FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

  • 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 staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.


Organizational Setting

For more than four decades, FAO has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines

The Gender and Social Development Specialist directly reports to the Food Security and Nutrition Specialist.


Technical Focus

The sub-programme on “Implementing the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines for gender equitable and climate resilient food systems and livelihoods (FVC/GLO/155/MUL)”, is a two-year sub-programme with the purpose of working with small-scale fisheries communities to contribute to more sustainable and climate resilient livelihoods and food systems. The sub-programme will support small-scale fisheries and the implementation of the SSF Guidelines with a particular focus on the post-harvest sector in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Namibia, Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda) and in Asia (the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor Leste). The post-harvest sector constitutes a critical link between fish production and consumption, and is often predominated by women, despite gendered challenges that women face. The project is set against the backdrop of gender equity and equality in the context of the SSF Guidelines.

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play an important role in food security and nutrition, and provide an opportunity for poverty eradication, equitable development, and sustainable and climate resilient livelihoods and food systems for all actors along the supply chain. A World Bank report (2012) indicated that over half of the catch in developing countries is produced by the small-scale subsector, and 90 to 95 percent of the small-scale landings are destined for local human consumption. The sector employs more than 90 percent of the world’s capture fishers and fish workers, about half of whom are women who are often active in the post-harvest sector.

It is therefore important to know and understand the different roles of women in the value chain, in particular, how much effort and support they contribute in the value chain. This is vital in order for the policy makers to ensure that women in the fisheries sector are well equipped, capacitated and recognized that will promote gender-balance and avoid gender-bias in this men-dominated sector.

As a baseline information, a gender mapping of SSF organizations with majority of members are women was conducted with description of their geographical location, significant niche in the supply chain, and identified gaps and areas of needs to determine appropriate interventions. A baseline study of households with women engage in fishing activities was also conducted. The recommendations from this baseline study will be adopted as part of the interventions for this project.

As such, a Gender and Social Development Specialist will be engaged to lead in the implementation of activities for women-led SSF Organizations such as Focus Group Discussions and capacity building on women participation, leadership, roles in decision-makings, strengthening women’s organizations, among others.

The main objective of this engagement is to design various trainings that will strengthen the capacity of women’s participation in SSF Organizations. The target areas are: Misamis Oriental (Alubijid, Gitagum) and Misamis Occidental (Sinacaban, Lopez Jaena)


Tasks and responsibilities

Working in coordination with the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Project Coordinator, the incumbent will carry out the following tasks:

• Review the recommendations of the report on “Mapping Women’s Small-Scale Fisheries Organizations in the Philippines: results from assessing current capacities, gaps and opportunities to strengthen women’s organizations in the sector” and design relevant interventions as appropriate;
• Participate in the validation of the results of the baseline mapping;
• With support from the FAO Philippines country office, the incumbent will conduct the following activities:

  • Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with women relevant to identified gaps and opportunities and provide direction how these can be addressed;
  • Capacity building activities for women’s organizations in formalizing groups and possible creation of a Regional Federation of SSF Women’s Organization in the region;

- Capacity building activities among women in the fisheries sector in relation to gender with a focus on the following thematic areas: Gender Equality and Gender Roles;
- Organizational development of Women-led SSF Organizations;
- Strengthening leadership and decision-making roles

  • Conduct training on Gender Transformative Approaches among local government officials, SSF Organizations and key stakeholders

• Develop at least one policy brief on women’s participation/role in SSF
• Conduct at least one regional webinar on “Strengthening SSFO for increased Gender Inclusion”;
• Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by the FAO Representative.


CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Sociology, Social Sciences, Economics, Development Economics, or other related disciplines.
• At least seven (7) years of relevant experience in in analyzing and integrating the perspective of gender equality in the context of agriculture and rural development and experience in socio-economic and gender analysis.
• A National of the Philippines or resident in the country with a regular work permit.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Filipino


FAO Core Competencies

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


Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge of FAO and UN system experience would be an advantage
• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Tagalog

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

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.