Programme Officer

The Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA) conducts economic research and policy analysis to support the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. ESA provides evidence-based support to national, regional and global policy processes and initiatives related to monitoring and analysing food and agricultural policies, agribusiness and value chain development, rural transformation and poverty, food security and nutrition information and analysis, resilience, bioeconomy, and climate-smart agriculture. The division also leads the production of two FAO flagship publications: The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) and The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
Key Functions:

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation;
• Reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions;
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, etc.;
• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. drafts background papers, analyses, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.;
• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities;
• Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).

Specific Functions

• Supports coordination of programme implementation, monitoring and reporting;
• Ensures the sound operational and financial management of programme activities and provides oversight guidance to the operational support function at the programme level (procurement actions, coordination of human resource planning and management, compliance with financial and administrative regulations);
• Coordinates the implementation of administrative actions related to the implementation of the IPC GSP, including the coordination of actions undertaken by administrative staff at decentralized level, with a particular emphasis on harmonization of practices and capacity development;
• Supports planning and implementation of selected programme activities in line with GSP objectives in compliance with FAO and Donor rules and regulations;
• Supports the planning of financial transactions, management of budget allocations to decentralized FAO Offices, and liaising closely with all relevant internal and external stakeholders, ensuring compliance with FAO corporate policies as well as donor requirements and regulations;
• Supports the sound management of trust fund contributions to the IPC GSP, including support to drafting project proposals, project appraisal, opening, amendment and closure in line with FAO processes, rules and regulations.

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following:
Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in business administration or public administration, social science, political science or a related field.
• Five years of relevant experience in project or programme management, administration or related area.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Technical/Functional Skills:

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the field of administration, human resources, finance and management.
• Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project formulation, analysis, planning and implementation.
• Extent of knowledge of planning and budgetary processes and associated tools.
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset.
• Working knowledge of French (in addition to English) would be considered a strong asset.