Business Continuity and Risk Management Specialist

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• 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’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

In line with FAO’s mandate to strengthen organizational resilience and ensure continuity of critical operations, the Organization is enhancing its Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework as part of the broader Organizational Resilience Management System (ORMS). This effort is overseen by the Logistics Services Division (CSL), in collaboration with the Corporate Services Department (CS), the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER), and other concerned business units. To support this corporate initiative, FAO seeks a specialist with proven expertise in Business Continuity Management and Business Continuity Planning (BCP) to provide strategic guidance, technical advice, and operational support. The specialist actively engage in and/or provide task-based assistance to the engagement and coordination activities related to both internal and external stakeholders, working closely with BCM focal points across headquarters divisions, regional and country offices, and inter-agency partners, to strengthen continuity arrangements at corporate, divisional, and decentralized levels

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Programme Officer and in close coordination with ORMS Core Element Owners, the Chair of Crisis Management Team, various Business and Policy Owners, the FAO’s Internal Network .

Technical Focus

Design, implementation and enhancement of Business Continuity Management (BCM) processes, including Business Impact Analysis (BIA), Maintain, Exercise and Review (ME&R) regime, and operational risk management related to business continuity, fully aligned with FAO’s Operational Resilience Management System (ORMS).

Tasks and responsibilities

• Provide strategic advice and technical expertise to senior management on the design, implementation and enhancement of FAO’s Business Continuity Management framework, ensuring alignment with United Nations standards and the Organizational Resilience Management System.Support the process of harmonization of Business Continuity Plans and quality assurance of the content at corporate, divisional and office levels.
• Lead the process of Business Impact Analyses to identify and prioritize time-critical activities, interdependencies and resource requirements.
• Develop standardized Business Impact Analysis tools and facilitate process-mapping workshops.
• Report the consolidated results of Business Impact Analyses into management reports and dashboards to inform continuity strategies and recovery priorities.
• Support the process of strengthened second line of defense\: the monitoring, exercising and review mechanisms to assess the maturity of Business Continuity Management, define performance indicators, and integrate lessons learned from disruptions and simulation exercises.
• Identify and assess operational risks to the continuity and recovery of time-critical activities, and recommend targeted mitigation and control strategies, including redundancy and interdependencies.
• Support the activities for strengthened policy compliance for effective business continuity management
• Lead the process of integrating risk assessments related to continuity into Business Impact Analyses, Business Continuity planning and recovery strategies, coordinating with Enterprise Risk Management to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication.
• Participate in developing the content and facilitation of both internal and interagency trainings, workshops, briefings and knowledge materials to build staff capacity in Business Continuity Management, Business Impact Analysis, monitoring and review, and operational risk management for continuity.
• Lead the efforts to strengthen internal capacity of the internal network and other focal points in document lessons learned and good practices to support institutional knowledge sharing
• Lead the process of ME&R to test business continuity capabilities of the selected offices thorugh live simulations and stress tests
• Participate in the interagency working groups and support progress reporting for both internal and UN-wide bodies
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Risk Management, Business Administration, Business Continuity Management, Organizational Resilience or a related field.
• 5 years relevant working experience in Business Continuity Management, Business Continuity Planning or Risk Management for continuity
• Working knowledge (level C) of English.
• Working knowledge of a second FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience in conducting Business Impact Analyses and developing Maintain, Exercise and Review frameworks.
• Extent and relevance of experience in operational risk management focused on business and operational continuity management.
• Familiarity with UN or international organizational operational and administrative contexts.
• Extent of experience and expertise in policy development and implementation
• Strong analytical, and strategic thinking
• Strong interpersonal skills in the diverse environment
• Experience in coordination of strategic topics and proven ability to interact with high level officials
• Outstanding facilitation and drafting skills for policy development and technical documents.

Selection criteria

• Hands on experience in organizational resilience management framework,
• Experience in the UN system organizations is an asset
• Extensive experience in capacity development activities
• International experience in both development and emergency contexts
• Fluency in additional UN official language

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

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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