Grants Management Specialist

Organizational Setting

The position is located in FAO representation Office, Islamabad. 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.

Reporting Lines

Overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Pakistan (FAOR) and the guidance of AFAOR Programme & Provincial head of programmes of KP and Balochistan. Oversight by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and technical guidance by the relevant units in FAO Headquarters and/or RAP

Technical Focus

• Develop, maintain and implement processes for grants and contracts management; • Advise the supervisor on the financial aspects of estimates, tenders, procurements and other financial functions of the projects, ensuring compliance with FAO’s policies and procedures. • Be overall responsible for proper and transparent implementation of matching grant programmes in all regions. • Maintain a database/archive of all grant-related information and documentation of all grant awards;

Tasks and responsibilities

• Formulate Grants Operational Manual (GOM) in accordance with the FAO’s global guidelines pertaining to Beneficiary Grants (Manual Section-703), for procedural support and compliance to intended applications. • Convene and facilitate the grant evaluation / selection committees to decide on grant award cases. • Substantially contribute to the development of respective grants programs concepts in line with FAO programmatic goals and objectives; • Ensure development of Grants Operational Manual (GOM) for all projects, in line with FAO rules (MS-703), regulations, policies, and strategies, and timely announcement of respective Calls for applications / proposals; • Facilitate the processes of applications selection for support by grants, in close collaboration with relevant Grant selection panels / committees; • Ensure that grants agreements are timely signed with the selected applicants; • Ensure that grant agreements are implemented according to the performance indicators agreed upon within the scope of the approved budget and work plans; • Ensure timely collection of reporting documentation from the grantees following FAO guidelines for reporting and in line with conditions of the grant agreements; • Contribute to the preparation of narrative and financial progress reports for respective donor funded projects; • Update risk logs and identify mitigation measures for the implemented grants programs; • Liaise with the relevant national and international stakeholders in coordination with the Supervisor. • Assess capacities of the grantees and design capacity building activities to address their needs and gaps (e.g. related to projects management, reporting requirement, procurement procedures, data collection, gender and conflict sensitivity, social and environmental impact assessment, etc.); • Ensure implementation of capacity building activities (orientation workshops, training sessions, group and individual consultations, etc.) in coordination with respective colleagues within FAO and bringing specific external expertise if needed. • Ensure quality of work through technical review of the deliverables, spot checks and field visits, programme, and financial monitoring, identify implementation challenges and propose possible solutions and risk mitigation measures • Monitor information related to contractual arrangements – on audits, inventories, utilization and all such elements in the contracts and grants; • Keep the supervisor updated on progress and issues, and prepare briefing materials as requested for discussions on grant status.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advance university degree in Finance or relevant fields or ACCA & other relevant certifications. • Minimum 8 years of experience in managing grants (ideally agriculture grants) or similar position • Working knowledge (Level C) of English. • Be a National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• In depth knowledge and experience of UN, FAO (GRMS) and accounting and auditing systems • Experience of managing grants in international donor funded projects with oversight of complex grant and contracts; • Accurate, stringent and able to comply with deadlines; • Good communication, reporting and presentation skills in English (both written and spoken). • Good financial planning, budgeting and control capacities of grants in complex field programmes • Good computer skills (Word, Excel, Power-point, Project planning tools, ORACLE, GRMS etc.)

Selection Criteria

• Strong grants management experience. • Prior experience managing grants in agriculture related projects is a strong plus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• 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.