Back Programme Officer (Value Chain)

Organizational Setting

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) is responsible for the economic, social, institutional, governance and policy aspects of FAO's activities related to fisheries and aquaculture and their development, with particular emphasis on human well-being, food security and poverty reduction; post-harvest utilization, marketing and trade with due regard to the protection of the environment, food security and well-being of fishing communities; collection, compilation, validation, trend analysis and dissemination of the best available and up-to-date fishery statistics and for the dissemination of FAO's information on all aspects of world fisheries and aquaculture.

The Division is also responsible for FAO's activities related to the management and conservation of the living aquatic resources used by fisheries and aquaculture, including the biodiversity and ecosystem maintenance, with particular emphasis on most vulnerable and threatened species and habitats; management of responsible fisheries and aquaculture in accordance with modern management standards and best practices; development of fisheries technology, with due regard to the protection of the environment, food security and well-being of fishing communities, including the safety of fishers and fishing vessels. NFI has been supporting the formulation and development of the New Aquatic Food Value Chains (NAVAC) development for sustainable healthy diets for the most vulnerable in fragile contexts, which aims at developing new and improving existing aquatic food value chains that can contribute to combating acute and chronic malnutrition and find new and innovative ways to improve the utilization of nutritious aquatic food products by vulnerable population.

NAVAC will do this through three specific objectives: i) the development of the knowledge base on aquatic food and their by-products, with a specific focus on the selected value chains; ii) the development of resilient and sustainable aquatic food product value chains to increase the availability and accessibility of nutritious and safe aquatic foods to vulnerable populations; and iii) increased awareness of the nutrition potential of new and/or improved aquatic food products, and their market acceptance.

The position is located in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) at FAO headquarters, Italy, and will contribute to work under FAO's Better Production and Better Nutrition Programme Priority Areas: BP2 Blue Transformation; BP4 Small-scale producers' equitable access to resources; BN3 Safe Food for Everyone and BN4 Reducing Food Loss and Waste.

Reporting Lines

The Programme Officer (Value Chain) reports to the Chief Technical Adviser, Value Chain Development Team (NFIMV).

Technical Focus

Project cycle management, cash-based transfer projects, operational modality and procedures, risk management, capacity development, resource mobilization and human resource management of assigned project activities including the New Aquatic Food Value Chains development for sustainable healthy diets for the most vulnerable in fragile contexts programme (NAVAC) and related activities for the sustainable use of aquatic resources and food security under the FAO Blue Growth Initiative.

Key Results

Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate assigned programme/projects.

Key Functions

• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation.
• Reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions.
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, etc.
• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. drafts background papers, analyses, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).

   

  Specific Functions

  • Provides effective support to the implementation of the NAVAC and FISH4ACP projects, including coordination of logistical and administration arrangements, monitoring of project contributions, resolving outstanding operational problems, advise and/or brief technical officers on operational aspects.
  • Contributes to the organization and correct functioning of relevant Technical Working Group (TWG) and Project Steering Committee (PSC) meetings and evaluations, including their development and updating of work plans during implementation phases.
  • Provides guidance on the implementation of FAO corporate policies and recommendations to streamline and improve operations of the NAVAC project.
  • Develops/adapts project management tools to ensure adequate monitoring and management of project activities.
  • Contributes to the setup of internal controls and quality assurance (such as budgetary controls) in compliance with FAO Financial Rules and Regulations.
  • Monitors progress on delivery and budget allocations and supports the drafting of annual project work plans, related budgets and budget revisions/adjustments, as well as supports the Chief Technical Adviser with periodic progress, financial statements and terminal reports for review by those units having technical, financial and operational responsibility, all for the eventual submission to donors, as appropriate.
  • Undertakes outreach activities; participates in the development of training workshops, seminars; participates in and makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
  • Represents the projects in international meetings and in high-level regional and national meetings and undertakes missions as appropriate to monitor project progress as required.

     

    CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

     

    Minimum Requirements

    • Advanced university degree in public/business administration, political or social sciences, law or related fields.
    • Five years of relevant experience in project or programme management and formulation, appraisal, implementation and monitoring, including demonstrated experience supporting the management of complex, multi-country projects
    • 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, is desirable.
        • Extent and relevance of experience in the field of administration, human resources, finance and project/programme management.
        • Demonstrated ability to write clear technical and analytical reports on development, formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of Blue Transformation projects and programmes.
        • Extent and relevance of experience in supporting project design, planning and implementation (the European Union and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects in the field of fisheries and aquaculture, in particular, is considered a strong asset).
        • Extent of knowledge of planning and budgetary processes and associated tools including FAO Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS) and Integrated Management Information System (iMIS) is considered a strong asset.
        • Extent and relevance of experience in supporting procurement-related activities and tools such as Letters of Agreement, Contracts for services, Beneficiary Grants and Operational Partners Implementation Modality.
        • Extent of knowledge of planning and budgetary processes and associated tools.
        • Working knowledge (proficiency – level C) of French is considered a strong asset.