National Contracts Management Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO in cooperation with the Government of Malawi and with funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is rolling out the implementation of the project on Ecosystems-based Adaptation for Resilient Watersheds and Communities in Malawi (EbAM). The project aims at creating more climate resilient livelihoods in vulnerable communities as landscapes and ecosystems’ capacity to supply goods and services will be enhanced as well as farmers’ ability to use them in a way that is sustainable and adapted to climate change. This will be achieved through increased climate resilience of watershed ecosystems, stabilization of productivity and farmers’ incomes and enhanced enabling environment (finance and policies) to sustain, replicate and scale-up climate resilient watershed ecosystems and agriculture practices. The project will be implemented in 11 districts in Malawi over a period of 6 years. Close to 575,000 vulnerable people in rural communities will benefit from the project’s initiatives while at the same time, more than 83,000 hectares will be restored through the application of Ecosystem-based Adaptation, thus generating significant environmental and mitigation benefits.

Reporting Lines

The National Contracts Management Specialist (NCMS) will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Malawi, the direct supervision of the International Operations Officer, and will work closely with the FAO EbAM project team and other Executing Entities.

Technical Focus

Operational support and services for processing and management of service contracts/agreements signed between FAO-Malawi and implementing partners of the EbAM project, including Letters of Agreement (LOA) governed by FAO Manual Section 507 (MS507), Operational Partners Agreement (OPA) under Operational Partners Implementation Modality (OPIM) governed by MS701, Cash Transfer Purchase Order (CTPO) governed by MS702, and Beneficiary Grant Agreement (BGA) governed by MS703.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Serve as the Focal Point Person of the Operations Section of FAO-Malawi for all LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs under the EbAM project; cooperate with the EbAM project team, the Procurement Section, the finance team, the CT Task Force and the BG Task Force at FAO-Malawi, and the Project Support Unit (PSS), Procurement Unit (CSLP) and Office for Emergency Response (OER) at FAO HQ, to support their processing and implementation in compliance with relevant FAO Manual Sections.
• Support processing of LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs through conducting Quality Assurance Review (QAR) for all proposals proposed by the project team before submitting to Local Procurement Committee (LPC), CLSP, PSS or OER for clearance, and preparing clean documents for all cleared/endorsed/authorized LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAS for signing by the FAOR.
• Support implementation of LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs through reviewing progress and expenditure reports, rationalizing expenditures and providing budget verification for payments, assisting budget revisions and contracts/agreements extensions when required, and processing their termination/closing.
• Monitor the implementation of LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs, the performance of relevant implementing partners and their compliance with relevant contracts/agreements and FAO Manual Sections through formulating and implementing spot check and audit plan in cooperation with the project and finance teams of the country office.
• Establish and maintain a Country Office Contracts/Agreements Tracking System for all signed LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs, monitoring their status of progress, implementation of spot check/audit plan, payment processing, identify operational issues to addressed and send timely alerts and advice to project and management teams.
• Upload and update relevant data and information in FAO corporate systems (FPMIS) to ensure their timeliness and quality; and keep a repository of important files containing all agreements, contacts correspondence, inventories, reports and other documents.
• Provide monthly updates to the Senior Management Team of the Country Office on the implementation progress of LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs, including challenges and proposed options.
• Contribute to resolving contractual dispute and acting for the remedy of dispute.
• Contribute to preparation of regular project reports to FAO and GCF related to processing and implementation of LOAs, OPAs, CTPOs and BGAs.
• Perform any other related tasks assigned by the International Operations Officer.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Law, Contract Management or other related fields.
• Five years’ experience in contract management, operational processing or other related areas.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Chichewa.
• Nationality of Malawi.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Relevance of experience in working with FAO, UN agencies or other international organizations.
• Relevance of experience in operational processing for investment projects implemented by FAO or other UN agencies.
• Knowledge and skill in contract processing and management
• Strength in computer skills, especially Microsoft Word and Advanced Excel.
• Ability to work with a multidisciplinary team and build good partnerships.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION