Operations Officer - Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

POSITION TITLE: OPERATIONS OFFICER
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: FAO Representation in Madagascar
GRADE LEVEL: P-3
DUTY STATION: Antananarivo, Madagascar
DURATION ?: Fixed term one year with
possibility of extension (subject to continuity of funds)
CCOG CODE: 1.A.11
Deadline For Application:21 January 2015

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in the country, the direct supervision of the Deputy FAO Representative and in consultation with the relevant technical and operational divisions at FAO headquarters and the Multidisciplinary Teams in Decentralized Offices, the Operations Officer will provide support in the analysis, development and implementation of operational activities of the FAO programme in Madagascar, with specific focus on the response to the Locust Plague. In particular, he/she will:

• support the implementation of the country field programme;
• participate in the design and implementation of the country field programme, including budgetary management and monitoring of the approved field expenditures;
• support and further strengthen the operational structure, including training of national personnel for the implementation of the FAO field programme in Madagascar;
• draft and support the implementation of operational strategies on basis of available analysis on the agriculture and food security situation of the country;
• liaise with FAO technical units to ensure technical quality in project activities;
• prepare project proposals for financial support to donors and aid programmes of the UN system;
• support resources mobilization efforts through liaison with donors represented at country level, and in line with the Resource Mobilization Strategy;
• draft briefs, reports and final statements and formulate correspondence with recipient governments and donors;
• analyse information/reports on the impact of the disaster on the rural sector and participate in the design and implementation of emergency/rehabilitation projects and disaster risk reduction strategy;
• carry out field monitoring, programming and assessment missions to assess the status of project implementation, to assess the emergency requirements following a disaster and to propose project activities;
• liaise with other UN organizations and partners (non-governmental organizations, national authorities and donors, etc.) at the appropriate level for coordination of relief assistance related to emergency/rehabilitation activities and to elaboration of disaster risk reduction strategy at country level;
• support the preparation and participate in technical and international meetings related to the country programme in Madagascar;
• perform other related duties as required.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
Candidates should meet the following:

• University degree in agriculture, economics, business administration and management or other field related to the work of the Organization
• Five years of relevant experience in emergency /rehabilitation /development operations and in agricultural / rural development sector at field and/or headquarters level
• Working knowledge of French and English

SELECTION CRITERIA:
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Extent and relevance of experience in managing field operations, particularly in the emergency, food security and agriculture sector
• Ability to analyse complex field problems specifically of protracted emergencies
• Excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing, in English and French
• Knowledge of other working languages would be an asset
• Ability to work well in a team
• Extent of familiarity with the field programme of UN or other agencies active in emergency assistance within the agricultural sector would be an asset
• Extent of familiarity with the geographical region

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

* The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments

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/rootindex.asp

TO APPLY:

For guidelines to applicants, please visit the Application Toolkit at http://www.fao.org/employment/current-vacancies/project/en

Send your application to:

V.A FRMAG-95-14-PRJ
FAO Representative in Madagascar
FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome ITALY

E-mail: VA-95-14-PRJ-FRMAG@fao.org

Please note that FAO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director-General and may be assigned to any activities or office of the organization.

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT