Programme Officer

Food and Agriculture Organization

Rome, Italy

The post of Programme Officer (Adviser) is located in the Office of Deputy Director-General (DDG) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines:

The Programme Officer (Adviser) reports to the Senior Adviser, DDCB, and works under the general guidance of Deputy Director-General. 

Technical Focus:

Provide overall management support and advice under the Programme Priority Areas and other key priorities of the Strategic Framework.

Key Functions:

  • Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of assigned programmes/projects, etc.; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation;
  • Reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions;
  • Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies, etc.;
  • Prepares various written outputs, e.g. drafts background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.;
  • Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities;
  • Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).

Specific Functions:    

  • Identifies priority problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions to the DDG, liaises with Divisions and other units or offices and tracks follow-up actions;
  • Provides updates on programme/project performance through liaison with relevant coordinators and alerts on any potential fallouts; 
  • Researches, analyses and presents information and briefing notes to the Senior Adviser, DDCB gathered from diverse sources;
  • Assists in preparing meetings and duty travel, including liaisons with Divisions and Offices, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries;
  • Attends meetings both with and on behalf of the DDG and/or the Senior Advisor and prepares summary records, flagging issues of interest and/or requiring direct attention;
  • Prepares and/or revises reports, briefing notes and talking points, of a technical content, for the DDG and other senior staff;
  • Prepares and/or revises responses to comments, statements, and queries of parties, including from external stakeholders and Members;
  • Assists in the review of outputs from the Office of the DDG to ensure quality control and high-quality standards in terms of substance, impact, coherence and compliance with relevant mandates, strategic vision and guidance of the Senior Leadership of the Organization;
  • Performs other duties as required.

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following:

Minimum Requirements:

  • Advanced university degree in business administration or public administration, social science, political science, international development, international relations or a related field. 
  • Five years of relevant experience in project or programme management, policy analysis, or related area.
  • Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2203210