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• 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

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

The Central Asia Water–Land Nexus (CAWLN) Programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under its eighth replenishment cycle (GEF-8), aims to strengthen transboundary cooperation and Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins. Within this framework, the CAWLN Coordination Project – Supporting Sustainable Results under the Water–Land Nexus Program (GCP/SEC/11379/GFF) provides programme-level coordination, knowledge management, environmental and social safeguards support, Earth Observation (EO) harmonization, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) services to all child projects under the CAWLN Programme. Umbrella programme and child projects will be implemented in five countries of the Central Asian sub-region\: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia, the direct supervision and technical guidance of the project’s Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and the operational guidance of the SEC Project Implementation Unit, and will work in close collaboration with FAO Country Offices and the Project Task Force.

Technical Focus

The main aim of the role is to provide technical leadership and strategic guidance for the effective implementation and management of the CAWLN program. This role encompasses serving as the Secretary to the Program Steering Committee (PrSC) and ensuring the daily technical implementation, coordination and supervision of the program.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance for programme work planning, supervise technical consultants, and ensure quality assurance and technical coherence across programme activities and outputs.
• Provide technical leadership in the organization of workshops, training sessions, and knowledge-sharing events, ensuring they are tailored to the socio-economic and agro-ecological contexts in which the programme is implemented.
• Serve as Secretary to the Programme Steering Committee (PrSC) by providing strategic advice and recommendations on programme implementation and strategic direction; overseeing the technical content submitted for PrSC review; ensuring timely follow-up on action points and decisions; and coordinating communication and technical coherence between the PMU and the PrSC.
• Ensure alignment of all seven child projects with programme objectives and targets, as well as compliance with donor requirements and reporting guidelines.
• Ensure the technical quality of reporting on programme activities, outputs, and achievements.
• Maintain close coordination with responsible officers, Government counterparts, and FAO Country Offices on technical matters related to the programme; provide leadership and contribute to the capacity building and development of the PMU for effective programme implementation, including gender mainstreaming.
• Provide additional technical and programme implementation support, as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in International Relations, Political Science, International Development, Public Policy, Environmental Policy, Water Resources Management, or a related field. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
• 5 years of relevant experience in program management and technical advisory roles, preferably in the Central Asia region.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong expertise in project management, monitoring and evaluation, financial management in the context of sustainable natural resource management. Ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues and build consensus among diverse actors.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment.

Selection Criteria

• Proven experience in managing teams and working with multi-stakeholder platforms.
• Experience in serving as a secretary or providing secretariat support to steering committees or similar decision-making bodies is desirable
• Experience in working on transboundary water management issues and understanding the complexities of policy coordination across national borders, particularly in Central Asia is desirable.
• Experience in organizing high-level meetings, policy dialogues, and consultations with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience working with international donors (e.g., Global Environment Facility) is highly desirable.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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

• 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/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.

• 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

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