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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.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through 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.
Organizational Setting
The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) is responsible for leading FAO's response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO's priority activities in the region. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the region and, in collaboration with departments and divisions at headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO's strategic response to regional priorities. RAP also advises on the incorporation of regional priorities into the Organization's Programme of Work and Budget and implements approved programmes and projects in the region, monitors the level of programme implementation and draws attention to problems and deficiencies. RAP develops and maintains relations with region-wide institutions including the Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Regional Office supports regional policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, facilitates the emergence of regional partnerships, and supports capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the region.
Peatland fire occurrence is a key emission source in Southeast Asia, and despite growing global recognition of peatlands as vital carbon sinks, less than 10% of countries include peatland targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Even fewer integrate fire management targets – Indonesia being a rare exception. One of the key challenges to measuring peatland emissions for NDC’s is that existing methods and products to detect and monitor burned areas are not suitable for peat fire, and there is not a broadly accepted scientific technique to quantify the depth of peat fire burn scars. Furthermore, current emission factors for tropical peatland fire rely on few data from a limited number of sites. There is a need for a wider set of techniques to measure the area and depth of peatland fire, as well as emission factors for different peatland types, to improve peatland GHG inventories, particularly given their magnitude.
The Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project “Enhancing peatland management through measuring peatland fire emissions and scaling it regionally” (TCP/RAS/4003) will address these gaps by establishing simplified processes for estimating GHG emissions from peatland fire building on the past and ongoing work from research institutions, with new satellite data and remote sensing analysis, and work with ASEAN countries to apply the new methodologies and techniques. The work will leverage FAO’s technical and scientific expertise and close collaboration with leading research institutions with specific expertise in measuring peat fire dynamics and emissions. Once developed, the techniques and indicators will be submitted to the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for consideration for inclusion in NDC monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
Reporting Lines
Under the overall management of the FAO Assistant Director-General for Asia and the Pacific, the Peatland Fire Management Specialist will be supervised by the Module Leader of the Land, Water and Resilience Module, and will report to and work under the technical guidance of the Land Management Officer and the operational guidance of the Budget Holder/Project Manager at RAP.
Technical Focus
Supporting the implementation of the regional TCP “Enhancing peatland management through measuring peatland fire emissions and scaling it regionally” project.
Tasks and responsibilities
• Develop a summary review report, suitable for lay person reading, on the past 15 years of peatland fire measurement techniques, including the area and depth measurement techniques and emissions profile, from past research work in Indonesia.
• Prepare and present project relevant technical presentation and summary reports as needed to facilitate knowledge management workshop(s) and project related workshops/meetings for both participating countries of Indonesia and Thailand.
• Technically lead the desktop review of the new satellite and LIDAR data capture specifications, providing technical inputs, advisory and guidance to a remote sensing analyst.
• Work in close collaboration with the project team and implementing partner(s) to develop the feasible methodology to monitor peatland fire emission.
• Technically lead to the preparation of field-testing procedures in Indonesia, including training field teams, for the collection of data pertaining to the area and depth measurement of peatland fire, and the review of data once compiled into a summary report.
• Technically lead the transfer of the peatland fire measurement technique developed in Indonesia to Thailand by providing technical advice to national teams, conduct of remote/online training for data collection methodologies, and review compiled data from the field data summaries, and work closely with the implementing partner(s) to ensure good quality final report.
• Provide relevant technical inputs for ASEAN meeting forums, or other regionally and globally relevant peatland and fire events, including preparation of any PowerPoint presentation and delivery of presentations/participation to events 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 forestry, environmental science, natural resource management, fire ecology, peatland management, or a closely related field. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in peatland fire management, fire prevention and suppression, landscape fire management, or related fields.
• Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English.
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Demonstrated experience in planning and implementing peatland fire prevention, preparedness, and response measures, particularly in tropical or subtropical peatland ecosystems.
• Demonstrated experience in peatland fire measurement techniques
• Proven experience working with government counterparts, local communities, and/or international organizations on fire management or land-use issues.
• Experience in the Asia–Pacific region (particularly in Indonesia and Thailand) and in capacity development, policy support, or technical advisory roles is considered an asset.
Selection Criteria
• Knowledge of additional UN language is considered a strong asset.
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
• 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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