Head of Project Office in Ukraine
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The Project Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Ukraine (FAOUA) was created in 2014 with the increasing portfolio in Ukraine and formally established in November 2022 as an agreement between FAO and the Government of Ukraine.
FAOUA is responsible for leading FAO's response to the national priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO's priority activities related to the impact of the war, as well as medium- and long-term effects for Ukraine under the overall guidance of the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) and in close collaboration with respective units in headquarters.
FAOUA is among the larger FAO Offices in the region with around 100 national and international staff across five offices in Ukraine with locations in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Odessa.
The position of Head of the Project Office is located in the FAO Project Office in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Reporting Lines
The Head of the Project Office in Ukraine reports to the Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia for the overall programme in Ukraine and to the Director of the Office for Emergency and Resilience (OER) for the emergency response in Ukraine.
Technical Focus
Lead, coordinate and develop FAO programme activities in Ukraine with particular focus on programme/project development, resource mobilization and programme/project implementation.
Key Results
Provides leadership and technical policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of country programmes of work, projects, products, services in accordance with FAO's Strategic Framework.
Key Function
- Leads a highly specialized or multidisciplinary country team and provides technical expertise and advice in high-level resilience policy analysis, policy networks and/or international policy-making bodies on matters related to country programming.
- Promotes, develops and implements country-level resilience policies, strategies and programmes in close collaboration with regional/subregional teams and partners.
- Leads the identification of strategic priorities for FAO's resilience agenda, with specific attention to emergency contexts requiring dedicated efforts in terms of preparedness for and effective management of responses to disasters and crises while ensuring transition to development.
- Leads the development and promotion of the Country Office's resource mobilization strategy and its implementation, including through strong donor liaison, as well as ensures timely reporting on projects to resource partners.
- Guides the coordination and operational support to responses to disasters and crises related to agriculture in the country.
- Develops strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, including line ministries within the government, United Nations (UN) agencies, as well as regional and inter-regional institutions.
- Facilitates resilience-related knowledge sharing activities in the Country Office, as well as among FAO Members and regional/subregional entities.
- Promotes lessons learning through the documentation and analysis of information and experience in programmes aimed at enhancing resilience and facilitates the compilation of good practices for FAO and interested partners.
- Coordinates the formulation of project profiles, fully-fledged project documents and ad-hoc reports related to FAO's resilience strategy and programme.
- Represents the Organization at high-level and international meetings related to country programming.
Specific Functions
- Leads and monitors activities related to letters of agreement, procurement, personnel contracts, official correspondence, travel authorizations and security clearances.
- Manages human and financial resources, including the implementation of field security and safety policies for staff.
- Acts as budget holder for the project operations and management in the areas of finance, administration, budget monitoring, reporting and human resources and oversees the budget management of the projects including proposed budget revisions and financial reporting, as well as the update of the project information.
- Maintains a close liaison and communication with the main donors, UN Agencies and line ministries in relation to FAO programme implementation and development and participates in coordination bodies.
- Oversees the FAO related responsibility related to the UN Food Security and Livelihood Cluster.
- Represents FAO in the UN Humanitarian Country Team, Security Management Team and UN Country Team.
- Closely coordinates with the Director of the Office of Emergency and Resilience (OER) and the OER response team in FAO headquarters.
- Facilitates contacts with FAO technical units in both the Regional Office and headquarters, as required, for the implementation of the programme, including the timely identification and deployment of expertise and coordinates technical input of national and international consultants from different projects and finds synergies amongst the different projects.
- Ensures the strategic fit of the FAO Country Programme in the corporate FAO country plans, including the Country Programming Framework (CPF), FAO Strategic Programme and Regional Initiatives, as well as supports resource mobilization, partnership and South-South and Triangular Cooperation activities, as relevant.
- Ensures communication of results and programme visibility, as required.
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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
- Advanced university degree in an area related to the activities of the Organization, i.e. agriculture, forestry, fishery, economics, social science, business administration, political science or closely related field.
- Ten years of relevant experience in resilience programme management associated with agricultural and rural development in emergency and development contexts, and in planning, formulating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating field programmes.
- Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, French, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).
Competencies
- Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Building Effective Relationships
- Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
- Strategic Thinking
Technical/Functional Skills
- Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is essential.
- Extent and relevance of experience in relation to institutional frameworks for disaster risk reduction, early warning, risk analysis and emergency preparedness and response work.
- Extent and relevance of experience in formulating and managing programmes that analyse and respond to complex emergencies, ensuring a linkage to early recovery activities and subsequent development actions at country level.
- Extent and relevance of experience in resource mobilization in support of resilience programmes, as well as experience in their planning and implementation.
- Extent of experience in the country, including knowledge of its political, cultural aspects and development priorities is desirable.
- Extent of experience in and ability to negotiate and cooperate with senior officials in national governments, intergovernmental organizations and other institutions and in designing collaborative networks and joint programmes.
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Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.
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- FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality.
- People with disabilities are protected from any type of discrimination during any stage of employment, including the recruitment phase.
- FAO does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
- All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
- The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits,
click on the following link: https://commonsystem.org/cp/default.asp
Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:
- Dependency allowances
- Rental subsidy
- Education grant for children
- Home leave travel
- 30 working days of annual leave per year
- Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund
- International health insurance; optional life insurance
- Disability protection
FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies
measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization.
This includes:
- elements of family-friendly policies
- flexible working arrangements
- standards of conduct.
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