Mozambique: Head of Field Office

Apr 19, 2021 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO representative, is to assistant 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.

The FAO Representation in Mozambique is organized in three main units: Programme, Operations and Administration. The current portfolio of projects in Mozambique includes activities related to agriculture (crop), Fisheries, Natural Resource management, food information systems is implemented with humanitarian, transitional and development funding. FAO Mozambique’s field office (Hub) is headed by the HoFo to make sure effective programmatic and operational coverage in the sub-offices. The HoFo represents FAO mandates and country operations strategic objectives. The incumbent carries the full delegated authority of the FAO Representative of the country, who will exercise entire supervisory managerial responsibility over the position.

Reporting Lines

The HoFO will work under the overall supervision n of the FAO Representative for Mozambique and the direct supervision of the Deputy FAO Representative. The HoFo will collaborate with the Programme, Operations and Administrative/Finance Units and work closely with the State Government, sister UN organizations, Non-Governmental Organization and beneficiaries’ communities

Technical Focus

  • Oversee the implementation of the overall projects interventions in assigned Field Office
  • Overall leadership, management and prompt services delivery to the stakeholders.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The HoFO will be based in field office (Pemba) with travel to field locations as required. Specifically, the incumbent will: Coordination and Representation at State Level:

  • Establish, develop and maintain effective working relations with key stakeholders on behalf of the FAOR at the state level including sister UN agencies, programs and funds, government institutions, traditional leadership, beneficiary populations and their representatives.
  • Coordinate the day-to-day field level activities in close consultation and cooperation with FAO’s program unit and the relevant program support units while providing continuous support to implementing partners;
  • Foster program coordination, collaborations and colocation with relevant development partners and Support preparation and implementation of events and donor visits.
  • Lead coordination of the Food Security and Livelihood Cluster activities in respective State.

Facilitate and Support to FAO Operations:

  • Ensure health, safety and security protocols are followed at all times, and in consultation with the FAO Security Officer, UNDSS and or other ASMT members take timely corrective actions as required;
  • Lead, manage, oversee all aspects of supply chain support, including low-cost procurement, stock management, asset management, vehicle and equipment renewal, maintenance and repair (including communications and computer equipment);
  • Oversee under the auspices of the Finance Officer and Budget Holder, the utilization of funds at the field office including proper management of petty cash and operations advances;
  • Ensure compliance with FAO and donor finance and logistics policies, including all aspects of low-cost procurement and asset management.
  • Ensure efficient utilization of allocated financial resources in compliance with FAO policies for achievement of set objectives.
  • Support field staff in the implementation of personnel policies including coaching, performance evaluation, staff development, and disciplinary measures.
  • Effectively manage the Field Office to ensure transparent and efficient people management and the continued development of a cohesive and high-performance team.
  • Assist in developing national staff capacity by providing training, opportunities for job shadowing and close follow-up of tasks and
  • Supervise the work of both long and short-term NSHR assigned for duty in the state.

Programme/Project implementation:

  • Map all FAO intervention in the state and ensure synergy and complementarity in the implementation of the programme/projects for increased impact;
  • Prepare detailed area work plans in line with the budget and in collaboration with stakeholders, and make necessary arrangements for their successful implementation in a timely manner;
  • Provide programmatic and technical support and advice to enhance effective project delivery and complies with both FAO’s rules/regulations and the donor standards as defined in the respective project documents;
  • Conduct regular field visits and on-site mentoring for ongoing project activities and development knowledge products;
  • Monitor progress of project implementation in relation to annual work plan (timelines, achievement of project objectives and impact), and implement corrective measures when needed in consultation with Project Managers;
  • Engage with beneficiaries and ensure gender and protection perspectives are in cooperated in all areas of work;
  • Ensure that FAO interventions within area of operation take into account gender aspects especially those related to women and youth, conflict sensitivity and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP);
  • Prepare ad hoc and bi-annual/yearly plans and reports/updates and inform the PM’s and technical team in a timely manner;
  • Review and comment on technical documents as required; Prepare technical specifications of the required project inputs (equipment supplies) and draft tender documents for local or international procurement;
  • Organize briefing and debriefing meetings for donor missions;
  • Conduct emergency needs assessments in response to any humanitarian crisis at State level;
  • Identify possible bottlenecks and challenges within the changing humanitarian and operational works within and propose solutions to these challenges and plan for contingency planning actions.
  • Perform other duties as requested by supervisor.

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

Minimum Requirements

  • Minimum of 12 years of proven knowledge and experience in emergency response management at the country and/or international level, particularly related to agriculture, food and nutrition security and/or food safety;
  • Advanced degree in Project Management, Economics, International Development, Rural Development, Social Science, and Agriculture or related;
  • Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French or of one of the other FAO official languages.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

  • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable
  • Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies and multi-disciplinary teams

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