Call for Interest  Junior Advisor, Rome

Job Title : Call for Interest Junior Advisor (6 months)

ID : 29954

Location : ROME

Date of issue : 07/10/2025

Close Date : (Midnight, Rome Time) 07/21/2025

Organizational Unit : Front Office ERD

Full/Part Time : Full-Time

Regular/Temporary : Regular

Assignment Duration : 6 months

Grade : P-2

Organizational Setting

This Call for Interest is for a Temporary Professional Officer (TPO) position or a Temporary Assignment, which is a short-term contract. The appointment of a short-term staff member carries no expectation of continuous employment or conversion to any other type of appointment with IFAD.

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 External Relations Department (ERD) leads IFAD's external engagement through public and political advocacy, global policy engagement, partnership building, resource mobilization and strategic communications. ERD also leads IFAD's Replenishment, which is the process through which IFAD mobilizes core funding from Member States and agrees on priorities and targets for the Fund's work during each three-year replenishment period. ERD is led by an Associate Vice President and is comprised of two divisions: Global Engagement Partnership and Resource Mobilization Division (GPR) and the Communications Division (COM), and one initiative: The Food Systems Coordination (FSC).

Job Role

This post is in the Front Office of the Associate Vice-President for External Relations and Governance of IFAD (ERD/FOE). The Front Office supports the AVP in daily work, external engagements and strategic initiatives.

The Junior Advisor contributes substantively to the provision of technical support to the AVP and department in general. This includes providing analytical support on strategic issues, a key coordination role in the coordination of global engagements, and technical advice and backstopping as appropriate on other matters.

Key Functions and Results

This temporary assignment will focus on the following: Strategic support to Senior Management in ERD:

• Review, analyse and recommend decision options on policy matters and departmental initiatives, and prepare summaries and analytical briefs on contextual information materials.
• Review and analyse documents and memos submitted for the AVP's approval, specifically related to official correspondence and supplementary funds.
• Prepare briefs, analyses and position papers on various subjects, as needed, for the AVP. Support the AVP's external agenda by providing data and other relevant inputs to ensure effective delivery of this agenda.
• Foster take-up and implementation of innovative and collaborative ways of working with the Office of the President and Vice-President as well as the rest of Senior Management.

Support to IFAD's external engagements and ERD's delivery on corporate priorities

• Support the preparation of official missions (both for AVP ERD, and for ERD's support to the Office of the President), external meetings, conferences, events, and internal forums.
• Prepare written summaries of meetings/visits and lead follow-up activities, as appropriate.
• In particular, assist in the preparation and review of effective briefing materials, which includes the analysis and coordination of policy papers, reports, presentations, talking points and other documentation.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely review and delivery of strategic advice on briefings, correspondence, KiTs, memos and other items as assigned.
• Effective coordination for ERD on missions, including for UNGA, WB Annual Meetings, COP30 and more.
• Effective coordination for the AVP
• s external engagements and missions, including delivery of briefing notes, preparation of talking points, overall programme coordination and notes to file.

Working Relationships

The incumbent liaises with ERD Divisions, OPV and other departments on a regular basis and must demonstrate strong skills in partnership building and positive collaboration.

Job Profile Requirements

Organizational Competencies: Level 2:

• Building relationships and partnerships - Builds and maintains strategic partnerships internally and externally
• Communicating and negotiating - Acquires & uses a wide range of communication styles & skills
• Demonstrating leadership - Leads by example; initiates and supports change
• Focusing on clients - Contributes to a client-focused culture
• Managing performance and developing staff - Manages wider teams with greater impact on others and on the organization
• Managing time, resources and information - Coordinates wider use of time, information and/or resources
• Problem-solving and decision-making - Solves complex problems and makes decisions that have wider corporate impact
• Strategic thinking and organizational development - Staff in management and/or strategic leadership roles
• Team working - Fosters a cohesive team environment

Education:

• Advanced university Degree in international relations, political sciences, public administration, international development, economics or any other related subject from an accredited institution.
• Degree must be from an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of progressively relevant professional experience of in a related role providing analytical support within an international financial institution, development cooperation agencies and/or the United Nations system.
• Proven track record in reviewing and analysing financial documents.
• Experience in policy engagement, project/programme management in the field, especially in a fragile or conflict-affected country, or private sector financing for development would be a strong asset, as would strong communication skills and relevant experience in the field of communication and advocacy.
• Demonstrated competency in evidence-based analysis and synthesis of information.
• Strong diplomatic and communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders, internally and externally.
• Ability of maintaining a high level of confidentiality and handling sensitive issues with good judgement and care. Act with diplomacy and tact.
• Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines and multiple priorities on high-level activities.
• Personal resilience and flexibility are important.
• Ensures that in all matters the Office of the Associate Vice-President upholds IFAD's core values - Results, Integrity, Professionalism and Respect.

Languages:

• Required: English (4 - Excellent)
• Desirable: French, Spanish, or Arabic (3 - Good)

Other Information

A Temporary Professional Officer (TPO) is a short-term staff member. The appointment of a short-term staff member carries no expectation of continuous employment or conversion to any other type of appointment with IFAD.

This call is advertised as a short-term assignment with a duration of initially 6 months and expected to start shortly after selection. Should an external candidate (including consultants and staff members not meeting IFAD HR Implementing Procedures' definition of 'internal') be selected, the contract type would be that of a short-term professional (TPO). In the event an IFAD staff member, holding a Fixed Term contract be selected, the movement would be implemented as a Temporary Assignment through the applicable provisions. The temporary assignment is expected to start shortly after selection" and applicants should verify and obtain their supervisors' support to be released in the event they are selected, noting that the temporary assignment with a duration of initially 6 months is expected to start shortly after selection.

IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on ethnic, social, or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size, or sexual orientation. This is in line with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and our Policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse . Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please refer to the UN disability-inclusive language guidelines.

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.