Operations Specialist

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.

Shrimp fishing in Cameroon is one of the twelve VCs (one per country) competitively selected from more than seventy-five proposals for the implementation of the program. Following a thorough value chain analysis (VCA), the FISH4ACP team developed an upgrading strategy for the value chain and is now moving to the implementation phase of the activities in the above-mentioned multi-year strategy.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Cameroon, in close consultation with relevant Fisheries and Aquaculture officers (FISH4ACP Project Management Unit – PMU) and Assistant FAOR Administration at FRCMR, the Sub-regional office (SFC) and the Regional office for Africa (RAF).

Technical Focus

The assignment will involve supporting the operations and management of the FISH4ACP project in Cameroon, and may contribute to other FAO project operations in Cameroon as appropriate.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Prepare project-related documents for distribution, make inputs to technical documents and aid in knowledge sharing for increased visibility. • Support FISH4ACP knowledge sharing and capacity development initiatives, including preparation of training and workshop material. • Support the planning and monitoring of project activities while ensuring adherence to FAO policies and regulations in relation to budget, procurement, travel and other administrative actions. • 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 project and contribute on an ad-hoc basis to other administrative and operations task for the FAO Cameroon programme. • Monitor budget; reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data; assist in the preparation of Field Budget Authorizations. • Examine and process a variety of payments, reimbursements and disbursements (consultants only). • Assist in preparing Letters of Agreement (LoAs) and their subsequent output/financial monitoring including processing of due funds disbursements. • Assist in the preparation of technical content for working documents, 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 (consultants only).

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Law, Languages or a relevant field preferred. • Minimum 1 (category C) and 5 years (category B) of practical experience in general project/office operational activities, and progressively responsible experience in operations works. • Working knowledge (level C) of English and French. For PSA, working knowledge of English, or French.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to write and/or edit documents clearly and concisely in French and English is considered a strong asset; • Excellent analytical skills, and demonstrated sense of initiative are considered strong assets; • Previous experience with FAO tools (iMIS, FPMIS, etc. ) is considered an asset; • Demonstrated experience and knowledge of FAO administrative processes and procedures would be an asset. • Previous experience in project administrative management in the fisheries sector is considered an asset; • Ability to work efficiently and accurately; • Communication skills to maintain good working relationships with people from different nationality and cultural background; • Previous work experience with UN agencies would be an asset; • Excellent computer skills.