Programme Assistant

Organizational Setting

FAO Bangladesh established the Cox’s Bazar programme and field office in 2017, after the influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The field office implements projects under two workstreams, namely food security and livelihood and natual resource management, in support of both Bangaldeshi host and Rohingya refugee populations in the Cox’s Bazar subdistricts of Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Teknaf, and Ukhiya. FAO Cox’s Bazar works with government partners, other UN organizations, and development partners and is an active stakeholder in intersector programming and interventions.

Reporting Lines

The Programme Assistant is under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Bangladesh, direct supervision of the Emergency and Resilience Programme Coordinator and Head of Field Office in Cox’s Bazar, and works closely with technical experts and support teams in Cox’s Bazar and the Country Office in Dhaka.

Technical Focus

The Programme Assistant under SC-4 will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of project activities related to Natural Resource Management (NRM), conducting quality assurance checks on implementing partners and service providers, and supporting programme and project work planning. S/he will ensure timely and effective implementation of project activities and provide day-to-day programmatic support the NRM team. S/He will ensure mainstreaming of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) principles, donor compliance, visibility, disaster mainstreaming, gender and other cross-cutting issues.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of and monitor programme and project annual and monthly work plans
• Monitor field activities and performance of implementing partners, and collect and analyze field data
• Organize and implement distribution of inputs to project beneficiaries
• Liaise with government institutions and the private sector on market development and establishing linkages among farmers, aggregation centres, and local markets
• Actively participate in coordination meetings and stakeholders’ consultations
• Support the development of training curricula, modules, and materials for beneficiaries
• Support integration and mainstreaming of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) principles and crosscutting themes, such as gender equity and protection throughout activities planning and implementation;
• In close cooperation with the MEAL team, coordinate assessment activities in the project sites
• In coordination with the Operations team, manage project budgets against outputs and planned activities
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with implementing partners, suppliers, civil society, and government partners to effectively and efficiently deliver technical support and inputs at the field level
• Perform other related duties as assigned

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry, natural resource management, watershed management, international development or related discipline. Postgraduate degree preferred but not required
• Minimum of 4 years of professional work experience in natural resources, biodiversity, or environmental management, forestry, or climate change
• Working knowledge of English and fluency in Bangla
• Bangladeshi national

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience working on nature-based solutions for biological land and slope stabilization, reforestation, and agroforestry
• Experience in programme and/or project planning, implementation, quality assurance and reporting
• Proven track record of successful teamwork, good presentation/facilitation skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English required
• Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision
• Self-motivation, willingness to learn and strong work ethics in a multi-disciplinary team environment.
• Previous experience with the United Nations or other international development organizations preferred but not required

FAO Core Competencies

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION