National Project Assistant

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; Kharkiv and 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, Zaporizhzhia 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 Kyiv.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Office and the Head of Programme, the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator, and in close coordination with administrative units, relevant project personnel in Ukraine, the Regional Office (REU) and Headquarters, as needed.

Technical Focus

The National Project Assistant plays a crucial role in ensuring effective management and coordination within the Mine Action project.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Assistant will be responsible for providing and assisting in programmatic and operational support to the implementation of relevant projects in Ukraine, including:

•     Support the Programme team and the Project Coordinator(s) in preparation of documents and activities related to project implementation, such as:
·    Preparation and record of work plans, procurement plans, communication plans, minutes of meetings and other project related documents;
·    Drafting of purchase requisitions and processing of related documentation with guidance of the respective project coordinator;
·    Prepare data required for operational updates and reporting needs of the projects assigned;
·    Support drafting of Expression of Interest, Call for Proposal, Letters of Agreement processes;
·    Support with managing partners and LoA related activities including preliminary review of progress reports and financial information and supporting documentation;
·    Collect, process and clean, project data, upon needs.
·    Monitor project activities to assess progress, identify potential challenges and issues that could affect project implementation, propose corrective actions, liaise with relevant parties, identify and track follow-up actions. 
·    Contribute to the preparation of progress reports, financial reports, and other documents as required by FAO, donors, and other stakeholders.
•     Provide logistical support to the Project and project consultants in conducting different project activities (workshops, stakeholder consultations, arrangements of field visits, etc.).
•     Facilitate collaboration and partnership-building between FAO, government agencies, local authorities, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders, and organize meetings with beneficiaries, partners, and stakeholders.
•     Support remotely or in the field, the preparation and implementation of farming community surveys related to needs assessment/beneficiary impact assessment, damage and loss assessment, consisting of the formulation of sampling, the development / ad hoc translation of questionnaires and interpretation of meetings, in cooperation with the technical staff and FAO field staff.
•     Assist in the preparation of logistics, materials, and resources for workshops and training sessions.
•     Assist in organizing and coordinating the procurement of services and goods under the project, contribute to the development of procurement plans, preparation of technical specifications, purchase requisitions, etc. 
•     In coordination with the Project Coordinator/Manager, guide the work of consultants and subcontractors and oversee compliance with the agreed work plan;
•     Support the Project Coordinator/Manager(s) in preparation for field trips: agree on the itinerary, agree on the meeting sports with Services providers and local authorities, prepare travel documentation and draft back to office reports.
•     Perform any other related duties and activities as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
   
•     University degree in Agriculture, Business Administration, Economics, Rural Development, or a related technical field.  
•     At least two (2) years of experience supporting administrative and/or operational project activities and/or liaising and facilitating communication between stakeholders 
•     Working knowledge (Level C or native) of English 
•     Working knowledge (Level C or native) Ukrainian and/or Russian 
•     National of Ukraine

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Field experience will be considered an advantage
•     Advanced level degree will be considered an advantage
•     Able to work under pressure and adapt to an evolving and complex humanitarian context and within multidisciplinary and different cultural background teams;
•     Team player with good interpersonal skills, and facilitation/motivational skills;
•     Ability to work under pressure to tight timelines and without direct supervision;
•     Knowledge of humanitarian principles.

Selection Criteria

•     Good knowledge of MS Office applications, Internet and office technology equipment. Ability to use MS Office software and other information systems and databases to insert data, make enquiries, retrieve/define ad hoc reports and analyses and edit results in an appropriate format.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION