Programme Officer

The programme will implement large-scale locust control campaigns and will strengthen the national locust management capacities. At the same time, it will conduct the country in the implementation of a locust preventive control strategy that is socially and financially viable and less harmful to the environment.

Reporting Lines:

The Programme Officer reports to the FAO Representative in Madagascar and will be working closely with the Deputy FAO Representative, as well as all staff and units in the FAO office in Madagascar, and in consultation with the relevant technical units at the Subregional Office for Southern Africa (SFS), the Regional Office for Africa (RAF) and headquarters.

Technical Focus:

The Programme Officer will oversee the four-year Programme (2024-2028) in response to the Locust Plague in Madagascar, including programme/project design, resources mobilization, strategic planning and programming and financial resources management. In addition to coordination and managerial tasks, the role includes providing technical support for the implementation of the locust emergency response and of the preventive control strategy in line with the objectives and technical requirements.

Key Results:

Develops, implements and evaluates effective leadership and management of major projects and teams in accordance with Divisional/Office/Centre objectives and the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions:

• Develops, implements and evaluates assigned programmes/projects; monitors and analyses programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and initiates corrective action; liaises with relevant parties; ensures follow-up action.
• Performs specific assignments, in collaboration with the client, by planning facilitating workshops, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change.
• Researches, analyses and presents information gathered from diverse sources.
• Coordinates policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies.
• Generates survey initiatives; reviews, analyses and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares conclusions.
• Organizes and prepares written outputs, e.g. background papers, analyses, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications.
• Provides substantive backstopping to consultative and other meetings and conferences to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations.
• Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; conducts training workshops and seminars; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
• Leads and/or participates in large, complex field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries.
• Coordinates activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget).

Specific Functions:

• Leads the 2024-2028 Locust Programme; ensures technically sound implementation of activities in close consultation with the Campaign Coordinator, Base Managers and national and international Locust Experts.
• Monitors the implementation of the programme portfolio to ensure adequate management of resources and anticipating potential issues specific to delivery and financial management, in compliance with corporate policies and specific requirements of resource partners.
• Prepares project work plans and monitors progress; where necessary, identifies corrective measures to overcome operational constraints; prepares project task force meetings and ensures the secretariat of such meetings.
• Superintends budget expenditures and resources; ensures sound financial management in compliance with FAO’s policies and rules and donor’s regulations; establishes tools and workflows to facilitate effective planning, accurate forecasting and resource tracking systems.
• Manages and supervises human resources; provides strategic technical and operational guidance to staff involved in the implementation and execution of programme activities.
• Ensures effective coordination between FAO and implementing partners at national (Ministry of Agriculture, National Locust Centre, Locust Coordination Unit, etc.) and regional level (decentralized entities, Regional Directorates, etc.); ensures good information flow between all stakeholders for the effective implementation of the locust campaigns and coordination of Programme activities.
• Coordinates procurement activities and ensures timely delivery of inputs (helicopters, vehicles, pesticides, camping equipment, personal protective equipment, etc.) directly by the Organization or, when appropriate, through contractors, and by liaising with other support units; manages all service contracts; ensures the deployment of the required technical assistance for the implementation of the programme and field activities.
• Supports resources mobilization by analysing and monitoring funding and partnership opportunities, organizing bilateral meetings and partners briefings; prepares appeals and mid-year reviews.
• Coordinates the preparation of project proposals by providing programmatic expertise in the design/formulation of technical and cost proposal; negotiates agreements with financial partners.
• Establishes and maintains a strong relationship with strategic implementing and resource partners to facilitate the delivery of the four-year Programme and maximize the planned expected impact; provides regular updated information on FAO response to the locust plague.
• Participates in relevant meetings and facilitates coordination, integrations and synergies where appropriate and beneficial to the achievement of Programme objectives.
• Coordinates reporting activities and information sharing platforms.
• Performs other duties as required.

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following:

Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in agriculture, business administration or public administration, social science, political science, development studies or a related field.
• Seven years of relevant experience in project or programme management, operations, administration or related area, with five years of professional experience in one or more areas of locust management.
• Working knowledge (proficiency – level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2500328