Organizational Setting
The FAO Sub-Regional office for West Africa (SFW) responsible for developing, promoting and implementing FAO agreed strategies to help countries and sub-regional organizations address food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development priorities in West Africa. The Office has a multidisciplinary team of technical experts, in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, land and water, and pastoralism, who provide technical support to the 15 member countries of ECOWAS in their fight against poverty and the promotion of food and nutritional security; as well as to a wider 17 member countries of the Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) in strengthening the resilience of the Sahel countries.
There is growing international recognition that the agricultural sectors (including crops, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture and livestock) play a central role in responding to climate change, as these sectors are among the foremost priorities in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by African countries under the UNFCCC. In this regard, SFW Strategy has as one of its priority areas โSustainable Management of the Environment and Natural Resources (SMENR)โ that intends to support countries address issues related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, the preservation of biodiversity, and the collection, management and sharing on the environment and natural resources data in the sub-region.
SFW is increasingly receiving requests from countries in West Africa for providing technical support in the development of concept notes and project proposals to key environmental donors (GFF and GEF and Adaptation Fund) as well as their implementation. As an accredited agency to the GEF, GCF and Adaptation Fund, FAO intends to expand its portfolio to assist countries in fulfilling their ambitions on climate action, notably, with UNFCCC, as well as the NDCs in the Paris Agreement.
GEF will shortly be the main donors of countries in the West Africa Sub-Region, in terms of climate actions. The portfolio of SFW comprises more than 60 projects funded by GEF. To succeed in the engagement with countries and the Secretariat of GEF, the FAO intends to strengthen its climate team at SFW
The purpose of this call is to provide FAOโs Sub-Regional Office for West Africa and its country offices with qualified GEF Projects Administration Specialist to be part of multidisciplinary climate team, to enhance FAOโs support to the design and implementation of climate related projects in the sub-region, with a particular focus on GEF.
The recruited GEF Projects Administration Specialist will be based at SFW office (Dakar, Senegal).
Reporting Lines
Under the overall supervision of the Sub-Regional Coordinator, and direct supervision of the Administrative Officer at SFW, the GEF Projects Administration Specialist will work closely with the technical team of GEF projects (mainly LTOs and country/subregional Project Managers/Focal Points).
Technical Focus
Deal with administrative issues of GEF and GCF multi-country projects, including logistics, travel, meetings organisation, and support the projects procurement at country level for a timely and quality delivery of the projects.
Tasks and responsibilities
โข ย ย Assist the Administrative Officer in the overall management of the travel arrangements for GEF projectsย
โข ย ย Provide support to the implementation of GEF projects especially for travel planning, implementation and monitoring related activities
โข ย ย Handle day-to-day operational aspects of Travel in accordance with FAO Rules and procedures for GEF projects also through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) formulation, implementation, review and evaluation phase
โข ย ย Liaise between GEF technical officers and procurement units to ensure timely delivery of assistance to travel related issues, following project workplans, budget availabilityย
โข ย ย Oversee travel arrangements of all deployed project staff and consultants for all GEF related projectsย
โข ย ย Coordinate the preparation of supporting documentation for HR, Travel as well as the submission of clearances and waivers when needed for all GEF related projectsย
โข ย ย Contribute to support capacity development of FAO Staff, when required, at sub-regional and country-level, including attending appropriate meetings and training at sub-regional, regional and Headquarters level related to Travelย
โข ย ย Ensure preparedness of the SFW offices to scale up following emerging needs or emergencies related to Travel (flights changes and cancellation over the weekend, etc.), ย
โข ย ย Maintain and update key information/needs information and response, information systems and databases, as applicable.
โข ย ย Perform other duties as required.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
โข ย ย University degree related to business or public Administration, project management, economics, accounting or a related field.
โข ย ย At least 3 years of relevant experience in travel, financial management, human resources, procurement, administration and planning.
โข ย ย Working knowledge of both English and French is essential.
FAO Core Competencies
โข ย ย Results Focus
โข ย ย Teamwork
โข ย ย Communication
โข ย ย Building Effective Relationships
โข ย ย Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Selection Criteriaย
โข ย ย Knowledge of GEF and GCF projects cycle
โข ย ย Experience working in the countries of the Sub-Region