National Operations Specialist at Food and Agriculture Organization Of the United Nations

Organizational Setting

• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of 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 (BP), better nutrition (BN), a better environment (BE), and a better life (BL), leaving no one behind.
• 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 the well-being of fishery communities; collection, compilation, validation, trend analysis and dissemination of the best available and up-to-date fishery statistics and for the syndication of the FAO 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 the most vulnerable and threatened species and habitats; management of responsible fisheries and aquaculture in accordance with management standards and best practices; development of fisheries technology, with due regard to the protection of the environment, food security and the well-being of fishing communities, including the safety of fishers and fishing vessels.
• The FISH4ACP project (“Sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture value chains in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries”) is a five-year project led by the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
• FISH4ACP aims at improving the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture value chains through five main components/specific objectives: i) Robust fisheries and aquaculture improvement strategies are developed and agreed with stakeholders; ii) Economic performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in selected value chains is improved; iii) Inclusiveness and the social sustainability of selected value chains are improved; iv) The environmental sustainability of selected value chains is enhanced; and v) MSMEs in selected value chains have access to additional sources of finance and investment.

Reporting Lines

• The National Operations Specialist directly reports to the National Professional Officer for FISH4ACP and also maintain close collaborations with  programme, operations and administration teams in FAO Representation for smooth service delivery in order to meet the objectives of the organization

Technical Focus:

• Provides operational supports to FISH4ACP project in country and other projects in the Representation.

Tasks and responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, and direct supervision of the National Professional Officer, FISH4ACP, the incumbent will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Prepare FISH4ACP project reports, make inputs to technical documents and aid in sharing for increased visibility.
• Support FAO knowledge sharing and capacity development initiatives in FAO technical areas including preparation of training and workshop material.
• Monitor project activities and ensure adherence to FAO country programme budget and conformance with UN standards and regulations.
• Develop and aid strategic planning and implementation of the FISH4ACP project to strengthen resilience of people of concern in Nigeria
• Retrieve,  enter,  select  and  analyse data  from a wide  variety of  sources,  including FAO’s  corporate  systems  and  data bases; verify accuracy of data documents; make necessary calculations.
• Assist to organize and handle day-to-day operational activities of the FISH4ACP and FAO Nigeria. This entails providing support in all aspects of project cycle management, i.e. project identification, formulation, appraisal and approval, implementation and monitoring, reporting and closure
• Monitor budgets, support field budget authorization preparation, reconcile expenditures and other data and assist in the preparation of reports.
• Examine and process a variety of payments/reimbursements/disbursements of various payments.
• Assist in preparing Letter of Agreements (LoAs) and subsequent financial monitoring and payments processing of the LoAs.
• Participate in country missions as necessary and provide technical assistance in monitoring/impact assessment;
• Liaise with Government (at national and sub-national level) and other relevant partners to map gaps in national policies relating to fisheries and aquaculture.
• Prepare technical content for working papers, advocacy materials, web pages, articles, invitation letters and information material for technical networks, workshops, conferences and other outreach events; present on FAO work as required;
• In collaboration with technical experts, develop/update quantitative and qualitative tools and resources required to implement strategy at country level.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Minimum Requirements

• University Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a relevant field preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of practical experience in project/office operational activities, and progressively responsible experience in operations works.
• Working knowledge of English.
• National of Nigeria.

FAO Core 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 in operations management of a project.
• Extent and relevance of experience in FAO Project Cycle guidelines and knowledge of FAO processes and administrative system are considered a strong asset.
• Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project management
• Familiarity with UN rules and FAO rules and regulations

Desirable Skills:

• Previous work experience with UN agencies would be an asset
• Excellent computer skills.
• Ability to work efficiently and accurately under pressure.
• Communication skills to maintain good working relationships with people from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.