National Programme Associate (Programme Development)

About Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Organization Settings:

Through its Country Offices, or FAO Representations, FAO assists governments to develop policies, Programmes and projects to address hunger, food security and malnutrition, and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, livestock, animal health, and irrigation and forestry sectors as well as emergency preparedness and response. The activities of the FAO Representation include design and implementation of country-tailored field Programmes, liaison with local donor representatives and active public awareness raising and outreach activities related to the mandate of FAO.

FAO assistance in Afghanistan achieves its objectives through capacity development and direct project implementation in four specific areas of FAO’s technical expertise: 

• Better governance through improved capacity for policy planning, land reform, decentralization, and management of common natural resources;
• Fostering expansion of irrigation and field water management; 
• Intensive agriculture for surplus commercialization, value chains development, and job creation;
• Supporting vulnerable farmers for improved food & nutrition security, resilience, and emergency response to natural and man-made disasters and climate change.

Job Summary

Main Purpose:

The Programme Associate (Programme Development) is responsible for the coordination of specialized and complex processes and activities in support of the delivery of the division's (FAAFG) work Programme, planning and budgeting activities. He/she provides procedural guidance to Assistant FAOR (Programme) and other technical and none-technical staff in the division;

Reporting Lines / Supervision Received/Exercised:

The Programme Associate (Programme Development) works under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme), in close collaboration with operations, project management and administrative staff of FAO in Afghanistan. The incumbent operates independently and takes decisions on work priorities. Supervision received is focused on the quality of work outputs. He/ she provides guidance and advice to other Programme support and development;

Working Relationship:

The Programme Associate (Programme Development) works closely with the wide range of colleagues in the FAO Representation and with the client departments, offices and projects, ensuring the consistency and quality of Programme/project support services provided by the FAO Representation;

Impact of Work:

The incumbent's work impact directly on the smooth operations and performance of the division's Programme/project activities and development. He/ she plays a lead role in the provision of Programme support services for successful achievement of the organizational unit's mandate.

Duties & Responsibilities

Key Functions/Results:

• Monitor both Regular Programme and project budgets ensuring that funds are properly allocated and reported upon and take corrective action if required; inform management of any budget issues that may require attention;
• Undertake field visits to evaluate and improve the planning, programming, implementation and monitoring of assistance projects.
• Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of the assigned programmes/projects; monitors and analysis Programme/projects development and implementation;
• Supports the design and implementation of a system for M&E of major programmes implemented by FAO – Afghanistan;
• Assist FAO’s government counterparts to plan and organize M&E training programmes, identify needs for capacity development in assessment, M&E;
• Provides training on data management techniques and M&E methodologies to staff involved in different Programme/projects activities, particularly in topics related with the food security, agriculture, and nutrition;
• Ensure that M&E findings are effectively disseminated to all staff and all relevant stakeholders at national level and provided technical support when required;
• Support efficient coordination between FAO provincial and regional offices for operational matter relevant to Programme.
• Assist in keeping donor representatives briefed on developments and assist in the development of funding submissions, appeals and reports.
• Assist in monitoring compliance to the organization’s resource allocation framework, providing support and taking corrective action where required.
• Assist in implementing the establishment of sound monitoring processes, in reviewing final reports and on progress in order to advise on any corrective actions required or the need for additional resources to reach planned target levels.
• Respond to a variety of routine queries and provide clarifications on Programme and project matters; inform management and team members of processes, procedures and time frames to secure administrative services needed for Programme/project execution; initiate correspondence to verify data, obtain additional information on transactions and budgetary matters;
• Review data quality and maintain office records and reference files on various subjects; compile and synthesize data from various sources to support financial analyses on Programme/project activities; generate periodic or ad-hoc management reports;
• Provide procedural guidance to other staff in the work unit;
• Review and make recommendations to improve current Programme/projects administration procedures and processes; 

Specific Function/Results:

