About the job

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized technical agency of the United Nations established in 1945 whose mission is to contribute to eradicating hunger and achieving food security for all. FAO contributes to achieving the 2030 Agenda through FAO’s Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems, for better production, nutrition, environment, and life, leaving no one behind.

Currently, 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 and Operations Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Nepal, and the direct supervision of the FAO Assistant Representative (Programme).

Technical Focus

Provide needful programmatic and operational support to the FAO country program/office in Nepal to carry out tasks as envisioned in the Terms of Reference (TOR).

Tasks And Responsibilities

The National Programme and Operations Specialist will be responsible for carrying 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.

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 program/projects).
• Enhancing agricultural production.
• Strengthening food systems.
• We are promoting agri-value chain development and agri-business entrepreneurship.
• We are fostering digital agricultural innovation.
• Impact Areas:
• Improving food & nutrition security.
• Gender empowerment and mainstreaming.
• Enhancing resilience to disasters, climate change impacts, and zoonotic diseases.

Selection Criteria

• The 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.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on the date and time settings of your 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