Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer - Food and Agriculture Organization

The Regional Office for Africa (RAF) is responsible for leading FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO’s major activities in the region. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the region and, in collaboration with divisions and offices at headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO’s strategic response to regional activities.

RAF also advises on the incorporation of regional priorities into the Organization’s Programme of Work and Budget and implements approved programmes and projects in the region, monitors the level of programme implementation and draws attention to problems and deficiencies. RAF develops and maintains relations with region-wide institutions including the Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs).

The Regional Office supports regional policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, facilitates the emergence of regional partnerships and supports capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the region.

Under the recent corporate commitment of reaching 60 million people in IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) phase three and above by 2023, the Regional Office for Africa is stepping up its targets at the regional level. This will be done through scale-up and investment plans at the country level, with a focus on countries with the highest numbers of people in acute food insecurity and with the support of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) and the contributions of all relevant teams and divisions in FAO.

The position of Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer is located in the Regional Office for Africa (RAF) in Accra, Ghana.

Reporting Lines

The Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer reports to the Senior Regional Resilience Officer (Team Leader), under the overall guidance of the Assistant Director-General/Regional Representative for Africa and the Regional Programme Leader, and the functional guidance of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) as well as the Programme Priorities teams in RAF, in consultation with the relevant technical officers at the regional level.

Technical Focus

Lead and coordinate FAO’s resilience work and contribute to improved preparedness for, and effective response to, food and agricultural threats and emergencies.

Key Results

Technical and policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of Divisional programmes, projects, products and services in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions

• Plans and leads components of multi-disciplinary teams, coordinates, and/or participates in Organization-wide committees, and provides technical expertise to international committees and working groups;
• Develops and updates the supporting approach, methodology, tools, systems/databases, policies and/or standards to support programme delivery and specific objectives, services and outputs of Divisional teams focusing on (i) humanitarian policy, interagency collaboration and mobilization of emergency resources; (ii) food chain crisis, special operations, level 3 emergency preparedness, early warning and support to transition; and/or (iii) programming to integrate resilience into FAO planning at all levels;
• Develops position papers, proposals and/or policy briefs to support humanitarian policy development, and coordination and liaison with international partners such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF, NGOs and other humanitarian groups involved in emergency and recovery activities;
• Undertakes FAO emergency needs assessment activities and missions, conducts food and nutrition security assessments and analysis, coordinates in-country early warning alerts, and coordinates with all partners;
• Provides technical support to ongoing operational emergency and recovery projects and programmes and related capacity development in countries, and Regional and Subregional Offices, supported with Standard Operating Procedures, surge mechanisms and Level-3 capable response systems;
• Promotes best practices and provides technical support/services to Decentralized Offices to facilitate emergency programming, resource mobilization, and integration of emergency and development work in countries, as well as to provide capacity during critical phases of emergencies;
• Monitors, promotes and coordinates resource mobilization activities including corporate appeals, donor macro grants, CERF/SFERA (Central Emergency Revolving Fund/Special Fund for Emergency Rehabilitation Activities) submissions, annual appeals and midyear reviews, as well as collaborates with countries and Subregional Offices to facilitate resource mobilization through project and programme formulation;
• Maintains and updates FAO emergency information systems, crisis communications, information and advocacy, as well as providing up-to-date information for reporting, audits, evaluations and inputs to FAO governing body documents;
• Performs other related duties as required.

Specific Functions

• Supports the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the regional initiative on Resilience (e.g. Sahel and Horn of Africa multiyear programme, a collaboration between African Union Commission, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and FAO);
• Identifies strategic priorities for FAO’s role in emergency contexts and contributes to improved preparedness for, and effective management of, disasters and crises responses in the region;
• Promotes programmes enhancing resilience and creates partnerships with governments, UN agencies, regional and inter-regional institutions;
• Contributes to, and prepares project profiles, fully-fledged project documents and ad hoc reports/articles related to, FAO’s resilience strategy in Africa;
• Encourages and expands resource mobilization efforts at regional, subregional and country levels;
• Prepares briefs and comprehensive reports and ensures timely dissemination of information on FAO resilience programme; promotes learning through the documentation and analysis of information and experience on enhancing resilience; facilitates the compilation of good practices in Emergencies and Resilience related topics for FAO and interested partners;
• Supervises preparation of various written outputs, e.g. background papers, analysis, substantial sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications;
• Develops training material for resilience-related initiatives and provides direct technical support and capacity development to countries, regional bodies, FAO representations and partners in the field of resilience analysis and programming.
• Provides coordination across relevant country offices on setting and reporting on the corporate targets for RAF of reaching their share of 60 million people in IPC3+ by 2023.
• Oversees and pursues a shift from project to quality programmatic approaches and frameworks, in line with the corporate frameworks and ensuring the mainstreaming of critical corporate functions such as evidence-based design, MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) with a focus on results and adaptiveness, and flexibility of programmatic work.
• Supports priority delivery areas such as anticipatory action, humanitarian-development-peace nexus, localization, cash and vouchers, quality and accountability through enhanced inclusion and community engagement, accountability to affected people, centrality of protection from and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agriculture, economics, business management and international relations or other fields related to the work of the Organization.
• Seven years of relevant experience in 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.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official 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.
• Demonstrated experience in needs assessments, cluster coordination, UN consolidated appeal process and/or emergency operations for Level 3 emergencies.
• Demonstrated experience in rehabilitation and humanitarian policies development, programming, formulation and implementation.
• Depth of experience in identifying and preparing programme strategies and policy position on humanitarian and transition contexts, at both global and country levels.
• Extent of knowledge of international humanitarian architecture, including agencies, NGOs and other partners.
• Experience in response management and surge support coordination.
• Demonstrated experience in the humanitarian sector