National Operations Officer

Organizational Context

FAO's Subregional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is responsible for developing, promoting, and implementing strategies for food, agriculture, and rural development priorities in the subregion. SFE fosters relations with subregion-wide institutions, supports policy dialogue, facilitates partnerships, and mobilizes resources. It also serves as the official FAO Representation to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), aligning operations with FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability.

Job Purpose

The National Operations Officer provides crucial programme development, coordination, and operational assistance, leveraging knowledge of local conditions, culture, language, and institutions. This role supports Lead Technical Officers by ensuring smooth project operations, consistent service delivery, and continuous improvement of the operational environment to meet evolving subregional and country needs. The primary objective is the effective and efficient provision of operational support to programme and project technical coordination within the Subregional Office, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with FAO's objectives.

Responsibilities

The National Operations Officer acts as a focal point for daily field project operations, contributing to the assessment and clearance of new programme and project proposals for operational feasibility. Responsibilities include planning project task force consultations, ensuring timely provision of project inputs (personnel, services, equipment), and preparing project work plans while monitoring progress and identifying corrective actions. The role involves managing project budgets, coordinating progress and terminal reports, and preparing analytical reports on the Representation's portfolio. Additionally, the officer coordinates field project completion and closure, ensures data quality in the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS), provides guidance to project staff on operational and administrative matters, supports Operational Partners Implementation Modality (OPIM) package preparation and approval, and assists with Operational Partners Agreement (OPA) signature and operationalization. Monitoring OPA disbursements, OP delivery, and budget expenditures, along with supporting training events and participating in regional meetings for knowledge sharing, are also key functions.

Work Experience

Requires at least three years of relevant experience in office management, administration, accounting, audit, budget, or finance. Experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable.

Skills

Demonstrated understanding of programme/project management procedures, preferably within the UN or FAO context, is essential. Experience in public administration and a proven ability to manage budgets, coordinate reports, and provide operational guidance are critical. Strong communication, teamwork, relationship-building, and knowledge-sharing skills are also required.

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