develop mechanisms to address them.
• Support the preparation of policy briefs, factsheets, concept notes, technical documents and lessons learning reports related to FAO Angola projects, in close collaboration with relevant technical units in SFS, RAF and HQ.
• Performs any other related tasks as assigned.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree or university degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Sustainable Agriculture (including livestock, forestry and fisheries), business administration or related field.
• 5 years of relevant experience in Programme Support, technical cooperation's related activities, policy advice and analysis relating to food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes.
• English and Portuguese working knowledge are compulsory.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Capable of working under pressure in a multitasking position.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project development and management.
• Demonstrated understanding of the purpose and functions of the technical programme, operational guidelines and project/programme management procedures, preferably those adopted by the United Nations or FAO.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the identification, formulation and preparation of programme and project proposals as well as programme/project implementation, monitoring and review.
• Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION