FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 194 Members and 1 Member Organization ( the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.

The main aim of FAO Country Offices is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

Specific activities of the Country Offices include:

·         Implementing FAO’s field projects and participating in the development of the Field Programme by identifying and formulating new projects and liaising with local donor representations.

·         Helping governments to prevent and assess the damage of disasters and assisting them in reconstruction and rehabilitation of the agricultural sector.

·         Carrying out public awareness activities and support some important FAO campaigns, such as the World Food Day.

·         Providing assistance to technical and investment missions from FAO headquarters and from Regional or Subregional Offices to the country.

·         Serving as a channel for FAO’s services to governments and other partners (donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), research institutions, etc.).

·         Keeping FAO informed of major social and economic developments in the country and monitoring the situation of the agriculture sector in the country.

The position is located in the FAO Country Office in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Reporting Lines

The Head of Office is responsible for managing the FAO country programme, office, resources and staff, and is accountable for their performance. He/she reports to and works under the overall guidance and supervision of the Assistant Director – General/Regional Representative (ADG/RR) for Asia and the Pacific (RAP). The Head of Office works closely with the Regional Leadership Team and is supported by the Regional Office and headquarters’ technical, administrative and operational staff, as appropriate.

The Head of Office also reports periodically to the Resident Coordinator (RC) on his/her respective contributions to the UN Country Team’s (UNCT) work towards the implementation of the United Nations Strategic Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) (former UNDAF), and is an active and accountable member of the UNCT as defined in the approved ‘Management and Accountability Framework’ that operationalizes the RC/UNCT relationships, in accordance with the General Assembly resolution 72/279. Additionally, he/she is an active member of the Humanitarian Country Team, where relevant.

Technical Focus

The Head of Office leads FAO’s response to national priorities and sustainable development challenges to advance the 2030 Agenda as well as to advocate for action aimed at accelerating the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as established in FAO’s Country Programming Framework (CPF) and in line with the FAO Strategic Framework, with particular focus on the Programmatic Priority Areas (PPAs). In addition, the Head of Office is entrusted with leading FAO’s contributions to the UNSDCF.

Key Results

The Head of Office successfully leads and manages the FAO Country Office and effectively represents FAO in his/her country of accreditation, developing, maintaining and enhancing collaboration with the host government and other key stakeholders on development and humanitarian issues.

Key Functions

Represent and advocate the work of the Organization:

• Represent FAO towards national authorities, partners and stakeholders.
• Advocate FAO’s policy positions in the relevant national fora, represent FAO in the national media and implement a proactive communications strategy to raise FAO awareness with the general public.
• Support UN joint communication efforts and speak with ‘one voice’ in delivering the 2030 Agenda.
• Facilitate timely access by national stakeholders to FAO’s knowledge resources and global public goods.
• Provide leadership on food security and agriculture policy as well as operational matters within the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator System.
• Lead the overall emergency response preparedness, coordination and response at the country level, in cooperation with government, UN Country Team/Humanitarian Country Team and Cluster/sector activities and related resource mobilization efforts.

Develop and operationalize the CPF derived from UNSDCF:

• Support the country’s efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in line with FAO’s mandate and Strategic Framework.
• Lead the timely development of the Country Programming Framework (CPF) and Country Work Plan (CWP) in alignment with national priorities, following consultation with national stakeholders and partners; ensure that the CPF and CWP are developed in accordance with and derived from the UNSDCF process, as well as related FAO programmes, projects and/or other activities (such as normative and policy functions).
• Lead the analysis of the country situation, providing, when necessary, updates and alerts on key events and trends, including for the UN Common Country Analysis (CCA).
• Lead FAO’s contribution to the UN common planning and programming frameworks, i.e. CCA, UNSDCF, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Humanitarian Action Plans, Flash Appeals, Joint Programmes, etc.
• Advise and collaborate with internal partners to raise awareness of country priorities and needs and support their inclusion in corporate and regional policies.
• Lead the dialogue and liaise with national government authorities on issues of FAO’s mandate.

Build partnerships and mobilize resources:

• Support the operationalization of the CPF and the UNSDCF.
• Support the establishment of effective partnerships and collaborations with governments, donors, civil societies, NGOs, the UN and other international organizations.
• Lead country-level mobilization of extrabudgetary resources, making maximum use of the expertise available in the Decentralized Office.
• Support the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in strategically positioning the UN in the country and in joint UN resource mobilization efforts.

Programme implementation and monitoring:

• Ensure that programmes are managed and monitored effectively, in compliance with corporate policies and procedures.
• Mobilize technical backstopping to FAO projects, in line with corporate norms, standards and procedures.
• Provide (when requested) technical support services in FAO’s areas of competence in the country of assignment.
• Operate as budget holder for national projects entrusted to him/her.
• Oversee the effective implementation of FAO programmes and projects, lead periodic reviews and monitor the CPF and FAO components in the UN Sustainable Cooperation Framework and Joint Programmes.
• Ensure timely reporting of results, including to the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Country Team, in accordance with jointly agreed results and corporate reporting requirements.
• Address issues in real-time to minimize reputational and financial risks for FAO.

Effectively manage the office, personnel and financial resources:

• Lead and manage the Country Office and ensure effective and efficient use of human and financial resources, in line with corporate policies and administrative procedures, ensuring that internal control mechanisms are in place and enforced.
• Manage all matters related to the security and safety of FAO personnel and their eligible dependents whilst ensuring full adherence to the UN Security Policy, rules and regulations, as well as to security-related instructions issued by FAO.
• Improve the observance of legal, statutory or regulatory obligations according to FAO’s ethical standards and its internal Human Resources rules and policies, including the application of FAO zero tolerance policies on prevention of sexual abuse and harassment and gender parity. Promote and nurture staff development in addition to welfare.
• Identify and implement effective and efficient controls that better respond to operational risks faced in achieving FAO’s objectives, including preparation and implementation of Anti-Fraud Control plans.
• Maintain and improve the reliability, appropriateness and timeliness of financial and non-financial information.
• Reduce losses and waste of assets as well as resources, whether through misdirected effort, avoidable errors, mismanagement, abuse or fraud.
• Ensure that a gender focal point is designated as required by the FAO Gender Equality Policy.
• Sustain and increase the confidence among Member Nations and other stakeholders in the reliability, resilience and efficiency of FAO’s management systems.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in an area related to the activities of the Organization, e.g. agriculture, forestry, fishery or rural development, etc.
• Ten (10) years of relevant experience in planning, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of field programmes.
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Technical/functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is essential, in both programmatic areas and fostering government relationships.
• Extent and relevance of experience in developing and managing country field programmes from design to delivery (programme/project identification, formulation, analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation).
• Extent and relevance of experience in the coordination and/or management of technical cooperation projects and programmes, including emergency, recovery and rehabilitation related programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in resource mobilization.
• Extent and relevance of experience in negotiating and cooperating with national governments, intergovernmental organizations and other institutions as well as in designing collaborative networks and joint programmes.