Country Programme Manager P-4 to P-5

Duration of Assignment
	3-years fixed term (subject to renewal)
	Organizational Context
	The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas in developing countries. It does so by financing projects and programmes that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and by advocating at local, national and international level for policies that enable poor rural people to overcome poverty. The Programme Management Department (PMD) is responsible for the overall lending programme of the Fund, and is composed of five (5) regional divisions and a Technical Advisory Services Division. The Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) is currently recruiting a Country Programme Manager to be posted to the Republic of The Sudan. The Sudan Country Programme is one of the largest IFAD co-financed portfolios in the region. It is currently composed of 8 investment projects and 3 technical assistance grants for a total cost of approx. USD 200 million. Since December 2005, IFAD has maintained a country presence in Sudan, hosted in UNDP.
	Duties and Responsibilities
	Under the overall supervision and strategic, policy and management guidance of the division Director, the Country Programme Manager will be responsible for managing the country programme as assigned by the Director. Specifically, the incumbent will be required to: - Lead and manage the development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies for IFAD’s collaboration with governments and other national stakeholders for rural poverty reduction. This will entail analysis of the dynamics of rural poverty; country-specific rural poverty reduction strategies; and the definition of IFAD’s value added in this context. - Lead the design and supervision of the IFAD loan and grant financed rural poverty reduction programmes assigned by the Director. Support their implementation with a view to maximising development effectiveness, impact and sustainable development results. Analyse relevant information and assist in the periodic evaluation of results achieved. - Lead loan and grant negotiations with the borrowing and donor governments, in accordance with IFAD’s lending policies and criteria. - Play a catalytic role in the development of pro-poor rural poverty reduction policies and in enabling the rural poor to advocate for institutional transformation. - Build effective partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders in rural poverty reduction, including government and non-governmental institutions, bilateral and multilateral financing institutions, civil society organisations, research centres and the private sector. - Effectively manage the country presence in the Republic of The Sudan and report on its results in line with the provisions of the country agreement and in line with the objectives of the country programme. - Actively participate in the UN-led coordination mechanisms at country level, and contribute effectively to the UNDAF and other sectoral work of relevance to IFAD led by the UN agencies, funds and programmes in the country. - Promote evidence-based knowledge management and learning in IFAD’s country programmes. Promote innovative approaches to poverty reduction and collaborate with partner institutions to facilitate their replication and scaling up. - Administer the related budget for cost-effectiveness. - Provide coaching and guidance to staff under her/his supervision. At P-5 grade, and in addition to the above, the incumbent is expected to: - Contribute effectively to the IFAD organizational change agenda, with particular reference to issues related to IFAD’s direct supervision modalities. - Perform any other duties as assigned by the Director.
	Education and Experience
	- Minimum requirement is an advanced university degree (Master’s level or equivalent) in rural development, economics, public policy, social sciences or a closely related field. - At least eight years (for P-4) and ten years (for P-5) of relevant post qualification professional experience with International Financial Institutions, international NGOs, rural development/financial institutions, Foundations or government services in the design and administration of rural development programmes with emphasis on rural project management, rural finance and market development. - At least two years (for P-4) and three years (for P-5) of proven experience in managing teams and supervising and guiding staff. - Good knowledge of policy-oriented, programme-based pro-poor approaches. - Knowledge in pro-poor policy design and programme-based development approaches with International Financial Institutions/Development Cooperation agencies government agencies and international NGOs. - Field experience in developing countries is required.
	Tech/Functional Competencies
	Leader and Team Worker/Builder: you will possess excellent management skills, and will be able to deploy these in a multicultural setting. You will have the capacity of leading results based teams with a capacity to deliver high quality products within tight deadlines to achieve stretching objectives; - Planner and Organiser/Decision-Maker : – you will have excellent judgement and the ability to think strategically, assessing and responding to new challenges in rural development. You will be able to set clear priorities within a boundless and often challenging agenda with tight deadlines. - Analytical skills: you will have analytical ability and thorough understanding of socio-economic issues as well as the capacity to lead specific analytical work.
	Communication
	- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English is essential; including the ability to set out a coherent argument in presentations and group interactions. - Knowledge of Arabic is essential. - Capacity to communicate fluently with different stakeholders (civil society, government authorities, local communities, project staff). - Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft packages and electronic communication.
	Other Information
	Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD, and they may be assigned by him/her to any of the activities of IFAD, including field assignments and/or rotation within IFAD. IFAD reserves the right to appoint a candidate at the appropriate grade commensurate with experience and knowledge. Interested candidates are requested to apply by completing IFAD’s Personal History Form (PHF) in English. A separate CV may be attached if you so desire, only as a supplement and NOT a substitute to the PHF. The application should be made through the online system only. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY the instructions in “How to Apply” before you start. 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. Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.

Country Programme Manager P-4 to P-5