Programme Support Assistant (Livelihood)

Organizational Context

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) established its Rohingya Refugee Crisis Response Program in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in October 2017. Initially funded by SFERA, the program supports both Rohingya refugees and host communities, adapting to an extended response context and providing emergency assistance for natural disasters. FAO plays a key role in the Rohingya Coordination Platform and leads multi-sectoral projects, co-chairing the Food Security Sector and the Energy and Environment Network. The Cox's Bazar program operates through Agricultural Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management/Disaster Risk Management units, implementing multi-year programming in collaboration with various partners.

Job Purpose

The Programme Support Assistant will assist in delivering capacity-building for pond aquaculture and dry fish beneficiaries, monitor aquaculture models and fish nurseries, and generate analytical reports on field findings. This role involves supporting the establishment and supervision of pond aquaculture interventions within Rohingya camps and providing technical assistance to dry fish entrepreneurs on safe production, branding, and market access. The assistant will also facilitate the formation and management of farmer groups, Aggregation Centres, and value chain actors, ensuring timely distribution of program inputs and providing daily programmatic updates to management.

Responsibilities

Provide field-level technical support and quality assurance for fisheries, aquaculture, homestead gardening, and other food security and livelihood interventions implemented by partners in camps and host communities. Conduct regular monitoring visits to approximately 600 ponds, 50 dry fish entrepreneurs, and 12 camp aquaculture sites to assess fish growth, pond management, production performance, and beneficiary compliance. Identify and report technical challenges such as fish disease outbreaks or water quality issues. Assist in developing training materials and input specifications. Monitor the functionality and sales performance of Aggregation Centres and Digital Village Centres. Facilitate beneficiary mobilization, community consultations, training, and capacity-building activities. Document field visit findings and prepare reports to improve program quality. Support the verification and distribution of fisheries and agricultural inputs. Assist in organizing donor and stakeholder visits and participate in coordination meetings. Ensure the dissemination of accountability to affected populations (AAP) and FAO's feedback mechanisms among beneficiaries, and support the recording and follow-up of complaints.

Work Experience

A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience is required in supporting program or project implementation within the fisheries sector. This experience should encompass areas such as sector development, quality assurance, monitoring, and reporting. A university degree in Fisheries is a prerequisite.

Skills

Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook). Familiarity with digital data collection and mapping tools (e.g., Kobo Toolbox, GPS-based collection, GIS/Google Earth). Ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Experience in group formation, mobilization, conflict resolution, and facilitation using scientific and participatory methods is desirable. Proven teamwork and presentation/facilitation skills. Familiarity with local dialects is an asset. Ability to perform in multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary contexts.

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