National Project Personnel - Project Management

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) is located in Apia, Samoa and covers 14 Pacific Island countries. The project “Strengthening Small-scale fisheries in the Pacific Islands” is funded by the Government of Canada for a two-year period and includes three Pacific island countries (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands).

The project includes the following components:

Outcome 1: Strengthened national and local management capacity in small-scale fisheries for climate change adaptation through a gender-sensitive approach

Outcome 2: National and local actors are better prepared for natural disasters and climate change impacts, resulting in reduced vulnerability

Outcome 3: Resilient fisheries value chains developed that reduce vulnerability of fishers and women in coastal communities to climate related changes, extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks.

Reporting Lines

The NPP will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator (SRC) for the Pacific and will directly report to the project’s Lead Technical Officer and Lead Technical / Gender Advisor. He/she will also liaise closely with the FAO DRR/DRM Expert, and other technical, operational and administrative colleagues.

Technical Focus

FAO has been implementing various fisheries projects in the Pacific Islands. One of the projects being implemented in the region supported by the Government of Canada is the project entitled “Strengthening Small-scale fisheries in the Pacific Islands”. This project has been designed with a long-term vision of improving the resilience of coastal communities in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu through improved capacity to adapt management of nearshore resources to climate change and by reducing vulnerabilities including through a focus on gender equity.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will lead the execution of the project’s technical and administrative activities across the three project countries, with support from the M&E and Operational Support Specialist, Principal Technical Advisor / Gender specialist, DRR/DRM Expert, technical staff, administration assistant, national and international consultants/contractors, with LTO technical supervision at the Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands and other FAO offices as required.

• Support the Project technical advisor in overall and annual planning, the preparation of contracts and agreements with organizations and consultants/contractors, liaising with project partners, and the daily management of the project

• Compile information from the National Project Consultants in each of the three project countries.

• Act as a focal point for the National Project Consultants in all three project countries for information on project progress and activities, and support problem solving.

• Organise and participate in the workshops and ongoing discussions with local stakeholders and project partners for the preparation of the work plans and budgets for all three project countries, feeding into the overall project work plan and budget (together with the Project Technical/ Gender Advisor)

• Support the Project technical/gender advisor to ensure the timely implementation of the project workplan in line with FAO and donor policies.
• Draft and co-ordinate service contracts (consultants and LoA) and procurement of equipment and materials.
• Responsible to co-ordinate with M&E and Operations Specialist on procurement and LOA tranche payments
• Organise and or provide support to regional meetings, forums and workshops.
• Collect and collate M&E data
• Ensure technical compliance with project’s results framework, follow the monitoring and evaluation plan seeking inputs from national project officers.
• In consultation with the SAP Communication Officer, and the Project technical/gender advisor, develop a short communication plan to ensure project and resource partner visibility and coordinate its implementation.
• Maintain regular coordination and communication with project partners’ personnel in charge of project activities, country focal points and project partners
• Provide inputs to Project Technical/Gender advisor for project reports
• Ensure the Project Technical/ Gender Advisor is aware of any issues that could impact on project implementation
• Represent the project for FAO at meetings as necessary.
• Assist in the organization of, and participate in, the Project Steering Committee meetings
• Any other tasks as requested by supervisor.
• Provide technical inputs into project planning and implementation processes including in project wide workshops and training programmes in association with the subcontracted organizations.
• Develop and help coordinate partnerships with the project partners including regional bodies, universities and the private sector.
• Build on the national activities from project implementation and pilot interventions in selected communities, facilitate discussions on lessons learned at the regional level.
• Support the Project Technical/Gender Advisor to review documents prepared by consultants and sub-contractors for submission to FAO.
• Conduct regular field missions (once travel has normalised) to monitor and ensure smooth implementation of project activities and provide assistance in the implementation and training activities at the country level, as required.
• Any other duties required to support a successful implementation of the project.
• Any other duties as relevant and requested by supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Development Studies, Food Security, Agriculture, Fisheries, Gender Studies, Economics, Political Sciences, or other relevant field.
• Minimum of seven years’ experience in the development sector.
• Minimum of four years’ experience in managing or coordinating development projects.
• Excellent oral and written skills in English.
• Availability to travel frequently to the project countries, pending easing of COVID-19 related restrictions.
• Nationality of Fiji.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in applying gender and social inclusion principles
• Knowledge and experience in results-based management, development and implementation of budgets, preparation of technical reports, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience of management, coordination or implementation of projects, preferably in a field related to fisheries.
• Ability to prepare concise reports.
• Experience in implementation and evaluation of FAO projects desirable.
• Previous project management experience in the Pacific would be an asset.

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/