Field Office Coordinator (Kharkiv)

Organizational Setting

The cooperation between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Ukraine has 
been designed to reinforce national capacities and to contribute to the broader development of agriculture, sustainable management of forests and fisheries, and animal and plant disease control. FAO is also contributing to building resilience and supporting early recovery in conflict-affected regions by supporting the economic recovery of farmers and rural communities. FAO’s presence in Ukraine has been scaled up across it three offices located in Kyiv, Lviv; Kharkivand Dnipro under the overall responsibility of the Head of the FAO Office/Designated Responsible Officer in Ukraine.

The recent and large-scale escalation in hostilities in Ukraine is exacerbating the already dire food security situation of the most 
vulnerable rural households and small farmers. In response to the evolving situation, FAO Ukraine is scaling up its emergency 
humanitarian and resilience programming in conflict-affected areas of Ukraine, including previous areas of focus such as Donetsk, 
Luhansk, Zaporizhya and Kherson; Lviv and Zakarpattia in the West; and newly affected and newly accessible areas. In order to
address the rapidly deteriorating situation, FAO us guided by its Rapid Response Plan (RRP) that is aligned with the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and the UN’s Transitional Framework for Ukraine land focuses on responding to immediate needs by providing life and livelihood saving assistance to the most vulnerable smallholder farming households impacted by the conflict as well as to providing urgent support to the country’s agrifood sector which contributes to both national and international food security. Supporting the capacity of the Government of Ukraine to sustain critical food system services is also a key pillar of the Plan.

The role is in-office, based in Kharkiv.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall and direct supervision of the Head of the Office/DRO in Ukraine and in close collaboration with other relevant staff 
and units, the Field Office Coordinator will be responsible for supporting the Head of Programme/Emergency Response Manager in 
leading the implementation and development of FAO programme/projects in the relevant region of Ukraine and coordinating the field 
office.

Technical Focus

The Field Office Coordinator will be responsible for managing the FAO field office in support of project activities in the assigned 
area of operation, and to oversee FAO’s portfolio in the relevant region of Ukraine.

Tasks and responsibilities

•     In close coordination with the Head of Programme/Emergency Response Manager and DRO, oversee FAO’s portfolio in the relevant region and supervise field office staff;
•     Support the Head of Programme/Emergency Response Manager and DRO in the identification, formulation and preparation of project proposals focusing on the relevant region of Ukraine;
•     Coordinate the daily operations of the field office and ensure the safety, security and maintenance of FAO assets including vehicles and office equipment;
•     Coordinate the implementation of field activities, monitor and review their status and suggest corrective actions in compliance with the respective project’s monitoring and evaluation requirements; 
•     Ensure effective coordination with the representatives of local authorities in the relevant region of Ukraine for the implementation of FAO activities, as well as with the relevant UN agencies, NGOs and other civil society institutions operating in the region;
•     Prepare written outputs, including analytical reports on project performances, draft interim and final narrative reports;
•     Liaise with FAO’s Communication Coordinator to ensure visibility of FAO’s activities and the dissemination of appropriate  visibility items/materials in compliance with donor and FAO requirements;
•     Liaise with FAO’s Security Coordinator to ensure security requirements and protocol in the field office are adequately implemented and adhered to; 
•     Act as day-to-day supervisor of the field office personnel;
•     Support field missions to the relevant region undertaken by FAO management, donors and partners (the assignment involves frequent travels to different regions of Ukraine); and
•     Perform any other duties that fall within the reasonable scope of the role as required by FAO

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•     University degree in International Affairs, Economics, Nutrition/Health, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Social Sciences or other field relevant to international development assistance, etc.
•     Five years of relevant experience in thematic areas relevant to the vacancy
•     Working knowledge or Native (Level C) of Russian
•     Working knowledge or Native (Level C) of Ukrainian
•     Working knowledge (Level C) of English
•     National of Ukraine

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Able to work with minimum guidance, well organized, attentive to detail and pro-active 
•     Excellent communication skills in English, ability to write and speak in a clear manner and adjust language and style depending on the audience. 
•     Willing to learn and pro-actively seek out and propose solutions and/or improvements 
•     Good knowledge of MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment. Ability to use information systems and databases to insert data, make enquiries, retrieve/define ad hoc reports and analyses and edit results in an appropriate format

Selection Criteria

•     Advanced university degree is considered an advantage

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION