National Reporting Officer

VA NO. FAO/KBL/PRJ/SC/19-2021

Functional title:

National Reporting Officer

Type of contract:

National Project Personnel / Service Contract (NPP/SC)

Grade/level:

SB-4

Number of post (s) :

1 (One)

Duration :

6 Months

Extendable/renewable:

Extendable, based on satisfactory performance and budget availability

Probationary period:

Initial 3 months

Project/programme/unit: 

Emergency and Resilience Unit – FAO Afghanistan 

Duty station:

Kabul - domestic field missions might be required

Sub-station:

N/A

DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:

Organization Settings:

Through its country offices or FAO Representations, FAO assists governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to address hunger, food security and malnutrition and provides technical support for the sustainable development of their agricultural, livestock, animal health, and irrigation and forestry sectors as well as emergency preparedness and response. The activities of the FAO Representation include design and implementation of country-tailored field programmes, liaison with local donor representatives and active public awareness-raising and outreach activities related to the mandate of FAO.

FAO’s assistance in Afghanistan achieves its objectives through capacity development and direct project implementation in four specific areas of FAO’s technical expertise: 

• Better governance through the improved capacity for policy planning, land reform, decentralization, and management of common natural resources;
• Fostering expansion of irrigation and field water management; 
• Intensive agriculture for surplus commercialization, value chains development, and job creation;
• Supporting vulnerable farmers for improved food and nutrition security, resilience, and emergency response to natural and man-made disasters and climate change.

Project Background:

FAO provides emergency and resilience assistance to the most vulnerable and food insecure people across Afghanistan, reaching to the most remote rural areas. This humanitarian assistance covers immediate and time-critical needs, helping to protect and restore agricultural livelihoods, and preventing people in need from resorting to negative coping mechanisms, thus increasing the resilience of affected populations to withstand future shocks.

This position is established under the Emergency and Resilience Unit in Afghanistan. The unit has the main office in Kabul and regional offices in Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Mazar-e-Sharif. The National Reporting Officer will be based in Kabul and might be required to travel to project locations

Main Purpose:

The National Reporting Officer will provide support to ensure timely reporting to donors and partners of the FAO programme in Afghanistan.

Working Relationships:

The incumbent interacts with colleagues from within the work unit and with immediate clients from within the Organization, providing a wide variety of routine reporting and outreach services.

Supervision Received/Exercised:

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy FAO Representative in Afghanistan, the direct supervision of the International Consultant - Reporting, Outreach and Communications, and in close collaboration with the Reporting and Outreach Team in the Office for Emergency and Resilience (OER) at headquarters, the National Reporting Officer will provide support to ensure timely reporting to donors and partners of the FAO programme in Afghanistan. In particular, the incumbent will:

Key Functions/Results (Duties and Responsibilities)

Provide Reporting Assistance To The Emergency And Resilience Unit:

• Initiate and facilitate the drafting of project/programme reports using the appropriate donor-specified or corporate templates for any kind of narrative report;
• Follow-up and gather inputs from technical colleagues in order to prepare a zero draft of every report;
• Support the overall revision and proofreading for timely submission of progress and final narrative reports of the emergency and resilience projects, paying attention to detail and ensuring quality control in-line with corporate standards, including FAO Style;
• Contribute to ensure all reports have the necessary clearances and revisions prior to submission (internal and technical), in accordance with FAO project cycle management guidelines;
• Develop the following reports:
  • Quarterly project reports for The Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) in Afghanistan via the Online Portal – Report Hub;
  • Quarterly Secretary-General (SG) reports;
  • Country Annual Report (CAR);
  • Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) to the COVID-19 Pandemic progress reports;
  • Other ad hoc programme report for programme and/or other UN agency in consultation with the MEAL and Response teams.

