Date of last update: 08/05/2024 (Expiry date: 27/05/2024)
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
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Organizational Setting
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
The Programme Management Department (PMD), under the leadership of an Associate Vice-President, is responsible for the overall programme of loans and grants of the Fund and is composed of five (5) regional divisions and the Operational Policy and Results Division (OPR). The five regional divisions are: Asia and the Pacific (APR), East and Southern Africa (ESA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), West and Central Africa (WCA), and Near East, North Africa and Europe (NEN), where this position is located.
Under the overall policy and management guidance and direct supervision of the Regional Director or Lead Regional Economist or Lead Portfolio Advisor (to be assigned), the Regional Specialist works collaboratively with staff of the regional division, including in the regional knowledge hub, and with the regionally-mapped technical specialists to ensure knowledge sharing and consistent and cohesive programme development support. S/he is the division's representative on the corporate knowledge Management Coordination Group (KMCG).
The position is located in the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division and reports to the Regional Director or as delegated.
Job Role
The Regional Specialist leads and provides support to corporate activities including but not limited to knowledge management, quality enhancement for project designs and Results-based country strategic opportunities programme (COSOP) as well as Country Strategy Notes (CSNs), grants management, portfolio management, supervision/implementation support, monitoring & evaluation and results reporting activities within the region. The Regional Specialist ensures a high degree of inter-connectedness across these activities, in particular, to enhance how lessons, experience, and evidence support improved portfolio management and performance. The Regional Specialist promotes systematic learning from the experience and knowledge exchange in the region and across regions and proposes creative solutions for using lessons to inform corporate initiatives, including global engagement and knowledge products.
Key Functions and Results
1. REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT: The Regional Specialist advocates and enables good knowledge management practices and contributes to the building of a knowledge sharing culture in collaboration with the Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD) in order to facilitate the creation, sharing and utilization of knowledge among internal teams and external partners. S/he acts as the Knowledge Management champion for the division and will be the focal point for South- South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC).. S/he also contributes to preparation of technical briefs and other knowledge products required at Divisional, Departmental or Corporate level. S/he systematically promotes learning from the experience and knowledge gained from the loans and grants programmes (e.g. using information derived from Project Supervision Reports, Project Completion Reports and Project Evaluations), through knowledge publication and/or learning events. S/he promotes use of lessons and experience in design, and uses information and lessons derived from supervision to improve portfolio performance across the region, and to support technical specialists in proposing solutions and connecting projects to technical support. In addition, the Regional Specialist builds and advises on communities of practice and networks, facilitates knowledge flows and linkages across country programmes and the regional hubs, and coordinates with internal and external users of knowledge about rural poverty generated by regional divisions' loans and grants. S/he will also facilitate knowledge flows in support of IFAD's SSTC initiatives, partnership development and policy dialogue. The Regional Specialist provides technical support, including advice and capacity development to projects (loans and grants) and to staff in country offices and regional hubs, including the development of KM plans, lessons learning approaches and tools, documentation, data collection and reporting processes. Such capacity development activities could be provided in collaboration with IFAD's Operations Academy. S/he co-ordinates and ensures effectiveness of knowledge sharing activities by analysing information, and knowledge management activities, monitoring their use and measuring and reporting on their effectiveness, results and impact, in line with corporate KM monitoring and analysis.
2. SUPPORT QUALITY ENHANCEMENT FOR PROJECT DESIGNS AND COSOPS/CSNS: As part of the regional team, the Regional Specialist reviews project concept notes, project design reports and country strategies (COSOPS/CSNs), to ensure consistency with corporate standards and policies, as well as providing quality enhancement in areas including, among others, economic and financial analysis, innovations, knowledge management and communications, monitoring & evaluation, log frames and scaling up. Active participation in select Project Delivery Teams is expected as well as on-demand support by participation in select design missions.
