Programme Officer

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.

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.

OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on issues related to climate change, biodiversity and the environment and is the focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing (such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, as well as FAO's work on environmental safeguards.

FAO is one of the 18 Global Environment Facility (GEF) Agencies.

GEF is a financing mechanism for five international environmental conventions:

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

The GEF is one of the oldest 'vertical funds'.

FAO's GEF Coordination Unit (GCU), based within OCB, assists Members in developing and implementing projects for financing through the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LCDF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).

In recent years, the FAO-GEF portfolio has grown rapidly to more than 270 projects valued at USD 1.7 billion in grant financing.

The successful mobilization of GEF project resources requires further strengthening of the management of these resources.

This applies to both GEF project resources, to ensure that FAO can also deliver the GEF portfolio and GEF agency fee resources, needed for FAO as key resources to carry out its portfolio oversight role.

According to the agreements signed with GEF, FAO, as a GEF Agency, is responsible for ensuring consistency with GEF operational policies and procedures and administering and managing the resources.

The GCU's liaison role between the GEF Trustee and the countries and technical units involves robust management (fees) and oversight (project grants) of the available GEF resources.

The GCU delivers a suite of essential functions, some of which are specific to vertical climate and environment financing, to manage and maintain FAO's relationship with the GEF and the broader GEF Partnership of 17 other GEF Agencies.

Internally, the Unit provides expert advice to Project Task Forces, corporate units and Decentralized Offices, serving the programmatic needs of the fast-growing global FAO-GEF portfolio.

It shepherds every FAO GEF project across its life cycle from identification to closure and provides key support to Countries in the programming and monitoring of their GEF resources.

Within the corporate and administrative leadership, the Unit is responsible for the monitoring, reporting and management of the FAO-GEF portfolio, while the single Budget Holder remains accountable for single FAO-GEF projects.

The Unit provides critical services across FAO for the central cash management of GEF project grants and agency fees (including the GEF fee allocation system for all FAO stakeholders).

The post is located in the GEF Team of OCB at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines
The Programme Officer reports to the Senior Coordinator, GEF Unit.

Technical Focus

• GEF project and fee cash management, monitoring and reporting.
• Guidance and capacity building to the FAO-GEF community on financial management of GEF resources.

Key Results
Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate assigned programmes/projects.

Key Functions

• Carries out basic research on selected aspects of programmes, operations and other activities; collects, analyses and presents statistical data and other information gathered from diverse sources.
• Provides substantive support for policy coordination and evaluation functions, including the review and analysis of emerging development issues and trends, participation in impact evaluation or equivalent studies.
• Participates in survey initiatives; issues data collection tools, reviews, analyses and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares preliminary conclusions.
• Contributes to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications.
• Undertakes outreach activities; participates in the development of training workshops, seminars; participates in and makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Participates in field missions, including provision of substantive and administrative support, data collection, etc.
• Coordinates activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements) and preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget.), as necessary.

Specific Functions

• Serves as the focal point and resource person in the OCB GEF Team on GEF financial matters.
• Supports the GEF Senior Coordinator in liaising with FAO corporate units and with the GEF Secretariat, GEF trustee and other GEF Agencies on resource-related matters.
• Assists the GEF Coordinator in managing the project grant and fees cash flow, including grant and fees allocation as part of the FAO corporate activities of the GCU and in adherence with the Financial Procedures Agreement with the GEF Trustee.
• Prepares regular analytical internal reports on the use/delivery of GEF project resources use in the portfolio, flags at risk situations and engages with technical Funding Liaison Officers and Project Task Force for appropriate follow up actions.
• Reviews and analyses emerging trends in FAO-GEF portfolio resource flows and supports the Senior Coordinator to seek solutions.
• Contributes to and participates in capacity development activities, training workshops and development of guidelines on FAO's fee management guidelines and procedures.
• Liaises with GEF fee account Budget Holders to facilitate completion of budget revisions and ensure compliance with GEF fee use policy.
• Supports the GEF Coordinator in preparing periodic GEF Trustee reports, calls for funds and monitors these activities.
• Serves as Funding Liaison Officer between FAO Finance and GEF Trustee on portfolio financial issues and procedures, resource (fee and grant) flows and reporting.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in business administration, public administration, international studies, economics, or a related field.
• Three years of relevant experience in project or programme management, administration or related area.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - 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 in the field of administration, finance, and/or management.
• Extent and relevance of experience in resource management, analysis and planning.
• Extent of knowledge of planning and budgetary processes and demonstrated experience with advanced versions of associated tools such as MS Excel and Power BI.
• Demonstrated knowledge of GEF financial policies, procedures and project cycle, is considered a strong asset.
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset.

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