GEF Funding Liaison Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) works to ensure that countries and stakeholders respond to the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. OCB provides a cross organizational coordination role on these issues and is the focal point to major multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Office also assists FAO Members in their responses towards the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation including through facilitating access to climate and environmental financing such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In addition, OCB hosts the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme, the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as well as FAO’s work on environmental safeguards and leads the Programme Priority Areas on Climate Change (PPA BE1) and Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture (PPA BE2).

FAO is one of the 18 Implementing Agencies of the Global Environment Facility. OCB hosts the FAO-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coordination Unit which serves as a Funding Liaison Unit with the GEF, a global funding mechanism for five environmental conventions. FAO’s global GEF portfolio has grown rapidly and currently exceeds USD $2 billion, with more than 400 approved projects.  The OCB-GEF Coordination unit (GCU) serves as Funding Liaison Unit for FAO’s collaboration with the GEF and the GEF-managed Funds. 
 

Reporting Lines
 

The GEF funding liaison specialist will report to the Programme Officer in the OCB GEF Coordination Unit.

Technical Focus

Portfolio monitoring, portfolio management and quality assurance of submissions, speed of operations for timely delivery and impact, implementation support, compliance with GEF and FAO policy and operational requirements.

Tasks and responsibilities

Monitoring and Reporting:

•     Monitor and support projects in advancing through their key project cycle milestones and supporting liaison with the GEF in close coordination with the OCB GEF technical Officer (GTO) and Project Task Forces (PTF)
•     Manage data from FAO corporate database FPMIS, OCB-GEF Unit’s portfolio dashboard and to prepare periodic reports
covering key performance Indicators and other key parameters of FAO’s project cycle efficiency.
•     Prepare analytic reports and flag projects at risk of weak performance, working closely with PTFs, Decentralized Offices and HQ Units in charge of the corporate monitoring function to follow up on actions needed.
•     Liaise with the GEF Unit Monitoring & reporting team to and provide inputs to the organization and scheduling of MTRs, TE, and the project closure process and reporting.

Quality Assurance, implementation support and capacity development:

•     As the GEF Funding Liaison Officer, take part in the Project Task Force for each assigned FAO-GEF project.
•     Provide quality assurance to the monitoring and evaluation milestones of the assigned portfolio.
•     Monitor project delivery, review budgets, and provide input and support to Budget Holders (BH) and PTF for budget revisions, and for those management actions aimed at increasing speed of operations and project delivery.
•     Provide inputs and guidance to ensure budgets are designed in accordance to FAO and GEF policy requirements and facilitate Budget Holders’ preparation of annual project work plans, and project fee work plans.
•     Advise Project Formulators and Project Task Forces in the design of project execution arrangements and in the elaboration of adaptive measures to support projects’ timely delivery and impact.
•     Prepare and participate in missions for country support and contribute to capacity development exercises for country office and project teams in close coordination with Decentralized Offices and PSS.
•     Support capacity building and knowledge sharing of project achievements and lessons learned at different stages of the project cycle: Project Implementation Report (PIR), Midterm Review (MTR), Terminal Evaluation (TE) and other activities as needed.
•     Provide inputs for FAO’s reporting to the GEF Secretariat and GEF Council.
•     Support and provide inputs into corporate policy streamlining exercises.
•     Support drafting of execution arrangements and Operational Partnership Agreements as required by and on behalf of Projects Formulators on Projects preparation Grants.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advance university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU/UNESCO)  in economics, development studies, political science, international relations, business administration and finance, statistics, or other  fields  relevant to the work of the Organization. Consultants with bachelor’s degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
•     One to four years (for CAT C) and at least five years (for CAT B) and at least 10 years (for CAT A) of relevant experience in portfolio management, portfolio monitoring, implementation support, quality assurance, field operational support and monitoring and evaluation, preferably in a field duty station.
•     Working knowledge (Level C) of English, French or Spanish.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Extent and relevance of experience in project and portfolio monitoring and implementation support
•     Extent and relevance of experience and knowledge of UN and international resource partners’ policies, procedures, project cycle and results-based monitoring and reporting
•     Extent and relevance of experience in facilitating compliance procedures.
•     Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is a strong asset.
•     Applied knowledge of FAO’s operational requirements from an FAO Country Office or from a Budget Holder supporting function in HQ or Decentralized Office is an asset.
•     Extent and relevance of experience in preparing and providing clear and concise guidance to colleagues and project partners
•     Demonstrated experience with portfolio data management, analysis and dissemination to support decision making
•     Demonstrated capacity to organize work under pressure, prioritize, and manage conflicting deadlines and priorities.
•     Working knowledge of Power BI or other similar analytical tools for data analysis, portfolio monitoring, and reporting.