FAO Programme Support Associate

Job ID/Title :FAO Programme Support Associate
Brand :FAO
Application Deadline :04-May-14
Duty Station :Gaza -with frequent visits to project sites in Gaza Strip
Languages Required :Arabic, English,
Duration of Initial Contract :6 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :

Background:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is an intergovernmental Organization with more than 192 member countries. Since its inception, FAO has worked to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, improved nutrition and the pursuit of food security - defined as the access of all people at all times to the food they need for an active and healthy life.
To achieve its goals, FAO cooperates with thousands of partners worldwide, from farmers’ group to traders, from non-governmental organizations to other UN agencies, from development banks to agribusiness firms (further and more detailed information on FAO can be found on the internet site: http://www.fao.org).
Since 2002, FAO Coordination Office for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) has supported the preparation for, and response to, food and agricultural threats and livelihood emergencies in the WBGS through emergency relief, rehabilitation and revitalization of productive capacity. FAO interventions help protect access and entitlements of Palestinian farming households to land, water, services and markets. Such interventions are essential to enhance overall food security, reduce dependency on relief assistance amongst vulnerable Palestinians and contribute to institution building.
Under the overall supervision of Head of Office and the direct supervision of the Head of Programme the Associate will team up with FAO staff in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) seeking to define and introduce innovative and adaptive approaches in order to strengthen the capacity FAO WBGS in ensuring monitoring and evaluation, community participation and gender mainstreaming in the implementation of its projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Description of Responsibilities:
The main tasks of the Associate will be:
-Assist in ensuring the alignment of FAO programme in the WBGS with the corporate guidelines and practices concerning the accountability to affected populations and the UN transformative agenda. This include interacting and liaising with community representatives, beneficiaries, women associations, private sector and related partners, including the Ministry of Agriculture, to continuously identify and report on the community and gender-focused needs and priorities as well as defining resilience-building socio-economic opportunities at the community and institutional level.
-Provide day-today assistance the beneficiary selection process for the different projects based on the set selection criteria for the projects, while ensuring optimal activity-level coordination with stakeholders.
-Conduct frequent field visits and provide day-to-day follow up in support to the implementation of the project’s field activities, this includes monitoring and facilitating delivery of inputs, organizing training sessions, conducting post-distribution monitoring visits to the beneficiaries and provide the advice and follow needed in order to ensure optimal use and sustainability of the support provided by the projects.
-Ensure that the FAO’s beneficiary lists are continuously verified, updated and readily available for the Programme Management.
-Under close guidance of the Head of Programme, and in consultation and cooperation with other project managers, conduct field visits as needed in order to assess, measure and document output level achievements and impact of the different types of FAO’s interventions and field activities as per agreed methodology.
-Benefitting from the field visits and output monitoring tasks, conduct evidence-based cost-benefit analysis of the different activities implemented by FAO (considering social, economic, environmental and technical dimensions) with the support of Food Security Unit. 
-Develop regular insight reports and briefs on identified needs and priorities from the community and gender perspective and elaborate approaches for programming ensuring that the needs of affected rural women, girls, men, and boys are taken into consideration. This includes assisting in the development and review of project concepts, documents and reports with a gender and community lenses.
-Assist in defining, creating and maintaining market-oriented partnerships and linkages between beneficiaries and private sector actors, while ensuring gender mainstreaming and community participation and ownership.
-Provide assistance and day-to-day follow up to ensure that FAO’s guidelines in regard to accountability to targeted populations and gender mainstreaming are strictly followed throughout the project cycle.
-Assist in defining and consolidating information materials to serve the formulation of new project concepts and documents.
-Assist in the preparation of detailed gender and community-focused work plans, and in the supervision/monitoring of their implementation.
-Provide technical expertise if requested for the inclusion of gender dimensions into needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation activities.
-Ascertain that an impact evaluation and monitoring process is in place in relation to FAO active portfolio.
-Perform other tasks as and when requested.

Competencies :
Main competencies required:
1-Corporate competencies:
-Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards,
-Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of FAO,
-Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability,
-Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

2-Functional competencies:
a)Knowledge Management and Learning:
-Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office,
-Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice, areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

b)Operational Effectiveness:
-Ability to apply conceptual models in support of formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects,
-Strong IT skills.

c) Management and Leadership:
-Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback,
-Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude,
-Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills,
-Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure,
-Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

d) Communication Competencies
-Effectively communicates relevant project information to superiors,
-Delivers engaging, informative and well-organized presentations,
-Demonstrated ability to work in a team, and interpersonal skills.

Qualifications :
Education:
University degree relevant to the required tasks (i.e. developmental studies, social studies, agriculture, gender, or related fields).

Experience:
-At least 3 years of relevant experience in the implementation of emergency and development projects in the sectors of agricultural and rural development, with focus on community mobilization and gender mainstreaming.
-In depth knowledge and proven experience in community mobilization and gender mainstreaming in the context of emergency and developmental programmes.
-Proven experience in dealing and liaising with national authorities, UN, donors and nongovernmental national and international organizations.

Language Requirements:
Fluency in Arabic and working knowledge in English.
Other: Excellent reporting and communication skills in both Arabic and English. Professional skills in standard computer applications.
 

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