Technical Officer (Food Security Policy Capacity Building), P4, Food Security Policy and Strategy Capacity Building Programme

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Food Security Policy and Strategy Capacity Building Programme will be implemented in South Sudan and aims to improve food security policy, planning, programming and decision making in the selected states.
Under the general supervision of the Head of Office for South Sudan, Juba, and the Chief, Emergency Operations Service: Africa, Latin America and Caribbean (TCEO), the supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and in consultation with the relevant FAO Technical Units, the incumbent will provide support in the implementation of the programme. In particular, the incumbent will:
 provide technical support to the Food Security Council (FSC), Food Security Technical Secretariat (FSTS) and other targeted ministries in policy design, review, analysis, implementation, strategic planning or strategic plan formulation and report writing;
 support the Food Security Technical Secretariat to maintain and expand the network of stakeholders related to food, agriculture, natural resources, humanitarian assistance and be responsive to their needs;  assist the relevant Food Security Council technical unit(s) to develop a capability to monitor trends in food security status and its determinants especially with respect to impacts on vulnerable groups;  advise the national and State FSCs in the development horizontal and vertical operational and functional linkages including non-governmental actors in humanitarian assistance;  facilitate strengthening or initiating of policy units or taskforces in the relevant ministries enabling them to become focal units for policy and strategic plan review and formulation;  design and implement training and other capacity building activities for policy units/taskforces ensuring respective sector policies strategic plans are well understood and disseminated to all stakeholders;  review selected food security related policy documents and Strategic Plans both at the central government and State level, and identify policy gaps and recommend revisions and amendments;  advise the FSC and relevant ministries to produce/distribute policy briefs when necessary and facilitate regular briefing forums and coordination mechanisms within the FSC and the State FSC applicable in order to present findings, progress and constraints and work plans;  represent the project to governmental and non-governmental groups as needed and agreed with the CTA;  provide regular updates to the CTA and relevant programme team members on progress, priorities and constraints, verbally and in writing on an agreed frequency and assure the preparation of required reports as per the rules and regulations of FAO;  perform other duties as required.
** APPOINTMENT/PROMOTION TO THIS POSITION IS TEMPORARY, WITH POSSIBILITY OF EXTENSION
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Candidates should meet the following:
▪ Advanced university degree in Agricultural Economics, Economics or related field • Seven years of relevant experience in capacity building support in food security analysis; planning, monitoring and assessing the impact of food security related policies and programmes as well as early warning, including provision of advice to governments in developing countries • Working knowledge of English
SELECTION CRITERIA
Candidates will be assessed against the following:
• Extent and depth of knowledge and experience in designing and conducting relevant policy analyses and food security analysis and monitoring work • Demonstrated ability to engage in capacity building processes and initiatives including on food security • Demonstrated ability in liaising with government • Breadth of management experience and demonstrated ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams • Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work • Extent of experience in Africa, and familiarity of the Region • Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills in English
Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

How to apply: 

TO APPLY: Carefully read and follow the Guidelines to applicants
Send your application to: V.A TCEO-749-11-PRJ

Chief, TCEO

FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome ITALY
Fax No: +39 06 5754941

E-mail: VA-749-11-PRJ-TCEO@fao.org

This vacancy is open to male and female candidates. Applications from qualified women candidates and applications from qualified candidates from non/under-represented member states are encouraged. Please note that FAO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director-General and may be assigned to any activities or office of the organization. FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
GUIDELINES TO APPLICANTS
Examine carefully the relevancy of your qualifications by reviewing the Duties & Responsibilities of the position and the requirements that are needed in order to perform the job successfully.
HOW TO APPLY
Please provide a completed FAO Personal History Form, found on the Internet site.
▪ Your application should be typewritten (where possible), signed and dated. ▪ Clearly indicate in the appropriate box on the Personal History Form and on the front of your application, the title of the post and the Vacancy Number. ▪ Submit a separate application for each position for which you are applying. ▪ Send your application to the address (mail, e-mail, or fax) indicated on the Vacancy Announcement. ▪ Internal candidates should provide 10 copies of their application.
Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview.
FILLING IN THE FAO PERSONAL HISTORY FORM
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Please list the languages with which you are familiar, beginning with your mother tongue, indicating the extent of your knowledge as:
▪ Excellent/Good = Working knowledge: You will be expected to work independently using the language required, to prepare a variety of written communications (correspondence, reports, working papers, etc...), to participate actively in meetings and in work-related discussions, etc.
▪ Fair = Limited knowledge: You will be expected to follow work related discussions or meetings, even though you may wish to intervene in another official language. You will be expected to participate in simple conversations, to use the telephone, to read and understand work-related texts and to write simple communications, etc.
▪ Slight
COMPUTER SKILLS
▪ Indicate your word processing skills and knowledge of database/spreadsheet (e.g. Excel, Access), or any other office automation software known and used. ▪ If applicable, specify your work experience in data entry/retrieval and programming skills. Indicate knowledge of programming languages and operating systems.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
Starting with the present and going in back in time, please give details of:
▪ Period of study with name and location of the academic institution, ▪ Title of study obtained, both in the original language and in English, indicating the subject(s) of specialization and year degree* was/is to be awarded, ▪ List any other relevant training or formal education that may be relevant to your application.
If selected for an interview, you will be expected to provide FAO with certified copies of your academic qualifications.

• A university degree is a title of study substantiated by at least 3 years of full time study (equivalent to a BA or BSc) from a bona fide institution. An advanced university degree is equivalent to a Masters degree.

EXPERIENCE
▪ Relevant professional experience is counted from the time of attainment of the first relevant degree. ▪ Endeavour to demonstrate how your experience meets the requirements of the post.
OTHER INFORMATION
▪ If applicable, give the number of publications and provide a list and the dates of the most relevant publications. ▪ Provide samples of written work only upon request