Project Officer (Coordinator)

Organizational Setting The main 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 develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. FAO Country Office activities include the design and implementation of country-specific field programmes, liaison with local donors' representatives and active outreach activities related to FAO initiatives. The FAO Country Office in Central African Republic is managing the four-year project “Support for the implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT VPA)” with funding from the European Union. This project aims to enable forests to contribute to socio-economic development of the country through legal and sustainable forest management, timber production and trade. The project works toward two main results: (i) stakeholders in the Central African forest sector are continuously involved in the development and monitoring of the implementation of policies and the legal framework relating to forests; and (ii) the elements necessary for the legal production, processing and marketing of Central African wood products (particularly those exported to markets in the European Union) are operationalised in accordance with the FLEGT VPA.

Reporting Lines The Project Officer (Coordinator) reports to FAO Representative in Central African Republic.

Technical Focus Coordination of a project in the forestry sector on governance issues and information management systems.

Key Results Comprehensive technical and policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of programmes, projects, products and services.

Key Functions • Provides technical leadership assistance on the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects; assists in the review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, liaises with relevant parties; • Coordinates of programmes and reviews the assessments of issues and trends for the implementation of programmes and projects and the preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies; • Supervises preparation of various written outputs, e.g. background papers, analysis, substantial sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications; • Contributes to consultative and other meetings, conferences, including proposals for agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations; • Participates in activities such as structuring of training workshops, seminars; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities; • Leads field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties; • Provides advice on the development of policies and strategies, as well as national protocols and guidelines for projects with specific domains related to FAO's work.

Specific Functions • Leads the planning, execution, monitoring and reporting of the project “Support for the implementation of the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement” as described in the corresponding Project Document; • Designs and conducts coordination among national forest sector stakeholders for project implementation including review and revision of the national policy and legal framework; • Oversees the development and operationalisation of a national IT management system for legality verification including contracting of a service provider; • Designs and delivers capacity building for government and private sector operators on legality verification • Coordinates communication among FAO, the Government of CAR, the EU Delegation and the European Commission throughout project implementation.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________ CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements • Advanced university degree in political sciences, business administration, agricultural economics, development economics, forestry, sustainable development, or a related field; • Seven years of relevant experience in technical cooperation's related activities, policy advice and analysis relating to food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes; • Working knowledge of French and limited knowledge of English.

Competencies • Results Focus • Team Work • Communication • Building effective relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable; • Relevance and extent of experience in technical cooperation's related activities, policy advice and analysis relating to food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes; • Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies and multidisciplinary teams • Knowledge of natural resource management, and forest management; • Demonstrated ability to establish high-level working relationships with governmental and non-governmental organizations and the media; • Ability to write clear and concise analytical reports for project management, strategic decision making and technical advice on best practices; • Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies and multidisciplinary teams • Working knowledge of English is considered a strong asset.