Programme Analyst

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 Lao PDR portfolio requires strengthened generalist project management support to ensure timely implementation, mission follow-up, coordination with Project Management Units (PMUs) and Government, and enhanced delivery of results. The Programme Analyst will support the Country Director and the National Programme Coordinator through a mix of generalist functions—coordination, planning, reporting, portfolio monitoring, knowledge management, and innovation. While primarily a generalist, the Programme Analyst is expected to bring one technical specialization, such as: value chain development; rural finance / financial inclusion; agronomy / climate-smart agriculture; gender, youth, or Indigenous Peoples inclusion; nutrition-sensitive agriculture; monitoring & evaluation / knowledge management, or ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) & digital solutions for development. The Programme Analyst will be based in Hanoi, with regular travel to Lao PDR to support supervision, missions, and on-the-ground implementation follow-up.

Under the direct supervision of the IFAD Country Director for Lao PDR and in close consultation and collaboration with the national coordinator, the incumbent will: A. General Project Management Support (Core Function) Provide broad-based support to Lao PDR portfolio management, supporting the country team with: - Day-to-day follow-up with Project Management Units (PMUs), Government partners, and the IFAD Vientiane office. - Assist with project monitoring: workplans, procurement, disbursement, risk flags, safeguards and results indicators and follow-up on implementation (quantity/quality) of agreed actions from previous missions and track status of all agreed actions, ensuring actions are implemented on time (e.g. send reminder 3 moths in advance due date and follow-up after due date and inform Country Director (CD ) on status of agreed action) - Coordinate preparation of mission dossiers, undertake background research, and consolidate project data. - Draft general mission Terms of Reference (TORs), announcement letters, checklists, PowerPoint presentations, progress reports templates, action matrices, follow-up trackers, and any project support documentation as guided by the CD. - Provide practical/problem-solving support to project teams for implementation acceleration in consultation with country team. - Ensure timely consolidation of information for Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) updates, Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP ) reporting, and regional reporting requirements. - COSOP; support update of COSOP logframe, linked to Partnerships for Irrigation and Commercialisation of Smallholder Agriculture Project (PICSA), Agriculture For Nutrition - Phase 2 (AFN II), and Linking Enterprises, Agriculture and Development For Green Growth project (LEAD) logframes (tool available) and support COSOP annual review. B. Mission Planning, Coordination, and Follow-Up - Organize and coordinate supervision, implementation support, design, Mid-term Review (MTR), and Project Completion Report (PCR) missions, as well as high-level visits - Prepare TORs, logistical arrangements, and briefing files. - Join field missions to project provinces in Laos and provide generalist analytical support. - Maintain a mission recommendation tracker to ensure systematic follow-up by PMUs. - Support with preparation of any high-level visit (travel book, talking points, presentation) C. Knowledge Management, Documentation & Communications - Document lessons learned across the Lao PDR portfolio and support synthesis notes, briefs, and presentations. - Produce visibility materials (stories, field updates, project highlights, communications content) - Strengthen Knowledge Management (KM) and reporting capacity of PMUs, including templates, checklists, and data consolidation. - Coordinate with IFAD HQ technical teams as relevant. E. Partnership & Coordination Support - Support CD coordination with Government, UN agencies, development partners, and thematic working groups. - Assist with preparation of partnership briefs, donor visibility reports, and meeting documentation. F. Administrative and Office Support (related to Programme Functions) - Assist Country Director with briefing notes, preparation of donor/UN meetings, and short analyses. - Support contract management processes, reviewing deliverables, and preparing payment certifications. - Support annual and semi-annual corporate reporting and planning processes. - Take official minutes during relevant meetings needing records.