Programme Officer (Innovative Partnerships), Rome, Italy

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

PROFESSIONAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO : IRC2919

Issued on: 22 June 2015

Deadline For Application: 13 July 2015

POSITION TITLE: Programme Officer (Innovative Partnerships)

GRADE LEVEL: P-4

DUTY STATION: Rome, Italy

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: South-South Cooperation and Resource Mobilization Division, TCS

DURATION : Fixed-Term, 2 years Technical Cooperation Department, TC

POST NUMBER: 0923303

CCOG CODE: 1A11

The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member countries are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization Organizational Setting TCS leads FAO's activities regarding South-South Cooperation (SSC) partnership and Resource Mobilization to support the Organization's strategic priorities for hunger eradication, sustainable production, rural poverty reduction, development of improved and inclusive food systems and building resilience of livelihoods to threats and crisis.

The Division serves as entry point with Resource and SSC partners and coordinator for the Organization's mobilization of voluntary contributions. TCS also oversees, coordinates and facilitates South-South and Triangular Cooperation partnerships across the Organization as an effective mechanism for implementing FAO's Strategic Framework, through the exchange of development solutions, promotion of platforms for knowledge management and networks, mobilization of upstream policy support, and fosteri ng enabling environment for effective SSC among countries in the global south. It oversees the reporting to partners on the results achieved.

TCS is also responsible for Project Cycle operational management and provides policy setting, guidance and support to units responsible for operating projects (development of procedures, monitoring of compliance with resource partner agreements, project's operational rules, budgetary delivery, Help Desk support and capacity development).

This post is located within the Donor Relations and Resource Mobilization Team.

Reporting lines

The Programme Officer reports to the Senior Programme Officer, TCS. Technical Focus Resource Mobilization, Donor Relations, Grant negotiation, SSC partnership, capacity development and programming support.

Key Results

Coordination in support of the mobilization of voluntary contributions including through SSC for projects, focusing on agriculture, rural development, food and nutrition security, and resilience; facilitation/negotiation/formalisation of grant agreements; decentralized network on SSC/Resource Mobilization coordination; capacity development and programming support and marketing; outreach and reporting to partners; guidance and support to units responsible for operating projects.

Key Functions

• Plans and develops annual work plans to achieve divisional targets in assigned areas;
• Collaborates in strategic thinking and related plans to further develops and facilitates implementation of the Corporate Resource Mobilization and Management Strategy (RMMS) as well as SSC partnership strategy;
• Ensures support to FAO's Strategic Objectives teams, headquarters departments and Decentralized Offices to mobilize resources and SSC partnerships in line with defined corporate priorities;
• Initiates contact with potential partners to explore funding opportunities, leads negotiations of funding agreements and project proposals with governments, international organizations, private sector and civil society partners; maintains effective working relationships with key stakeholders throughout the project cycle, including to support implementation, facilitates monitoring and compliance issues and ensures submission of reports, as required;
• Facilitates capacity development efforts in support of staff in all locations with regard to Resource Mobilization and SSC partnerships through policy development, the production of training material and delivery of training;
• Organizes and facilitates marketing and outreach activities related to FAO's Strategic Objectives and defined priority areas; facilitates resource partner meetings, events and outreach campaigns;
• Facilitates the global Resource Mobilization and SSC functional networks and ensures support is provided to Regional Initiatives teams; monitors and reports on key results.

Specific functions

• Leads within TCS Team 2 (Donor Relations and Resource Mobilization) a group of staff specifically responsible for innovative funding modalities;
• Responsible for leading TCS day-to-day resource mobilization relationship with International Financing Institutions (IFIs), the United Nations System (UNJPs) and partners operating through Unilateral Trust Funds (UTF) and Multidonor Trust Funds (MUL);
• Ensures the function of funding liaison, grant clearance and grant management for IFI, UN and other partners operating through UTF and MUL agreements, so as to meet FAO compliance standards, liaising with the appropriate legal, financial, budget and field units of FAO;
• Works closely with the TCS Project Cycle and Operations Support Unit to ensure that programme delivery meets the agreed standards and conditions of resource partners;
• Organizes resource partner meetings in support of specific resource mobilization goals of the Organization;
• Supports decentralized offices of FAO in their resource mobilization efforts;
• Provides direction, guidance and mentoring to staff as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in international development, development economics, international law, business administration, agriculture, agricultural economics, or another field relevant to the work of the Organization;
• Seven years of relevant experience in international development, resource partner aid programmes, fundraising, grant negotiations and management, or SSC;
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.

Competencies

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

Technical Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable
• Demonstrated experience in negotiating complex funding agreements with bilateral and multilateral institutions
• Demonstrated skills and experience in managing relations and outreach with partners
• Demonstrated skills and experience in Resource Mobilization and/or SSC

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• All candidates should possess computer/word processing skills.
• As part of the evaluation of your application for this position, you may be requested to undergo written assessment, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
• Your application will be screened based on the information you have entered in your iRecruitment profile (see below under the How to Apply section). Before applying for a vacancy, we strongly recommend that the information you have provided in all sections of your profile are accurate and complete, including employment record, academic qualifications and skills.

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution that is recognized or sanctioned by a competent national authority, included 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://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm

HOW TO APPLY

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

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT