Programme Assistant
Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
Closing Date: Mar 31, 2025
Location: Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Occupational Groups: Administrative support, Project and Programme Management

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

  • FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
  • Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
  • Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
  • FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination  
  • All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
  • All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.


Organizational Setting

FAO Bangladesh established the Cox’s Bazar programme and field office in 2017, after the influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The field office implements projects under two workstreams, namely food security and livelihood and natural resource management, in support of both Bangladeshi host and Rohingya refugee populations in the Cox’s Bazar subdistricts of Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Teknaf, and Ukhiya. FAO Cox’s Bazar works with government partners, other UN organizations, and development partners and is an active stakeholder in intersector programming and interventions.


Reporting Lines

The Programme Assistant will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Bangladesh, direct supervision of the Emergency and Resilience Programme Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar and works closely with technical experts and Operations teams in Cox’s Bazar and the Country Office in Dhaka.


Technical Focus

The Programme Assistant (SC-4) will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of project activities related to Livelihood, conducting quality assurance checks on implementing partners and service providers, and supporting programme and project work planning. S/he will ensure timely and effective implementation of project activities and provide day-to-day programmatic support the Livelihood team. S/He will ensure mainstreaming of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) principles, donor compliance, visibility, disaster mainstreaming, gender and other cross-cutting issues.


Tasks and responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day management and monitoring of project activities.
• Monitor field activities and performance of implementing partners.
• Manage project budgets against outputs and work plans in coordination with the operations team.
• Collect and analyse field data in coordination with project focal, field facilitators and the MEAL team.
• Organize and implement the distribution of inputs to and provision of training activities for project beneficiaries.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with implementing partners, suppliers, civil society, and government partners to effectively and efficiently deliver technical support and inputs at the field level.
• Liaise with government institutions and the private sector on market development and establishing linkages among farmers, aggregation centres, and local markets.
• Support in reviewing of financial and narrative reports from Implementing Partners.
• Assist in drafting Letters of Agreement (LoAs) and contracts.
• Support in preparation of technical specifications and technical evaluations for procurement of goods and services.
• Contribute to the development and monitoring of annual and monthly programme and project work plans.
• Support the development of training curricula, modules, and materials for beneficiaries.
• Support the integration and mainstreaming of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) principles and crosscutting themes, such as gender equity and protection throughout activity planning and implementation.
• Actively participate in coordination meetings and stakeholders’ consultations
• Perform other related duties as assigned.


CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING


Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, Agri Economics, Agriculture Engineering, Horticulture, Sustainable Agriculture or related discipline.
• Minimum 4 years of professional work experiences in programme and/or project planning, implementation, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Working knowledge of English.
• A Bangladeshi National.


FAO Core Competencies

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


Technical/Functional Skills

• Proven track record of successful teamwork, good presentation/facilitation skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision
• Self-motivation, willingness to learn and strong work ethics in a multi-disciplinary team environment
• Ability to use standard software such as MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint.
• Previous experience to work with UN agency/International Organization is an asset

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
  • Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
  • Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http\://www.whed.net/
  • For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
  • Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

By registering on our pool, our recruiters will be able to view your profile, contact you for current & future vacancies and engage you on opportunities that match your skills and interest.

We encourage you to always keep your profile updated with your most recent qualifications, experience, skills and languages (local & international) to increase the possibility of being contacted.

Register