IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
- FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
- Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
- Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
- FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
- All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
- All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The Forestry Division (NFO) leads FAO's work in promoting sustainable forest management and providing leadership on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of forestry, including its contributions to poverty reduction and food security and nutrition. It liaises with Members, civil society and the private sector in aspects ranging from development of effective forest policies to forest conservation and management issues and strengthens the role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Division also collects analyses and disseminates information on the world's forest resources and on the production trade and consumption of wood and non-wood forest products.
The Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM) has been established during the 22nd Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) in June 2014. The FLRM is built on the advantages of a UN Agency with expertise and experience in several of the land-use sectors and its extensive network of country, subregional and regional offices. The FLRM aims at scaling-up, monitoring and reporting on FLR activities to contribute to the Bonn Challenge and Biodiversity targets. It helps to coordinate and facilitate the development and implementation of projects, programmes and related activities in FAO member countries, in full collaboration with other key actors. The FLRM operates globally by developing financial intelligence functions (raising awareness on FLR and fundraising actions towards key donors), preparing guidelines and standards for baselines and verification of successful efforts and contributing to more effective reporting to the Rio Conventions.
Reporting Lines
The Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism Specialist will report to the Senior Forestry Officer within the Forest and Restoration Mechanism team, Forestry Division.
Technical Focus
Technical and programmatic support to the activities of The Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism in Africa and to NFO's work on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Tasks and responsibilities
The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks organized in different work packages\:
The Great Green Wall Flagship selected in the context of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
• Support the launch and implementation of Component B of the GGWSSI flagship in partnership with the FAO country offices in Niger and Burkina Faso, leveraging extensive project management and stakeholder engagement skills to ensure effective program rollout. This includes the following activities\:
o In the countries, assessment of local organizations to support the deployment of the program’s entrepreneurship training curriculum.
o Adjustments and finalization of the training materials to meet the local demands and address the identified needs, integrating practical experience from managing training solutions across cultural contexts.
o Implementation of the training solutions, in-person when feasible and online otherwise, in coordination with the selected local support organizations.
o Coordination with the flagship’s other components to ensure alignment between the program’s elements and with the broader ecosystem of stakeholders.
o Documentation of results, lessons and insights to inform future version of the training curriculum.
o Scoping of potential post-program partners to provide capacity building continuity to the trained entrepreneurs.
• Support the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and the international consultant in the FLRM team to follow and provide technical/operational advice on the implementation of the GGWSSI Flagship, in particular\:
o Support the preparation of annual technical progress reports.
o Support the preparation of annual workplans and budgets in close collaboration with the national teams, the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) within NFO (FLRM).
o Support communication and outreach efforts, utilizing multimedia experience, data analysis, website development, content creation and public speaking expertise to enhance visibility and impact of the project.
o Submit best practices of FLR in the Sahel to the UN Decade platform.
Targeted support Flagships selected in the context of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
• Support the upscaling of the Restoration Explorer and Factory program in more UN Decade’s relevant geographies\:
o Contribute to the design and early implementation strategy for the Restoration Factory program in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leveraging insights from previous ecosystem restoration projects.
o Provide support to design the deployment strategy of the Restoration Explorer program in the context of the UN Decade’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) flagship, using experience in adapting environmental initiatives to various global contexts.
• Facilitate the UN Decade’s Flagship Targeted Support in Pakistan, Nepal led by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Agroforestry in Dryland led by Trees For the Future (TREES) and Regreening Africa led by International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF).
Achieving AFR100 with forest and farm producers
• Support the project’s third component that addresses value-added innovation and business incubation focusing on restoration-related value chains, creating green jobs and livelihoods in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.
o Gather information on existing organizations delivering incubation and acceleration services at landscape level and support the selection process of incubators in selected landscapes.
Synthesis paper on ecosystem restoration and certifications
• Support the case studies and synthesis paper on ecosystem restoration and certifications in collaboration with RainForest Alliance\:
o Finalize the selection of cases;
o Coordinate the writing of the cases with authors and reviewers;
o Arrange a collaborators’ meeting to validate the synthesis.
Terminal evaluation of closed projects
• The FLRM is implementing the global project GCP/INT/296/GER (BMU) "The Paris Agreement in action\: upscaling forest and landscape restoration to achieve nationally determined contributions". This project will end in June 2024. The specialist will support the terminal evaluation of the project of in close collaboration with the FAO evaluation office, the national teams, the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) within FLRM;
• The FLRM is implementing the global project GCP /GLO/900/GFF “The Restoration Initiative” (TRI) ending in 2024. The specialist will support in collaboration with the FAO evaluation office, the national teams, the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) within FLRM and the CTA; the preparation and implementation of the final evaluation.
LDCF Niger
• The FLRM is supporting the FAO Country office in Niger and the FAO-GEF Unit to develop the full project document of the project called “Gestion intégrée de la doumeraie du bassin versant du Goulbi N'kaba et des écosystèmes adjacents (Région de Maradi)“ that was endorsed by the Least Developped Country Fund (LDCF) of the GEF-8 at the board in February 2024. The specialist will support the international project designer and the national consultants’ team to develop the project as required with a focus on identification of incubators in Niger.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• University degree in Environmental Science, Natural Resources or a related discipline
• At least two years of relevant experience in with Mentorship, especially the Restoration Factory or Restoration Explorer Programs
• Working knowledge (level C) of English
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work.
Selection Criteria
• Working knowledge (level C) of French is an asset.
• Experience working in the UN system, especially related to the finance sector.
• Having received mentorship in the past from experts around business development.
• Experience working in Africa, especially around entrepreneurship
• Extensive knowledge on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
- Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
- Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http\://www.whed.net/
- For more information, visit the FAO employment website
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT