Country Leader

Our organization is seeking a highly skilled and experienced professional to serve as the Country Representative.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and overseeing our country programme, office, resources, and staff. They will report to and work under the guidance and supervision of our regional leadership team.

• Responsibilities:
  • Represent and advocate the work of the Organization:
    • Represent our organization towards national authorities, partners, and stakeholders.
    • Advocate our policy positions in relevant national fora, represent us in national media, and implement a proactive communications strategy to raise awareness of our organization with the general public.
    • Support UN joint communication efforts and speak with 'one voice' in delivering the 2030 Agenda.
    • Facilitate timely access by national stakeholders to our knowledge resources and global public goods.
    • Provide leadership on food security and agriculture policy, as well as operational matters within the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator System.
    • Lead the overall emergency response preparedness, coordination, and response at the country level, in cooperation with the government, UN Country Team/Humanitarian Country Team, and Cluster/sector activities and related resource mobilization efforts.
  • Develop and operationalize the Country Work Plan (CWP):
    • Support the country's efforts towards the achievement of the SDGs, in line with our organization's mandate and Strategic Framework.
    • Lead, in line with national priorities and in consultation with national stakeholders and partners, the timely development of the CWP and the UNSDCF process and related FAO programmes, projects, and/or other activities.
    • Lead the analysis of the country situation, providing, when necessary, updates and alerts on key events and trends, including for the UN Common Country Analysis (CCA).
    • Lead our contribution to the UN common planning and programming frameworks, i.e. CCAs, UNSDCFs (former UNDAFs), Consolidated Appeals Processes (CAPs), Humanitarian Action Plans, Flash Appeals, Joint Programmes, etc.
    • Advise and collaborate with internal partners to raise awareness of country priorities and needs, and support their inclusion in corporate and regional policies.
    • Lead the dialogue and liaise with national government authorities on issues of our organization's mandate.
  • Build partnerships and mobilize resources:
    • Support the operationalization of the CWP and the UNSDCF.
    • Support the establishment of effective partnerships and collaborations with governments, donors, civil societies, NGOs, the UN, and other international organizations.
    • Lead country-level mobilization of extrabudgetary resources, making maximum use of the expertise available in our decentralized offices.
    • Support the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in strategically positioning the UN in the country and in joint UN resource mobilization efforts.
  • Programme implementation and monitoring:
    • Ensure that programmes are managed and monitored effectively and in compliance with corporate policies, as well as procedures.
    • Mobilize technical backstopping to our projects, in line with corporate norms, standards, and procedures.
    • Provide (when requested), technical support services in our areas of competence in the country(ies) of assignment, as well as other countries of the subregion.
    • Operate as budget holder for national projects entrusted to them.
    • Oversee the effective implementation of our programmes and projects, lead periodic reviews, monitor the CPF and our components in the UN Sustainable Cooperation Frameworks and Joint Programmes, and ensure timely reporting, including to the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, as well as the UN Country Team on jointly agreed results.
    • Report results as per corporate reporting requirements in a timely manner.
    • Address issues in real-time to minimize reputational and financial risks for our organization.
  • Effectively manage the office, personnel, and financial resources:
    • Lead and manage the Country Office and ensure effective, as well as efficient use of human and financial resources, in line with corporate policies and administrative procedures, ensuring that internal control mechanisms are in place and enforced.
    • Manage all matters related to the security and safety of our personnel and their eligible dependents whilst ensuring full adherence to the UN Security Policy, rules, and regulations, as well as to security-related instructions issued by our organization.
    • Improve the observance of legal, statutory or regulatory obligations; our organization's ethical standards and its internal Human Resources rules and policies, including the application of our zero tolerance policies on prevention of sexual abuse and harassment and gender parity. Promote and nurture staff development in addition to welfare.
    • Identify and implement effective and efficient controls that better respond to operational risks faced in achieving our organization's objectives, including preparation and implementation of Anti-Fraud Control plans.
    • Maintain and improve the reliability, appropriateness, and timeliness of financial and non-financial information.
    • Reduce losses and waste of assets, as well as resources, whether through misdirected effort, avoidable errors, mismanagement, abuse, or fraud.
    • Ensure that a gender focal point is designated as required by our organization's Gender Equality Policy.
    • Sustain and increase the confidence among Members and other stakeholders in the reliability, resilience, and efficiency of our management systems.