Programme Specialist (Output 2&3)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO is a specialized agency of the UN that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. 
FAO Country Offices, working under overall corporate guidance and in line with the Strategic Framework, offer policy advice and support to countries in the mandated areas of FAO, facilitated through partnerships, resources and an active country programme to provide technical assistance, develop capacities and deliver core services while fully observing international standards of accountability to establish leadership and strengthen impact at the country  level.

FAO has been working in Lebanon since 1977. FAO Lebanon project portfolio has been growing in response to the different crises. Projects mainly target farmers, fishers, and their organisations with the aim of building their resilience and capacity to access potential markets, while undertaking sustainable management of resources.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Lebanon is supporting national efforts to enhance sustainable agricultural development, improve food security, and strengthen the resilience of rural livelihoods. The Programme Specialist will support the Programme Leader in the effective coordination, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of FAO Lebanon’s multi-thematic programme portfolio.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and direct supervision of Programme Leader CPF Outputs 2&3 and in close coordination with other Units and colleagues in the FAO Representation in Lebanon, and counterpart national authorities.

Technical Focus

The Programme Specialist will support the Programme Leader in managing FAO Lebanon’s CPF Outputs 2&3 programme portfolio, with primary focus on the Natural Resource Management and Resilience & Livelihoods workstreams. The role’s defining function is internal coordination, maintaining the operational coherence between the programme team, operations unit and administrative team, and ensuring that the full project portfolio advances in line with FAO’s programme cycle management standards and the active CPF.

In the initial phase of the assignment, the Programme Specialist will prioritise direct, hands-on support to project managers and technical staff, helping them strengthen their project management practices across the full programme cycle, from workplan development and procurement planning through to monitoring, reporting and project closure. As project management capacities mature within the team, the role will progressively shift toward portfolio-level monitoring and consolidated reporting to the Programme Leader, ensuring that implementation data from all thematic areas flows coherently and supports informed management decision-making.

Tasks and responsibilities

Programme portfolio coordination and oversight

•    Support the Programme Leader in coordinating the FAO Lebanon CPF Outputs 2&3 programme portfolio, tracking implementation progress across projects and thematic areas against workplans, budgets and results frameworks.
•    Identify implementation bottlenecks, flag risks to the Programme Leader, and support the development of corrective action plans in consultation with project managers and technical teams.
•    Ensure alignment of all projects with FAO programme cycle management guidelines and donor requirements.
•    Support the organization and facilitation of portfolio review meetings, internal programme coordination sessions and team planning exercises.

Project management support to programme and technical teams (priority function)

•    Provide direct, hands-on support to technical staff (coordinators, specialists, analysts and assistants) having project management roles in the day-to-day management of projects, including preparation and tracking of annual workplans, procurement plans, implementation schedules and project budgets.
•    Support the technical staff in the correct application of FAO programme cycle management tools, systems and procedures, including FPMIS and other corporate platforms, building their capacity progressively through coaching and accompaniment.
•    Monitor technical and financial progress at project level, consolidate findings across the portfolio and prepare regular implementation status updates for the Programme Leader’s review.
•    Support project closure processes with the related FAO Lebanon Units, including the preparation of final reports, financial reconciliation documentation and archiving of project deliverables in compliance with FAO standards.

Internal coordination across programme, operations and administrative teams

•    Serve as the primary internal coordination link between the programme team, the operations unit and the administrative team, facilitating timely communication and ensuring that operational and logistical requirements of projects are addressed effectively.
•    Support the preparation and follow-up of procurement requests, human resources actions and operational documentation required for project implementation, in close coordination with the operations and administrative units.
•    Coordinate with the technical team to ensure that cross-cutting programme management requirements, including reporting timelines, budget revisions and compliance actions, are met across all workstreams.

Quality assurance and programme cycle management

•    Support the Programme Leader in preparing/reviewing Terms of Reference and Scope of Works, evaluation criteria, project reports and other programme documentation to ensure quality, consistency and compliance with FAO standards and donor requirements before submission.
•    Support the technical teams in the preparation and updating of project logical frameworks, results frameworks and performance monitoring matrices, ensuring alignment with results-based management principles.
•    Contribute to internal programme reviews, mid-term evaluations and portfolio analysis exercises, consolidating inputs from technical teams and preparing summary briefs for management.

Monitoring, reporting and knowledge management

•    Support the technical team in the preparation of donor progress reports, corporate reports, the FAO Country Office plans, and other mandatory reporting requirements, consolidating inputs from across the programme portfolio.
•    Contribute to data collection, monitoring data consolidation and analysis across the CPF Outputs 2&3 workstreams, ensuring that results tracking is accurate, timely and consistent with the frameworks.
•    Support the technical team in the documentation of lessons learned, good practices and programme results from across the portfolio to support organizational learning and resource mobilisation processes.

Cross-cutting support

•    Provide guidance and mentoring to junior programme staff (Analysts and Assistants) on programme management tools, reporting standards and FAO procedures.
•    Perform any other related duties as required by the Programme Leader.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements  

•    Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Natural Resource Management, Development Studies, or a related field. 
•    6 years of relevant experience in programme or project management, coordination or formulation in the agriculture, food security, resilience, natural resource management or rural development sector; 
•    Working knowledge of English (level C)
•    National of Lebanon

FAO Core Competencies

•    Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
•    Demonstrated organization skills and ability to meet tight deadlines;         
•    Ability to prioritize tasks;           
•    Communication skills;           
•    Ability to work in a harmonious and effective way in a multicultural team;           
•    Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective working relationships with supervisors and colleagues

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Strong knowledge of programme and project cycle management, including workplan development, budget tracking, implementation monitoring, reporting and project closure, in line with FAO or equivalent UN agency standards.
•    Ability to develop, review and update logical frameworks, results frameworks, workplans and performance monitoring matrices in accordance with results-based management (RBM) principles.
•    Demonstrated capacity to support and strengthen the project management practices of technical and programme staff through coaching, accompaniment and practical guidance on planning, monitoring and reporting tools.
•    Familiarity with FAO programme cycle management tools and corporate systems (including FPMIS) or demonstrated ability to acquire proficiency in such systems rapidly.
•    Strong internal coordination skills with the ability to facilitate effective operational linkages across programme, operations and administrative teams in a complex, multi-project country office environment.
•    Experience supporting procurement processes, preparation of ToRs, Letters of Agreement, Contracts, and other operational documentation required for project implementation.
•    Knowledge of resilience, livelihoods and natural resource management programming approaches, including experience working in humanitarian-development-peace nexus contexts.
•    Strong analytical and synthesis skills with ability to consolidate multi-project implementation data and produce clear, concise management briefs and status reports.
•    Excellent drafting skills in English; demonstrated ability to prepare donor reports, briefing notes, results frameworks and programme documentation to a high standard.

Selection criteria

•    A Master’s degree is an asset.
•    Proven experience in: (i) developing and tracking logical frameworks, workplans and budgets; (ii) applying results-based management (RBM) approaches across the project cycle; (iii) supporting procurement and operational processes for project implementation; and (iv) preparing donor and corporate reports. 
•    Prior experience with FAO, UN agencies or international organisations is an asset. 
•    Knowledge of Lebanon’s agriculture, food security and crisis context is highly desirable.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions. 

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO [link removed] and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/ [link removed].These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings [link removed].
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
•  We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp [link removed]

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