Program Assistant

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative for Zimbabwe, direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative-Programme and technical oversight of the National Project Coordinator. The incumbent will work in close collaboration with technical officers in the country office and in HQ.

Technical Focus:

The programme assistant will provide all the administration, procurement and logistics support needed to promote the mapping of youths in agrifood food systems policies and interventions, and ongoing development efforts of the national youth in agrifood system strategy. Moreso, s/he will provide support in the development of an inclusive Youth Investment Proposal and plan for establishment of Youth Innovation and Digital Technologies Hubs/Labs in the Agrifood Systems.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Facilitate communication channels involved in the project via WhatsApp, e-mail, and other platforms
• Support the development, clearance, and signature process of project documents and supplier agreements (LoAs)
• Assist project implementation through periodic compilation of lessons learnt for sharing with the various programme management structures and stakeholders
• Provide logistical support as required by the projects, including organizing missions
• Respond to a variety of routine queries and provide clarifications on project matters; inform management and team members of processes, procedures and timeframes to secure administrative services needed for project execution
• Review data quality and maintain office records and reference files on various subjects pertinent to the project and the organization
• Monitor and regularly update the project’s stakeholder database
• Keep up to date with national policies and research on how youths can be involved more
• Assist with the processing of Letter of Agreement (LoA) payments, Purchase Requisitions (PRs), and other administrative and operational tasks such as the organization of green jobs-related events and the facilitation of mission requests (e.g. Travel Authorisations etc)
• Assist with the preparation of Terms of Reference (ToRs) for affiliate workforce
• Assist collaboration of the project with the Hand-in-Hand Initiatives, Digital Villages, OCOP and other trust fund projects

Minimum Requirements:

• University degree in international development, public policy, business administration, economics, agricultural, agribusiness, development studies, social sciences, or other related fields
• 2 years of relevant work experience in administration, youth project implementation, agricultural policy, agricultural business models, agri-food systems, rural development, youth employment issues or international development
• Working knowledge Level C of English

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2403821