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

Job Description
Organizational Setting:

• The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
• The incumbent will work in the FAO Representation in Nigeria and will be expected to support the implementation of FAO Nigeria Country Programme Framework with emphasis on programme and operations support.

Reporting Lines:

• The Programme and Operations Specialist reports to the FAO Representative (FAOR) under direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes) and in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations Leads.

Technical Focus:

• Develop and aid strategic planning and implementation of country projects to strengthen resilience of people of concern in Nigeria.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Prepare project documents, 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 country projects to strengthen resilience of people of concern in Nigeria
• Retrieve, enter, select and analyze 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 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 budget; reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data; assist in the preparation of recurring and special reports by preparing and editing data in appropriate format as requested; monitor project, programme and general office accounts.
• 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.
• Contribute to the formulation of new projects and contribute to design of projects in the pipeline and the implementation of existing projects including project costing and economic and financial analysis of projects.
• Participate in country missions as necessary and provide technical assistance in monitoring/impact assessment;
• 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 1 to 2 years of practical experience in general project/office operational activities, and progressively responsible experience in operations works.
• Previous work experience with UN agencies would be an asset.
• National of Nigeria or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies:

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical / Functional Skills:

• Excellent command of written and spoken English;
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills;
• Readiness to carry out visits to project sites and duty travel as required
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in emergency situations with tight deadlines;
• Excellent team-building and cross-cultural skills;
• Good computer skills and proficiency in English language is required.
• Ability to work efficiently and accurately.
• Communication skills to maintain good working relationships with people from different nationality and cultural background.