Strategy and Planning Officer (SURAGGWA-PAGGW)

The Strategy and Planning Officer supports the multi-country SURAGGWA programme by ensuring strategic coherence, robust multi-year planning, prioritization, and alignment with national, regional, and global frameworks. The role involves integrated programme planning, results-based management, monitoring, reporting, and capacity building for effective programme delivery.

Responsibilities

• Analyse, adapt and extend policies and procedures to achieve full inter-departmental and inter-agency collaboration in strategic planning, results-based programming and budgeting, monitoring and reporting.
• Execute analytical tasks associated with the preparation, review and analysis of the Organization's Strategic Framework, Medium Term Plan, Programme of Work and Budget and Programme Implementation Report.
• Carry out analytical tasks associated with resources management and corporate budgetary performance.
• Contribute to the design and operation of procedures and systems for work planning and the issuance of allotments.
• Perform analytical tasks associated with the design and operation of the corporate results-based monitoring and reporting system.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of results frameworks, logical frameworks, and impact pathways.
• Support sequencing of interventions (policy, institutional, investment) to maximize transformational impact.
• Ensure integration of gender equality, social protection, youth, social inclusion, nutrition, and climate resilience into planning instruments.
• Provide strategic planning guidance to FAO Representatives and country project teams to ensure coherence between national SURAGGWA interventions and the regional programme.
• Revise institutional development plans under SURAGGWA Component 3 in light of GGW audits and GGW Accelerator evaluations.
• Assist in revamping the PAGGW’s web site to include dynamic, regularly updated links for member countries.
• Provide technical support across climate-related tasks under Africa’s Great Green Wall as needed.
• Prepare and update SURAGGWA work plans, planning matrices, and coordination roadmaps with NAGGWs and PAGGW.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder planning workshops and support establishment/functioning of National GGW Coalitions.
• Assist countries in using geospatial monitoring tools and integrating monitoring data into national planning.
• Compile data and draft regional progress reports, briefs, and dashboards aligned with GCF requirements.
• Support the preparation of concept notes and proposals to partners (GCF, GEF, IFAD, WB, AfDB, private investors).
• Contribute to assessments of carbon-sequestration potential and help identify suitable carbon methodologies.
• Support the development of knowledge products (case studies, policy briefs, technical notes, lessons learned).
• Coordinate the preparation of communication materials and contribute to events such as AU Drylands Week.
• Prepare strategic notes on risk analysis, including gender, land tenure (VGGT), conflict sensitivity, and youth engagement.
• Provide technical assistance and coaching to national GGW institutions to enhance planning, coordination, and reporting functions.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, economics, agriculture, development economics, international development, computer science or related fields.
• Five years of relevant experience in planning, monitoring and evaluation, financial analysis, business process analysis and/or systems development.
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable.
• Experience in collecting and analysing information from textual, database and human sources.
• Experience in analysing strategy and policy issues.
• Familiarity with relevant computer tools for communication and data analysis.
• Ability to analyse complex strategy and planning issues.
• Ability to analyse and integrate complex issues in systems development for business processes.
• Experience in results-based planning, monitoring and reporting; familiarity with the Organization's planning, monitoring and reporting systems, including for country offices, is desirable.
• Depth knowledge of the PAGGW and the related actions in the targeted countries is desirable.
• Experience in country programming processes and associated coordination with regional teams, including in the context of the United Nations Development System (UNDS) repositioning.
• Strong familiarity with relevant computer tools for communication and data analysis.
• Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) or Working Knowledge (proficiency – level C) of French would be considered an asset.

Skills

• Planning and Monitoring
• Evaluation
• Financial Analysis
• Business Process Analysis
• System Development and Implementation
• Data Analysis
• Strategy Analysis
• Policy Analysis
• Results-Based Planning
• Results-Based Monitoring & Evaluation
• Results-based Reporting
• Programme Planning
• Capacity Building
• Country Programming
• Coordination with Regional Agencies
• United Nations Development System
• Communication Tools
• English Language Proficiency
• French Proficiency

Languages

English, French