Italy: Senior Programme Officer P-5

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization
Country: Italy
Closing date: 26 Sep 2014

Organizational Setting

The Office of Support to Decentralization (OSD) provides programmatic and operational guidance, support and facilitation to the Decentralized Offices (DOs) Network, and serves as their advocate at headquarters. The office ensures synergy and coordination among DOs, across regions, and between these and headquarters Departments and Offices.

The post is located in the Field Programme and CPF Coordination and Support Unit, one of two groups in the Division. This Unit is responsible for the provision of: i) policy formulation, ii) procedural guidance and coordination, iii) corporate monitoring and reporting on the field programme and for Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs), and iv) advisory support to decentralized offices at all levels as well as headquarters units. Based on the subsidiarity principle, the Unit coordinates and provides functional guidance to the Field Programme Support Network (FPSN) of regional and sub-regional operations staff for development and emergency programmes.

Reporting Lines

The Senior Programme Officer reports to the Director, OSD.

Technical Focus

From upstream programming aspects through the CPF and the provision of programming and operational policies/procedures, to downstream operational support at the programme and project level through functional guidance on operational matters

Key Results

Leadership and technical policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of OSD Programmes of work, projects, products, services in accordance with FAO Strategic Objectives

Key Functions

· coordinates the establishment and/or revision of corporate policies, procedures and guidelines for the formulation of quality Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs);

· coordinates the support to, monitoring of, and reporting on the formulation and operationalization of CPFs;

· leads the formulation and/or revision of guidance on the project cycle with corporate policies, procedures and guidelines for a fully integrated and UN-compliant FAO programme, including new operational modalities;

· supervises the Unit members’ work and performance, including the development of work plans;

· provides operational guidance and overall coordination of the members of the Field Programme Support Network in the regional and sub-regional offices;

· supervises provision of operational guidance and advisory support to Headquarters project formulators, technical units, budget holders, and funding liaison units;

· coordinates high level monitoring of the field programme, and identifies systemic issues and constraints to its efficient and effective implementation;

· supports FAO’s participation in the UN System-wide policy-making processes for operational activities for development;

· ensures incorporation of UN policies related to project/programme management into FAO’s own policies and procedures, as appropriate;

· coordinates and oversees the preparation of analytical reports on field programme performance, trends, and constraints;

· strengthens performance of decentralised offices through contributions to relevant learning initiatives;

· oversees the appraisal and operational clearance, and operational closure processes for global and inter-regional projects;

· ensures high level monitoring and oversight of the TeleFood programme;

· advises the Director, OSD on the preparation of documents for the FAO Governing Bodies, UN Bodies and other audiences;

· performs other duties as required.

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

Minimum Requirements

· Advanced university degree in development economics, public administration, international relations or related fields

· Ten years of relevant experience in the implementation, oversight and coordination of international cooperation activities

· Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian

Competencies

· Results Focus

· Leading, Engaging and Empowering: ability to plan, lead, organize, guide and supervise the work of others

· Communication: verbal and written ability to communicate clearly and concisely

· Partnering and Advocating

· Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

· Strategic Thinking

Technical/Functional Skills

· Familiarity with the UN system wide policies and processes applying to decentralized locations is desirable

· Knowledge of FAO would be an asset

· Experience in the formulation of field programme reports and project documents

· Experience in the implementation of field projects and programmes

· Demonstrated ability to analyse complex problems, to formulate succinct analytical reports and develop options for solutions for presentation to management

· Demonstrated experience in formulating field programme policies and procedures

· Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is essential

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values ofCommitment to FAO, Respect for AllandIntegrity and Transparency.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

· All candidates should possess computer/word processing skills.

· Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by a competency-based interview.

· Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your iRecruitment online profile (see “How to Apply”). We strongly recommend that you ensure that the information is accurate and complete including employment record, academic qualifications and language skills.

· Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognised in the IAU/UNESCO list.

· Other similar positions at the same level may be filled from this vacancy notice and the endorsed candidates will be considered for the Employment Roster for a period of 2 years.

· Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments. REMUNERATION

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://icsc.un.org/

How to apply:

To apply, visit the iRecruitment website at http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/and complete your online

profile. Only applications received through iRecruitment will be considered.Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.

Vacancies will be removed from iRecruitment at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We

encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact:iRecruitment@fao.org

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