Establishing of new Positions

The establishment of RP funded posts in the FAO country offices is guided by the standard staffing models and is dependent upon the overall level of budget resources for the FAOR network approved in the PWB.

Changes to the established structure should be discussed with OSD and CSP, and subsequently cleared by OSP during the preparation of the biennial PWB prior to approval by Conference. The approved Post Establishment Plan, as published in PIRES, serves as the overall reference for the management of posts within the biennium while the FAOR standard staffing models provide further guidance for adjustments proposed during the biennium. 

Any changes to the post establishment approved by OSD and CSP in the course of the biennium are formalized and reflected in PIRES during the preparation of the next PWB documentation.
              
  New posts can be established when:

• a new office is established by the Organization.
• the staffing model of a particular country is revised. This requires a full review by the Regional Office, OSD and CSP.
• there is a corporate decision to replace an existing post with another one (different title, functions, and/or grade) e.g. replacement of all Registry Clerk positions with Information Resources Clerk positions. Rather than submitting request for a new position, the current practice foresees changes of position attributes for an existing post without need to submit a request for new post.
• AOS resources of a sufficiently reliable nature are available (e.g. based on delivery forecast in FPMIS resulting from the existence of a number of multi-year projects).

When a FAOR intends to initiate a request for establishment of new post, he/she must submit the following documentation:

• ADM160 Staffing action Request providing all information requested under the different items (budgetary clearance, justification for establishment, supervision received, confirmation that the proposal falls within the approved staffing model for his/her office, etc);
• ADM 213 Vacancy Announcement (post description) for International or National Professional posts and AFH 37 for General Service posts providing a detailed list of the new or revised duties assigned to the post, minimum qualifications requirements and selection criteria.  This document is normally called "post description" and represents the basic information source to evaluate the request and approve or reject it.  It is therefore essential that it be filled accurately, completely and no part/section be missing.

Changing Existing Positions

Staffing Action Requests may be submitted for changes in grade or title, abolition or extension, or change in funding source of a post. Below is a brief description of the circumstances when these changes may occur.

Requests for advertising at a higher grade than that of encumbered posts can be submitted when:

• If a post is encumbered at a level below the one envisaged in the model (either because there was a decision to under-fill because the model has been updated/revised and the position needs to be regarded), the FAOR can request that the position be advertised at a higher grade level as per the current practice.  
• If a position is encumbered and the Office want to propose a promotion of the incumbent (not envisaged in the staffing model) a complete justification and assessment of the performance of the incumbent needs to be provided by means of an Admin 160, where the FAOR must explain how the incumbent has personally contributed to expand the scope of his post to the higher level to justify an upgrading based on job growth. In addition, the FAOR should provide information on education of the incumbent, EOD with FAO, EOD of assignment to the post and certification that s/he has performed the higher level duties reflected in the post description for a minimum of one/two years.  ADM160 Staffing action Request providing all information requested under the different items should be submitted together with Admin 213 for Professional or National Officer and AFH 37 for General Service post reflecting new or revised duties on which basis the upgrading should be approved.

Requests for advertising at a lower grade than that of vacant posts can be considered  when:

• an incumbent retires from a post which is planned at a lower level in the standard staffing model; a post becomes vacant and is deliberately advertised at a lower level than the one in the standard staffing model;
• the resources saved are required to fund an upgrading.

Existing posts can be abolished when:

• the staffing model for a given country has been modified;
• an AOS funded post is no longer needed or is considered financially unsustainable;
• the incumbent of a post due for abolition retires. this is planned for in the PWB exercise

Change of post attributes (title and/or revised post description) can be envisaged when:

• the functions of the post change to such an extent that a revision of the occupational category of the post is justified, although no change is required for the grade (e.g. Secretary G-4 to Administrative Clerk G-4)
• a post becomes vacant and the FAOR wishes to modify the terms of reference (not the grade) before proceeding with a vacancy announcement. To the extent possible, FAOR are invited to adhere to the standard post descriptions available in COIN.

Extension of Positions

FAOR posts funded by the Regular Programme and included in the PWB are normally extended by CSP through a bulk action at the end of each biennium (e.g. at the end of 2009, all FAOR posts were extended until 31.12.2011). For the extension of any new post established in the course of the biennium, and not yet reflected in the current PWB, a Staffing Action Request is required to be submitted to the RO.
AOS funded posts are extended only when sufficient funding is assured from the FAOR’s field programme delivery forecast in FPMIS and for a commensurate duration. A Staffing Action Request is required for the extension of each AOS funded post.

Change of funding of posts:

All posts in FAOR offices are either funded by the PWB allocation (Regular Programme) or by income generated by the office (e.g. AOS resources). Therefore, no change of funding should be requested in principle. Any deviation from the above should be reported to CSP for guidance.

A. Actions performed by the Regional Office

The following applies to establishment of new positions, regradings and any action that deviates from the staffing model. Extensions are processed directly by the Regional Office. Changes in position funding will be handled by CSP. This arrangement will be reviewed in due course.

1.       The Programme Officer (FAOR Network) has the responsibility to review the content of any request/submission received from a FAOR to ensure its consistency with the established procedures, that all attachments duly signed are provided, that the proposal is consistent with the approved FAOR staffing model applicable to the office and budgetary coverage has been confirmed.  The Programme Officer should revert to the FAOR if any part of the proposed submission is missing or erroneously prepared and clarify any problem related to the position or staff member status. In this process the Programme Officer may consult OSD/CSP/OSP or SSC in Budapest for relevant advice and assistance.

2.         Once the Programme Officer has completed all these steps and found that the proposal is properly formulated, complete and is consistent with established rules and regulations, he/she submits the proposal to the ADG/Regional Representative for approval and further processing.

3.       Following the approval of the ADG/Regional Representative, the Programme Officer submits the complete and full proposal and background documentation to CSP for review and consideration.

B. Action performed by CSP

1.         CSP carries out the review of the case and advise the Programme Officer (cc: ADG/RR, OSD) of the outcome of the review.  If the outcome is positive, this will be communicated to the Regional Office, the regional focal point will initiate in GRMS the proposed transaction and will inform CSP accordingly.  If the outcome is negative, CSP will provide an explanation on the reasons for not approving the proposal as submitted.

2.         Upon receipt of proposed GRMS transaction and/or any additional information that the Regional Office wishes to provide, CSP will review the transaction, obtain the necessary clearances if required, approve the document and inform the Regional Office that post action is approved so the Regional Office may proceed with appropriate servicing actions/communications to SSC.