Provide support to colleagues to improve reporting inputs

• Support the implementation of relevant reporting and outreach activities in close collaboration with the MEAL and Response teams of FAO Afghanistan Emergency and Resilience Unit;
• Work closely with colleagues to ensure reports satisfy reporting requirements and capture the required content accurately (e.g. including strategic alignment, deviation from planned activities, challenges, delays, etc.);
• Support the same colleagues to enrich reports with greater emphasis on results, lessons, best practices, partnership and key cross-cutting themes (e.g. gender, environmental sustainability);
• Support the preparation of country situation reports as needed.

Develop and maintain key reporting management tools

• Contribute to update the Reporting Matrix with the distinct requirements of each project/donor (e.g. annual, interim, quarterly reports, etc.), and track progress to satisfy these in a timely manner.
• Create a Donor Contacts Database for reporting and update every time that report recipients at country level change;
• Support the preparation of Reporting Guidelines for FAO in Afghanistan, which includes requirements, deadlines and guidelines for timely submission to donors and government counterparts;
• Record feedback on reports (from donors, HQ, etc.), for the Emergency and Resilience Unit to assess their quality and provide related training or tools; 
• Ensure all reports are submitted to donors through the FAO Afghanistan registry and systematically filed within the relevant shared drive for easy retrieval by staff.

Other Activities:

• Perform any other related duties as required by International Consultant - Reporting, Outreach, and Communications.

Expected Outputs:

• Reports are submitted timely, in the correct format and of high quality;
• Internal and external feedback are taken onboard;
• Effective collaboration with colleagues in preparing/contributing to reports, briefs and editing requests;
• Development and maintenance of the above-mentioned key reporting tools.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (TECHNICAL SKILLS AND QUALIFICATION)

Education:

• University degree in communication, social science, law, international relations, business administration/management, philology, journalism, or any in field related to food, agriculture or food security.

Work Experience:

• At least five (5) years of experience in communication, report writing in humanitarian relief/protection activities.
• Work experience in large and complex projects that combines emergency response, disaster risk reduction, project formulation and implementation with UN, international NGOs, and Government of Afghanistan;
• Considerable experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection methods;
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
• Working experience with ministries, national institutions, and the rural sector in Afghanistan;
• Previous work experience with the UN is an advantage.

Other Technical/Functional Skills:

• Accuracy
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Planning and organization skills
• Excellent English writing skills
• Proofreading skills

Interpersonal Communications and Teamwork Skills:

• Group communication
• Collaborative working
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Respect to diversity

• Strong professional command of Microsoft Office, in particular Word and Excel.

Language Skills:

• Working knowledge (level C) of the FAO official language used for communication within the country.
• Fluent in Dari and Pashto

CORE COMPETENCIES:

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

SUBMISSION GUIDELINE:

Interested Afghan nationals should complete the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) and submit it along with their application letter and CV to the email address below, clearly mentioning the vacancy number and post title (National Reporting Officer - FAO/KBL/PRJ/SC/19-2021) in the subject line of the email; otherwise, your email will not be considered for further process.

FAOAF-vacancies@fao.org

The FAO PH Form can be downloaded using the following internet link:

http://www.acbar.org/applicationform

NOTE: Applicants who failed to attach the FAO Personal History Form (PHF) to their Application will not be considered for further process.

The above-mentioned required documents can also be submitted in writing (marked “Confidential” and indicating on the sealed envelope the Vacancy Announcement number and position title) to the Assistant FAO Representative (Administration), FAO Representation, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Jamal Mina, Opposite Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan.

The last date for receiving applications is 22 August 2021. Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for test/interview.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce gender diversity;
• People with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality;
• Candidates endorsed in the selection process for this vacancy announcement will be considered for the FAO NSHR Roster for two years. The Roster is used to fill other similar positions at the same or lower grade, and in the same or another duty station inside the country;
• FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.
• Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All, and Integrity and Transparency.
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing);
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview/test;
• Application received after the closing date will not be given consideration;
• Please make sure to sign the first page of your PHF while applying for the vacant post;
• Do not forget to write the post title and VA number on the subject of your email, or your application will be ignored;
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments;
• Email will only be sent to the interviewed candidates.