Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) is responsible for ensuring FAO’s efforts to support countries and partners in preparing for and effectively responding to food and agricultural threats and crises. It is responsible for coordinating the development and maintenance of corporate tools and standards to enable Decentralized Offices (DOs) to assist member countries to prepare for, and respond to emergencies. OER ensures humanitarian policy coordination and knowledge, liaison with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee as well as with humanitarian resource partners, co-leadership with World Food Programme of the global Food Security Cluster, organizational preparedness, surge capacity and response to large-scale emergencies. OER supports food and nutrition security assessment and early warning activities related to emergency and humanitarian analysis and responses. OER plays a major role in the development and leadership of the Organization’s programme to increase the resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises.

Over the past twenty years, OER has led FAO efforts to implement food security interventions by means of projects and programmes involving the use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) in more than forty countries. FAO engages in multiple CVA modalities (ranging from seed and input trade fairs to cash-for-work, unconditional cash transfers and cash+). FAO specializes in CVA that promotes food security, nutrition, agricultural production and productivity and increases vulnerable populations’ resilience to shocks and crises.

Reporting Lines

When based in or deployed to Decentralized Offices, the Cash and Voucher Assistance Specialist works under the overall supervision of and reports to the FAOR or the most relevant senior programming officer in the FAO Representation, with a functional reporting to the Cash and Voucher Programming Coordinator in OER-HQs.

When based in OER-HQs he/she works under the overall supervision of the OER Enabling Environment Team Leader and the direct supervision of the Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer (CVA Programming).**

Technical Focus

Support to implementation of FAO’s resilience agenda at global, regional, subregional and/or country level, with a focus on technical and operational support, clearances and backstopping to projects and programmes using Cash and Voucher Assistance modalities.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Cash and Voucher Assistance Specialist will:

· Provide strategic, programming, technical and operational support and backstopping to the development, timely implementation and monitoring-evaluation of FAO Decentralized Offices’ projects and programmes involving the use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA), ensuring high operational standards and compliance with FAO rules and regulations;

· Undertake missions (including possible long-term deployments) to provide technical and operational support on CVA to FAO Decentralized Offices at all steps of the project cycle;

· Provide timely support to FAO Decentralized Offices in various processes required for the implementation of CVA modalities, including, but not limited to: market assessments, feasibility analysis, partnerships, capacity development and training, beneficiary selection and registration, identification and deployment of Management Information System (MIS) solutions, development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), identification, procurement and contracting of financial services, monitoring, impact evaluation, complaints and feedback mechanisms, etc., including by regularly liaising with relevant HQ divisions, teams and units;

· As per the relevant FAO Manual Sections, undertake review and prepare feasibility clearances of project documents envisaging the use of CVA modalities;

· Contribute to capacity development and training on CVA by developing new modules and delivering face-to-face and virtual training to FAO Decentralized Offices staff and partners;

· Regularly collaborate with OER-HQ, regional and sub-regional teams, particularly related to Management Information Systems; Capacity Development; Monitoring-Evaluation-Accountability-Learning; Knowledge Management and Learning; Country Support; Anticipatory Action; Social Protection and others;

· Identify and document CVA-related good practices which have a potential to enhance the quality of FAO’s interventions and support their dissemination and potential adoption, replication and standardization by other Decentralized Offices;

· Lead and/or support the development of relevant technical tools, notes, briefs and guidelines;

· Perform other relevant duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

· University degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a discipline relevant to the work of the Organization;

· At least 1 year (Category C), 5 years (Category B) or 12 years (Category A) of experience in different dimensions of humanitarian and development assistance relevant to Cash and Voucher Assistance and/or social protection with at least 2 years (Cat. B), and 3 years (Cat. A) specifically on cash and voucher assistance preferably for food security and agriculture purposes;

· Previous experience working with UN Agencies is desirable;

· Working knowledge (level C) of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

· Results Focus

· Teamwork

· Communication

· Building Effective Relationships

· Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

· Work experience in more than one location or area of work;

· Able to work under pressure and adapt to an evolving and complex humanitarian context and within multidisciplinary and different cultural background teams;

· Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written;

· Extent and relevance of experience in formulation, coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of cash and voucher assistance;

· Solid knowledge of humanitarian CVA programming and operational landscape and latest developments.