• Support to draft, review and review TCP/TCP-f project proposal. Develop TCP-f projects performance reports upon request of government;
• Collect quarterly and final results of the entire organizing project upon request of government. Develop analytical reports out of the projects performance for Program;
• Provide support to budget holders in the preparation of the Periodic Budgetary Reports (PBR), the biennial Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) and related work plans for the division;
• Maintain projects portfolio updated in PIRES and FPMIS the UN International Systems;
• Contribute to projects work plan preparation and collect reports upon implementation of projects work plan;
• Contribute to prepare reports on FAO’s major achievement activities to Government Counterparts; MAIL, Ministry of Finance and MoFA and support the preparation of FAO Fact sheet;
• Collects data and other information on development and/or subject-matter activities of the country or area;
• Represent FAO at the Ministry of Finance is upgrading Development Assistance Database (DAD) to update the Ministry about current situation of the organization projects;
• Liaise with government counterparts, UN agencies and other organizations on different matters as required;
• Support in data collection to develop the Country Annual Report;
• Maintain, logs, files and updates records in prescribed format for subsequent use;
• Maintain and keep current registers and control plans on the status of project at the formulation, implementation and operational stages;
• Coordinate the full array of administrative and financial actions related to staff management, non-staff support, travel, payments, and procurement;
• Prepare background material, working papers and tables for briefing and review sessions;
• Summarize information reflecting current obligations and future programme and/or budgetary implications;
• Performs other related duties/functions as assigned by the Assistant FAOR (Programme);

Other Activities:

• Perform any other duty as required by Assistant FAOR (Programme) and FAO Representative/Country Director. 

Job Requirements

Education:

• University degree in Business Administration, Social Science, International Law, Economics, Agriculture or closely related field, Master’s degree is preferred.

• At least seven (07) years of relevant work experience in the provision of Programme/project development and support services, M&E, operations, administration, or other related disciplines with UN Organizations, international NGOs, Government of Afghanistan, or in a multi-cultural offices environment is required;
• Previous work experience with UN is an advantage;

Technical/Functional Skills

• Ability to effectively coordinate a large, multi-stakeholder project with results-based management;
• Ability to deal with political, technical, and people management challenges, administer budgets and work effectively with all staff and with groups involved in the project;
• Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops;
• Experience in multi stakeholder analysis, and in mobilizing or creating awareness about development projects;
• Strong computer skills, in especially all MS Office applications and basic internet search engines or other relevant online tools;
• Excellent report writing skills;
• Excellent interpersonal communications and coordination skills, and proven ability to work constructively with a variety of stake holders to achieve common goals;

Other Desirable Skills:

• Good understanding and familiarity with UN development/ humanitarian program and working methods, particularly with FAO policies, financial and budget, administration and programming procedures;
• Strong research skills;
• Excellent proposal writing and project designing skills;
• Excellent data collection skills;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Good knowledge of protocol, good judgment and initiative;
• Good knowledge of corporate information systems
• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards
• Familiarity with UN agencies procedures for project implementation.

Submission Guideline

Interested Afghan nationals should complete the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) and submit it along with their application letter and CV to the email address below, clearly mentioning the vacancy number and post title (National Programme Associate – FAO/KBL/CO/SC/26-2019) in the subject line of the email, otherwise your email will not be considering for further process.

Please submit your application to below email address:

FAOAF-vacancies@fao.org

NOTE: Applicant who failed to attach the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) their Application will not be considered for further process.

The above required documents can also be submitted in writing (marked “Confidential” and clearly indicating on the sealed envelope the Vacancy Announcement Number, Postal Title, Your Name and Date of Submission) to: the Assistant FAO Representative (Administration), FAO Representation, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Jamal Mina, Opposite Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan.

The FAO PH Form can be downloaded using the following internet link:

http://www.jobs.af/jobsMediaFiles/1342949805.doc

http://www.acbar.org/applicationform  

The last date for receiving applications is 20 May 2019. Please note that applications received after closing date will not be given consideration. Only short listed candidates whose applications respond to the above criteria will be contacted for written test/interview.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview/test.
• Application received after closing date will not be given consideration.
• Please make sure to sign the first page of your PHF while applying for the vacant post.
• Do not forget to write the post title and VA number on subject of your email.
• Regret letter will only be sent to interviewed candidates.

Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply!

Functional Area

Business Administration

Social Science

Law

Economic Growth

Financial Management

Management

Programme

Countries

Submission Email

FAOAF-vacancies@fao.org

Attachments

FAO - PH Form.doc

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