Organizational Setting
FAO's Subregional Office for the Caribbean (SLC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing food, agriculture and rural development priorities in the subregion. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs).
The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO's Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC) in Santiago, Chile. SLC is located in Barbados and is responsible for 13 countries of the Subregion.
SLC houses the FAO Multi Country Office for Barbados and six OECS (Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States) countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines).
The position is located in the Subregional Office for the Caribbean (SLC) in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Reporting Lines
The Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer reports to the Sub-Regional Coordinator.
Technical Focus
Support implementation of FAO's resilience agenda at global, regional, subregional and/or country level.
Key Results
Technical and policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of divisional programmes, projects, products and services in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.
Key Functions
• Plans and leads components of multidisciplinary teams, coordinates and/or participates in Organization-wide committees, and provides technical expertise on international committees and working groups.
• Develops and updates the supporting approach, methodology, tools, systems/databases, policies and/or standards to support programme delivery and specific objectives, services and outputs of Division teams focusing on (i) humanitarian policy, interagency collaboration and mobilization of emergency resources; (ii) response, food chain crisis, special operations, Level 3 emergency preparedness, early warning and support to transition; (iii) and/or programming to integrate resilience into FAO planning at all levels.
• Develops position papers, proposals and/or policy briefs to support humanitarian policy development, coordination and liaison with international partners such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other humanitarian groups involved in emergency and recovery activities.
• Undertakes FAO emergency needs assessment activities and missions, conducts food security and nutrition assessments and analysis, coordinates in-country early warning alerts and further coordination with all partners.
• Provides technical support to ongoing operational emergency and recovery projects and programmes and related capacity development in countries and Regional and Subregional Offices supported with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), surge mechanisms and Level 3 capable response systems.
• Promotes best practices and provides technical support/services to Decentralized Offices, in collaboration with Regional Offices, to facilitate emergency programming, resource mobilization and integration of emergency and development work in countries, as well as to provide capacity during critical phases of emergencies.
• Monitors, promotes and coordinates resource mobilization activities including corporate appeals, donor macro grants, Central Emergency Revolving Fund/Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation (CERF/SFERA) submissions, annual appeals and midyear reviews, as well as collaborates with countries and Regional Offices to facilitate resource mobilization through projects and programmes formulation.
• Maintains and updates FAO emergency information systems, crisis communications, information and advocacy, as well as providing up-to-date information for reporting, audits, evaluations and inputs to FAO Governing Body documents.
• Performs other related duties as required.
Specific Functions
• Participates in the various regional forums related to disaster risk management, climate change and natural resources management including the thematic group on climate change, natural resources management and disaster risk management of the Caribbean Community.
• Engages with regional inter-governmental and national governmental agencies such as the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the different National Disaster Management Agencies (NDMAs) and the different National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHs).
• Facilitates coordination between agriculture sector disaster risk management committees/task forces and multi-sectoral disaster management agencies along the Disaster Risk Management continuum.
• Participates as needed in CDEMA-led Rapid Needs Assessments, Detailed Damage Sector Assessments and Post-Disaster Needs Assessments.
• Represents FAO in the Regional Caribbean Development Partners Group – Disaster Management and in the United Nations Emergency Technical Teams (UNETT) for the countries/clusters covered by the Subregional Office for the Caribbean.
• Ensures FAO’s positioning and visibility within the Caribbean Regional Response Mechanism.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in disaster risk management, agronomy, social sciences, natural sciences or related field.
• Seven years of relevant experience in public and/or private sectors related to resilience and emergency response programming, planning and technical cooperation in food and agriculture, including experience in developing countries, especially in countries that are vulnerable to disaster or other emergency risks.
• Working knowledge ( proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions.
• Extent and relevance of experience at international level in formulating policy and programming managing field operations.
• Depth of experience in identifying and preparing programme strategies and policy positions on humanitarian and transition contexts, at both global and country levels.
• Extent of knowledge of international humanitarian architecture, including agencies, NGOs and other partners.
• Demonstrated experience in needs assessments, cluster coordination, UN consolidated appeal process and/or emergency operations for Level 3 emergencies.
• Demonstrated experience in rehabilitation and humanitarian policies development, programme formulation and implementation.
• Experience in response management and surge support coordination.