Organizational Setting
FAO’s Subregional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). SFE is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Africa (RAF). It has jurisdiction over eight countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Eritrea. It supports subregional policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, facilitates the emergence of subregional partnerships and supports capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the subregion.

The SFE Resilience Team for Eastern Africa (RTEA), based in Nairobi, Kenya, and in close coordination with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is providing strategic, programmatic and technical guidance to FAO and Member Nations’ programmes on the resilience agenda. Recognizing its complementary function to enhance country level efforts in the resilience agenda, the Subregional Resilience Team contributes to increasing the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises in East Africa through the achievement of the following priority areas:

•    Understanding food crises
•    Anticipating, preparing for and responding to crises
•    At-scale transformative investments

As part of its portfolio, SFE-RTEA is coordinating the recently signed European Union (EU)-funded “Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change in Eastern Africa Programme” (PLACE – GCP/INT/1051/EC). This is a EUR 47 million strategic and long-term investment that addresses some of the key challenges to livestock and pastoralism in four cross border areas spread across seven countries – in a highly dynamic and often fragile region. The programme aims to foster an environment that promotes comprehensive and innovative solutions to enhance resilience, improve food security and establish sustainable pastoral livelihoods. It is implemented across four cross-border cluster areas—the Bahr el-Arab/Kiir, Karamoja, Mandera and Mara-Serengeti Clusters—spanning Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, the Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

The position is located in the FAO Representation in Nairobi, Kenya.

Reporting Lines
The Project Officer (Project Manager) will be under the overall supervision of the SFE Subregional Coordinator and the direct supervision of the Resilience Team Leader (RTEA) in Nairobi, Kenya. In close collaboration with the various country teams, the Project Officer (Project Manager) will be responsible for the coordination of the “Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change in Eastern Africa Programme” (PLACE) programme.

Technical Focus
Contribute to the implementation of FAO RTEA priority areas for building resilience in Eastern Africa, in particular through the coordination of the EU-funded “Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change in Eastern Africa Programme” (PLACE) programme (GCP/INT/1051/EC).

Key Results
Research, technical analysis and project related services to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services.

Key Functions
•    Researches and analyses technical-related issues on the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects; assists in the review of relevant documents and reports.
•    Produces a variety of technical information, data, statistics and documents as well as technical input for reports and web pages.
•    Provides technical support/analysis to various assessments, studies and projects and provides technical backstopping to field projects.
•    Collaborates in the development of improved/updated tools, systems, processes and databases.
•    Oversees the updating of databases and web pages.
•    Participates in multidisciplinary teams and/or leads working groups/teams collaborates with other Divisions/Offices/Centres and agencies on work groups and committees and promotes best practices.
•    Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development activities within Member Nations such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials and on-line tools.
•    Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations.
•    Performs other duties as required.

Specific Functions
•    Provides technical backstopping, project management and overall regional coordination support for the EU-funded Regional Programme in Livestock and Pastoralism for Climate Change Adaptation in Eastern/Horn of Africa (PLACE, GCP/INT/1051/EC), including management of relationships with (regional) partners, donor (at working level) and country offices.
•    Supports the design and implementation of policies, regulatory frameworks and institutional arrangements supportive of inclusive, equitable, effective and efficient systems.
•    Promotes the regular use of knowledge, information and early warning for evidence-based decision making and monitoring.
•    Supports governments in establishment of enabling environments, including the development of conducive and effective policies, strategies and investment plans, programmes, governance and coordination mechanisms in a cross-sectoral, integrated and participatory way.
•    Provides technical support to ongoing operational emergency and recovery projects and programmes and related capacity development in country, regional and subregional offices.
•    Enhances country public and private sector capacities and investments to design, implement and evaluate policies, strategies and programmes, including through international and regional instruments.
•    Empowers the rural poor and their organizations, and particularly youth, women and vulnerable groups, to access productive resources, services, markets, productive employment and decent work opportunities, social protection systems.
•    Formulates and builds capacities to implement regional and international standards, agreements and voluntary guidelines and legal, policy and institutional systems and frameworks.
•    Provides programmatic, strategy and resource mobilization support for emergency and resilience programmes and strengthens country preparedness and response at all levels.
•    Supports RTEA knowledge management, communication – visibility activities.
•    Performs other duties as required.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
•    Advanced university degree in political sciences, business administration, agricultural economics, development economics, rural sociology, food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture (including livestock, forestry and fisheries) or related field.
•    Five years of relevant experience in technical cooperation’s related activities, policy advice and analysis relating to food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development, fishery, forestry, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes.
•    Working knowledge (proficiency – level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies
•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    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 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.

 

 

 

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements