Operations Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (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's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on these issues and is the focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as well as FAO’s work on environmental safeguards and leads the Programme Priority Areas on Climate Change (PPA BE1) and Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (PPA BE2).

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) assists member countries in developing sound responses to global environmental challenge, deliver global environmental benefits and strengthen socio-ecological resilience. OCB hosts the FAO-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coordination Unit. The GEF is a global funding mechanism for five conventions and FAO supports eligible countries to access GEF resources. The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a flagship initiative of the GEF which provides community-based grants to deliver global environmental benefits and socio-economic co-benefits. In January 2024, the GEF selected FAO as a new SGP Implementing Agency for SGP 2.0.

To date, 13 countries requested FAO’s support to access funding from SGP 2.0 and deliver their national SGP portfolios. FAO will strengthen technical and operational capacities at national and local levels to support the design, financing, delivery and monitoring of grant making schemes that are innovative, gender-responsive, youth-focused, disability-inclusive but also sensitive to indigenous customs, local languages and cultural values across the target landscapes and seascapes. Given the complex nature of SGP operations and execution arrangements, in line with the Project Document, an Operations Specialist will be part of the GPMT to support SGP operations across the participating countries in line with FAO’s applicable operational modalities. Through this call for expression of interest, FAO aims at identifying both experienced Operations Specialist, ideally with experience on FAO’s operational modalities and financial procedures and the GEF SGP guidelines and policies.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will report to the Deputy Director in OCB. He / She will work closely with the GPMT, Integrated Programs Hub, OCB-GEF Unit, designated SGP focal points in Country Offices, Technical Divisions in HQ and Decentralised Offices, and the broader FAO-GEF Community.

Technical Focus

The SGP Operations Specialist will be responsible for ensuring that SGP operations and finances are adequately supported and undertaken in accordance with FAO and GEF SGP requirements.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Operations Specialist will perform the following functions:

•     Act as the Operational Focal Point for all SGP operational matters, handle day-to-day operations and take action in consultation with the GPMT to overcome any operational constraints 
•     Liaise with FAO’s relevant departments to conduct any feasibility assessments and obtain any operational clearances required for the use of FAO’s operational modalities
•     For Consultants only: Provide operational guidance (e.g. LoAs, beneficiary grants, on-granting) to decentralized offices and executing partners, and contribute to strengthening the operational and financial capacities of the SGP workforce 
•     Prepare any legal agreements and support their processing by FAO’s relevant departments (e.g. Funding agreements, partnership agreements, framework agreements) 
•     For Consultants only: Support adequate operational and budgetary planning in line with the Project Document including by supporting country teams develop operational plans and annual budgets, and by reviewing budget revisions and their processing through FPMIS and other corporate platforms as applicable
•     Ensure that all financial and operational documents are up to date and uploaded through FPMIS and other relevant corporate platforms 
•     Set up a system using relevant tools to analyse financial and operational data, including through the use of visualization dashboards to inform and guide SGP programming
•     Monitor operational performance and track the use of financial resources allocated to each entity to ensure that expenditures are in line with GEF’s and FAO’s rules and procedures 
•     Detect and investigate any unusual financial transactions and /or anomalies
•     Provide periodic financial and operational data required for internal and external reporting processes (including the GEF PIR, other reporting needs from GEFSEC, FAO’s internal corporate reporting tools, other reporting needs from FAO, and other reporting requirement from partners including donors and private sector partners)
•     Prepare all financial and operational documents required for auditing and evaluation purposes and ensure compliance of financial transactions and records with auditing and evaluation reports
•     For Consultants only: Identify bottlenecks hindering program delivery and propose cost-saving strategies to optimize SGP operations, reduce transactional costs and enhance financial efficiency
•     Perform additional related tasks as required

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     For Consultants: Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in project management, finance, economics, natural resources management, development studies or related fields; / Consultants with bachelor`s degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience
•     For PSA.SBS: University degree or specific technical specialization in project management, finance, economics, natural resources management, development studies or related fields; 
•     Minimum 1 year of relevant experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. 
•     Working knowledge (level C) of English

FAO Core 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 
•     Extent and relevance of experience in providing operational and financial backstopping to community-based projects 
•     Extent and relevance of experience in designing systems and tools to analyse and monitor operational and financial performance
•     Familiarity with FAO’s and the GEF SGP operational modalities and financial procedures