P2 FAO APO – Emergency and Resilience Operations Officer (U.S. Citizens Only) At US Agency for International Development

**Please visit https://bhajobs.net/new-jpo.aspx for the full solicitation for this position**

I. Overview

Through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the United States sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment in the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Associate Professional Officer (APO) Program.

These fully funded APO positions strengthen the humanitarian coordination capacity of FAO. They further encourage U.S. citizens to become active members of the international community. After completing their APO assignments, a number of APOs successfully compete for positions at FAO and in other international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

II. General Information

Title: Emergency and Resilience Operations Officer

Organization/Office: FAO/Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) Country Support Team

Duty Station: Rome, Italy

Start Date Required: As soon as possible

Duration: One year, with possibility of a one-year extension

The USAID/BHA sponsored APO will be an employee of FAO, not of the U.S. Government.

III. Duties, Responsibilities, and Output Expectations

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer, the APO has the following responsibilities:

• Supports food and nutrition security assessments, emergency response, policy related and/or funding/project related data and information.
• Assists in the production of various reports, proposals, program/project documents, position papers, policy briefs, and financial/donor reports.
• Participates in project and program formulation and assists the Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer in providing technical and/or administrative support to ongoing operational emergency and recovery projects.
• Maintains effective working relationships with key stakeholders throughout the project cycle, including to support implementation, facilitates monitoring and compliance issues and submission of reports, as required.
• Supports resource mobilization activities including corporate appeals, donor macro grants, Central Emergency Response Fund/Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities submissions, annual appeals and mid-year reviews, and maintains information and prepares related reports.
• Maintains and updates information systems, databases, and web pages.
• Assists in contributing to global and regional policy processes related to emergency response and resilience programming, as well as supporting key partnerships including preparation, review, facilitation and briefing for high-level events on FAO contributions to disaster management and resilience of the agricultural livelihoods.
• Assists in liaising with FAO Divisions/Offices and Decentralized Offices, as necessary, on issues related to development and implementation of emergency, rehabilitation, and development projects.
• Supports project operations related work to create a conducive environment for Decentralized Offices in the implementation of emergency, resilience and development projects at all levels.
• Collaborates on various thematic areas within FAO for supporting more coherent and convergent delivery of emergency, resilience, and development actions at Country Office level.
• Collaborates in providing strategic and technical guidance on Emergency and Resilience strategic and planning processes and related capacity development for the agriculture sector to countries and Decentralized Offices, including through field missions.
• Assists in the provision of technical support to the formulation and implementation of programs and projects related to emergency, resilience and development programs.
• Performs other duties as required.

Technical Focus:

• Support implementation of FAO’s resilience agenda at the global, regional, subregional and/or country levels.

Key Results:

• Research, technical analysis, and project-related services to support the delivery of programs, projects, products, and services.

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in agriculture, economics, business administration and management, international relations, or other fields related to the work of FAO.

Work Experience:

Three years of relevant experience in the public and/or private sectors related to programming, planning, and technical cooperation in food and agriculture, including experience in developing countries, especially in countries that are vulnerable to disaster or other emergency risks.

Languages:

Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other official FAO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish). Working knowledge of another FAO official language is considered a strong asset.

Additional Desired Technical Skills:

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.
• Relevant knowledge of and experience in program and project management and operations.
• Relevant experience in supporting program formulation and implementation of emergency and rehabilitation programmes.
• Relevant experience in the preparation, editing, and revision of technical/scientific and policy documents, and in organizing meetings and workshops.
• Relevant experience in collecting, analyzing, and summarizing technical information and data.
• Familiarity with standard office and data analysis software.

Competencies:

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

Workforce Diversity:

The UN believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural, or religious backgrounds, to apply.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background, and culture.
• FAO staff are required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s values.
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the UN, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination.
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

V. Background Information

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.

FAO/OER is accountable for the overall effectiveness and coherence of FAO’s response to emergencies and resilience building. It promotes corporate efforts to support countries and partners in preparing for and effectively responding to food and agricultural threats and crises. It is responsible for coordinating the development and maintenance of corporate tools and standards to enable Decentralized Offices to assist member countries in tackling emergencies. FAO/OER ensures global humanitarian policy coordination and knowledge, liaises with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), as well as with humanitarian resource partners, co-leads the global Food Security Cluster Cluster (gFSC) alongside the World Food Program (WFP), and coordinates organizational preparedness, surge capacity and response to large-scale emergencies. Moreover, FAO/OER supports food and nutrition security assessments as well as early warning activities related to emergency and humanitarian analysis, dissemination and response. It also plays a major role in the development and leadership of FAO’s program to increase the resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises and, as such, contributes to broader UN efforts to operationalize the humanitarian-development nexus.

The post is located in the FAO/OER Country Support Team at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy.