Vacancy Announcement from Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations
National Programme Operations Specialist
Closure Date: 22/Feb/2025, 4:44:00 AM
Organizational Unit: FANEP – FAO Representation in Nepal
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)
Grade Level: N/A
Primary Location: Nepal-Kathmandu
Duration: 12 months with possible to further extension
Post Number: N/A
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
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country level.
The offices deliver on the programmatic priorities of each country as agreed in their respective Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and ensure effective and efficient operations with adequate human and financial resources.
Specifically, FAO Country Offices:
(i) advocate, inform and support policies and investments in the areas of FAO’s mandate.
(ii) provide technical assistance and deliver core services.
(iii) assist and catalyse partnership and resource mobilization activities to support agrifood systems transformation.
(iv) position FAO as the specialized/authoritative technical agency in food and agriculture and agrifood systems transformation.
(v) ensure risk-smart and accountable operations and management.
The position is located in the FAO Country Office in Nepal, FAO projects focus on technical capacity building, policy development, enhancing agri-production, strengthening food systems, promoting agri-value chain development and agri-business entrepreneurship, fostering digital agricultural innovation, improving food & nutrition security, gender empowerment and mainstreaming, enhancing resilience to disasters and impacts of climate change as well as threats posed by zoonotic diseases to human health through the One Health approach. FAO also contributes to the coordination of humanitarian assistance/relief and transition to livelihoods recovery within the agriculture sector, under the framework of the food security cluster.
Reporting Lines
The National Programme Operations Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the FAO Representative in Nepal.
Technical Focus
Provide needful programmatic and operational support to the FAO country programme/office in Nepal to carry out tasks as envisioned in the Terms of Reference (TOR).
Tasks and responsibilities
The National Programme Operations Specialist will be responsible to carry out the following tasks:
- Support in the coordination, formulation and implementation of FAO country programmes/projects in Nepal (including regional and global projects with country components), in close consultation with government, development partners, donors, FAO RAP and FAO HQs;
- Assist in carrying out programme/project operational responsibilities in line with the project agreement and FAO programme cycle management guidelines and administrative procedures, and propose timely corrective measures to overcome operational constraints;
- Coordinate and support the preparation of progress reports, financial statements, instalment requests, budget revisions, work plan of the projects and facilitate project closure, in close coordination with the Lead Technical Officer and Funding Liaison Officer;
- Assist in organizing project related events, trainings and workshops, in close consultation with government and other relevant organizations/partners;
- Prepare field visit plan, facilitate and participate in project monitoring, technical backstopping and supervision missions and field visits;
- Participate in relevant meetings, workshops, seminars as assigned;
- Support the preparation of concept notes, project documents and briefs, and ensure that required information and data are properly reflected;
- Contribute to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g., draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications and background material for the FAOR and AFAOR (Programme) including meeting minutes on a variety of topics, as required;
- Support in the collection, consolidation, and maintenance of country data on food, crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries as well as project/ programme related information;
- Support project monitoring by maintaining current registers and controlling tools on the status of projects at various stages; review inputs, expenditures and time frames according to work plans; make necessary abstracts and computations; detect inconsistencies;
- Support in liaising with relevant government ministries, donors, and implementing partners, for FAO activities and project implementation, as required;
- Carry out other programmatic tasks for the FAO office in Nepal, as well as for FAO programmes/ projects in Nepal as required, and
- Perform any other duties as needed.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields/sectors such as Agricultural and Rural Development, Food Security and Nutrition, Climate Change, Natural Resources Management, and/or International Development. A Master’s degree would be an advantage
- A minimum five years of experience in supporting the formulation and implementation of development and emergency projects in the relevant fields/sectors mentioned above
- Working knowledge of English and Nepali languages is required
- National of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
FAO Core Competencies
- Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Building Effective Relationships
- Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
- Competency and Experience in:
- Program/Project Formulation & Implementation: Development and emergency programs/projects.
Technical Expertise:
- Capacity building (technical).
- Policy development (relevant to programme/projects).
- Enhancing agricultural production.
- Strengthening food systems.
- Promoting agri-value chain development and agri-business entrepreneurship.
- Fostering digital agricultural innovation.
Impact Areas:
- Improving food & nutrition security.
- Gender empowerment and mainstreaming.
- Enhancing resilience to disasters, climate change impacts, and zoonotic diseases.
- Implementing the one health approach.
Selection Criteria
- Extent of relevant technical experience in the areas related.
- Ability to manage and work with a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.
- Proven experience in operational and project management in the areas mentioned above.
- Strong work ethic, well-organized, result focused, good team player and dynamic personality.
- Previous experience of working with UN agencies is an asset.
- Proven writing and reporting skills.
- Ability to operate under pressure and good interpersonal skills.
- Good computer skills
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
- Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
- For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
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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