Operational and Financial Support Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Forestry Division (NFO) leads FAO’s work in promoting sustainable forest management and providing leadership on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of forestry, including its contributions to poverty reduction and food security and nutrition. It liaises with member countries, civil society and the private sector in aspects ranging from development of effective forest policies to forest conservation and management issues, and strengthens the role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Division also collects analyses and disseminates information on the world’s forest resources and on the production, trade and consumption of wood and non-wood forest products.

In this context, the Operations Group supports Budget Holders the FAO Forestry Division’s Halting Deforestation, Degradation and Emissions (HDDE); Climate Change and Resilience; and Monitoring, Data and Platforms (MDF) teams. The Group is invested in supporting Budget Holders in project management, financial planning, monitoring and reporting, and resource mobilization.

Reporting Lines

The  Operational and Financial Support Specialist will report to the Programme Officer (Operations Coordinator) or to the Programme Officers (Budget and Finance), in close coordination with the Operations Group with the HDDE, Climate Change, and MDF team leaders and /or of specific officers within the Team(s), related project or programmes including in the Forests and Climate work stream.

Technical Focus

The specialist (s) will support the aforementioned Operations Group in its project management/programme support efforts - including support to the financial and budgetary management, implementation support (including the use of alternative implementation modalities), and overall project/programme management   - of the project portfolio directly managed or technically backstopped by to the HDDE, MDF, and Forest and Climate teams. Specifically, the incumbent will carry out the following tasks:

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will:

•     Support operational processes during different phases of the project cycle for trust funds, from concept note to project formulation to project implementation/closure;
•     Support preparation of specific sections of project documents and work plans;
•     Support insertion of project data in corporate systems (FPMIS, GRMS etc) and proper maintenance of project data;
•     Support (depending on needs) specific project implementation processes (such as procurement, including Letters of Agreements(LoAs) and related monitoring); preparation of reports, and preparation of forms related to project closure;
•     Assist in the maintenance and development of project-related databases and dashboards, allowing for monitoring of portfolios of projects and programmes,;
•     Assist in maintaining and updating consolidated analytical tools and reports to facilitate portfolio-wide operational analysis and support in providing strategic advice; 
•     Assist in the preparation of specific ad hoc documentation/analysis to support budget holders for relevant global and interregional projects of the teams;
•     Assist in selected tasks related to the preparation of the Annual Work Plan (and related budget) for the following financial year;
•     Support team tasks such as maintenance of SharePoint records etc;
•     Participate in meetings and discussions organized by the Operations Group;
•     Prepare summaries, statistics or other background material for the Operations Group (when requested);
•     Other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced university degree (for consultants)/ University degree (only for PSA) in International Relations, Social Sciences, Project Management, Business Administration, Finance or other related fields.
•     At least one year (for entry level: COF /PSA C/ at least five years (for mid-level: COF/PSA B) of relevant working experience in project/programme management, project support, and/or in financial monitoring and reporting. 
Working knowledge (level C) of English. A limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Chinese) would be an asset. For PSA, working knowledge of English (level C).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Good knowledge of corporate computerized financial / travel / Human Resources systems and administrative procedures and policies.
•     Good knowledge and experience in project management, planning and monitoring and reporting.
•     Good knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
•     Experience with trust fund projects and related processes.
•     Ability to coordinate with internal and external partners.
•     Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines concurrently.
•     Familiarity with FAO procedures, regulations and rules, will be considered an asset.