3. GRANTS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT: In collaboration with the regional team, the Regional Specialist supports the process of, ensuring adequate mechanisms for competitive screening of grant proposals and coordinates with pertinent units and divisions. The Regional Specialist contributes to the quality enhancement of regional and country-specific grants, including from other divisions as required. The Regional Specialist coordinates a more effective system for documentation and dissemination of grants knowledge, learning and results and identifies entry points for improving the links between grants and the country-based loan portfolio. In addition, the Regional Specialist supports the regional team in the design of new regional grants together with grant recipients, review of grant submissions and input to the Operational Strategy and Policy Guidance Committee (OSC), development and coordination of regional grant pipeline for each year in line with corporate guidance and compliance with grant policy, and, grant status reporting and supervision for grant responsibilities.
4. PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION/IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT: The Regional Specialist supports the regional team in portfolio management activities. This includes, among others, reviewing the quality of supervision reports (incl. Management Letters), Project Completion Reports (PCRs), COSOP Results Reviews, COSOP Completion Reviews, to ensure adherence to corporate standards/performance rating guidelines, and monitor timely disclosure and publication in line with IFAD's transparency commitments. This also includes supporting the regional team in providing advice to country teams on implementation matters, as well as providing implementation support as required, especially in the areas of knowledge management, and monitoring and evaluation. S/he will also provide on-demand participation in supervision/implementation support missions as required.
5. MONITORING & EVALUATION AND RESULTS REPORTING: The Regional Specialist supports the regional team with portfolio performance monitoring and results reporting as required for Divisional, Departmental and/or Corporate needs. This includes portfolio data analysis, preparing portfolio performance reports/updates, as well as preparing and/or delivering presentations. S/he will use this analysis when appropriate as a basis for knowledge management. The Regional Specialist supports country teams in the area of monitoring and evaluation and results reporting notably through Operational Results Management System (ORMS). The work also includes supporting the regional team in reviewing and responding to independent evaluations related to the region and collaborating with OPR on departmental or corporate initiatives.
6. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The Regional Specialist is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources.
Key Performance Indicators
Compliance of operations with IFAD rules, regulations and policies, implementation of corporate operational strategies, establishment of project management targets and monitoring of achievement of results. Assignments require the provision of solid technical expertise and input for the area of her/his responsibility as well as in knowledge sharing with peers and counterparts. The work goes beyond technical analysis and synthesis to include substantive inputs to the development of knowledge products, portfolio reviews of supervision and implementation reports and support, effective mechanisms for assessment of loans and grants proposals, and effective regional portfolio performance monitoring through lessons learnt and best practices. The work is considered moderately complex requiring in-depth technical analysis and reporting
Working Relationships
In the context of programme development and delivery, the Regional Specialist ensures the direct dissemination of targeted knowledge as well as other relevant products to internal and external audiences, including organizing knowledge sharing events and builds and maintains collaborative working relationships, both within the department, and with other relevant IFAD divisions.
Job Profile Requirements
Organizational Competencies:
Level 1:
Education:
Education includes Advanced university degree from an accredited institution listed on https://whed.net/home.php in rural development, public policy, economics, communications, business administration, management, social policy research and analysis, international relations or related field is required (*):
(*) Note: For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in IFAD's Human Resources Implementing Procedures.
Experience:
Languages:
Skills:
Other Information
IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD's Human Resources Policy, the President can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD.
IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic, social or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size or sexual orientation in line with its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and the Policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.
Please be aware of fraudulent job offers. IFAD does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. Official communication from IFAD will always come from e-mails ending in @ifad.org
In accordance with IFAD's provisions, all new staff members will normally be placed at the first step in the grade level for which they have been selected. For information on IFAD's remuneration package, please visit IFAD's compensation and benefits page on our website. Applicants are invited to use the ICSC compensation calculator to estimate the salary and benefit entitlements.
Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.
In the interest of making most cost effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.
This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position:
Working hours (%): 80-100%
80-100%Type of contract: Staff (Permanent and Fixed Term)
Duration: 2 years
Macro-area: Western and Central Europe without Switzerland
Level of experience: Senior Professional, more than 5 years
Area of work Definition: Monitoring and Evaluation, Results-based Management
Type of organisation: Multilateral Organisations