Yemen: Programme Specialist

Feb 6, 2021 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
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FAO's office for Yemen assists the Government of Yemen to formulate and implement policies, programs 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. As part of it, FAO Yemen implements an Emergency and Resilience programme which is funded by a diverse set of donors and that is aligned to the Humanitarian Response Plan of the United Nations in Yemen.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent works under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, the direct supervision of the Head of Programmes, and in close coordination with Technical Units. Will support the implementation and development of FAO’s resilience intervention in Yemen. The incumbent is also required to exercise a strong collaboration and coordination with the Units of FAO in country: Operations and Admin/Finance.

Technical Focus

  • Implementation, development and monitoring of the FAO Yemen emergency and resilience programme.

Tasks and Responsibilities

PSA and consultants:

Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate assigned programmes/projects.

  • Research and analyse technical, food and nutrition security assessments, emergency response, policy related and/or funding/project related data and information to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services;
  • Produce various reports, proposals, programme/project documents, position papers, policy briefs, financial/donor reports as well as critical information for inclusion in governing body reports etc.;
  • Participate in project teams, collaborate in project and programme formulation and provides technical and/or administrative support to ongoing operational emergency and recovery projects;
  • Liaise with FAO technical Departments as well as other UN Organizations to obtain and/or exchange information regarding food and nutrition security assessments, emergency and recovery activities and other related issues;
  • Provide programmatic support and promote best practices;
  • Monitor and provide support to resource mobilization activities including corporate appeals, donor macro grants, CERF/SFERA submissions, annual appeals and mid-year reviews, maintains information and prepares related reports;
  • Maintain and update information systems, databases and web pages;
  • Perform other duties as required.

Consultants:

  • Support the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. background papers, analysis, substantial sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications;
  • Support the development of FAO Yemen Programme
  • Provide technical advice, inputs and support to the formulation, coordination, implementation, data analysis and reporting for various assessment processes concerned with agriculture and food security in emergency and recovery settings. This will include but not be restricted to: rapid agricultural livelihood assessments; market assessments; seed security assessments and other sector specific assessments for livestock and fisheries and; in depth assessments for livelihood recovery including Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and Recovery, Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) and other specific project assessments;
  • Support and participate in country initiatives and fora such as the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC); the Global Network Against Food Crisis (GNAFC); the Needs assessment workstream of the Grand Bargain including the work of the Joint Inter-sectoral Analysis Group (JIAG); COVID 19 strategic framework in Yemen, the UNDAF working group,  the PDNA and RPBA;
  • Contribute to the linking of information with decision making by engaging with programming staff and overseeing the development of adequate communication and outreach material passing the key messages to target audiences.

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

Minimum Requirements

  • Advanced university degree in agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, economics, social science or related field;
  • Five years of relevant experience in management and coordination of food security, resilience, and rural development programs, or related area;
  • Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian (for consultants).

FAO Core Competencies

  • Results Focus;
  • Teamwork;
  • Communication;
  • Building Effective Relationships;
  • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement;

Technical/Functional Skills

  • Expertise in management of food security, resilience, and rural development projects, or related area;
  • Relevant experience in programme/project formulation, analysis, planning and implementation;
  • Extent of relevant experience with internationally funded projects.
  • Extend working experience in a complex, international, geographically dispersed, with inter-disciplinary team environment.
  • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
  • Good communication, analytical and writing skills;
  • Extent of knowledge of planning and budgetary processes and associated tools;
  • Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset;
  • Willingness and ability to travel to remote, rural locations, Team player
  • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
  • Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project formulation, analysis, planning and implementation;
  • Extent and relevance of experience in conflict analysis methodologies, do not harm approach and program management in protracted crisis areas;

Selection Criteria

  • Expertise in management of food security, resilience, and rural development projects, or related area;
  • Relevant experience in programme/project formulation, analysis, planning and implementation;
  • Extend working experience in a complex, international, geographically dispersed, with inter-disciplinary team environment.
  • Willingness and ability to travel to remote, rural locations, Team player.

Desirable Qualifications

  • Relevant experience in the United Nations system;
  • Experience in the implementation of humanitarian funded projects and knowledge of project management rules and regulations; 
  • Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset;
  • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

Additional Information

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list.


If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application.

For more information, visit the FAO employment website

How to Apply

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline

If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org