Natural Resources Project Specialist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative is to assist governments to develop policies, programs and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The mission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is to work to eradicate hunger and promote global food security together with balanced and complete nutrition. Our mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.

Our three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

Ethiopia is striving to tackle the challenges of Climate Change and to achieve middle-income status by 2025, within the framework of a carbon-neutral growth and development plan. The forest sector is a key element in a low-carbon growth strategy of Ethiopia projected to address half of the national emission reduction target in 2030. The sector has been affected by deforestation and forest degradation due to agricultural expansion, livelihood diversification, increasing need for fuel and construction wood (all aggravating climate change). Ethiopia has chosen Reducing Emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD ) as a climate change mitigation mechanism for the forest sector.

The four REDD readiness requirements are in place during the REDD readiness phase, with some improvements still needed in the reference scenarios and the Measuring, Verification and Reporting (MRV) system established through FAO Technical Assistance (FAO TA). The assessments of Ethiopia’s current forest MRV and monitoring capacities after Phase I project and other interventions indicate a significant progress in developing Ethiopia’s National Forest Monitoring System and MRV (NFMS /MRV capacities especially at national level (capacity for National Forest Inventory (NFI), mapping activities, forest-area change detection, construction of Forest Reference Emission Level (FREL), and MRV Labs. MRV Labs are also established in four REDD pilot regions. However, the MRV capacity is still weak in terms of system linkages between national MRV institutions for data exchange and communications, knowledge gap on the MRV framework, inadequate technical skills of MRV units at federal and regional levels, weak coordination among the MRV institutions and weak web-portal links to the monitoring systems for facilitating access to international and local stakeholders.

Therefore, to address these gaps and requirements UTF/ETH/118/ETH Phase II project titled “National REDD MRV Capacity Consolidation and Strengthening” is formulated. This project will strengthen and make NFM/MRV system fully functional and enhance the MRV capacity to implement and monitor REDD activities by consolidating and building on Phase I achievements and inform decision-makers about the status and change of Ethiopian forest. Specifically, the project will deliver two outcomes: 1) Ethiopia’s forest sector MRV capacity strengthened and fully integrated into the national GHG accounting systems; 2) Fully functional NFMS capable of informing decision-makers about the status and change of Ethiopian forests is in place.
These outcomes will contribute to Component 4 of the REDD Readiness Wheel (RRW): “Design a Monitoring System for Emissions and Removals and Other Benefits and Impacts” by providing the monitoring tools required to measure the impact and revert the effects of this pressure.

Reporting Lines

Under the general supervision of the FAO Representative to Ethiopia, the International Program Officer (Deputy FAO Representative) and the Assistant FAO Representative for Programme Implementation; and direct supervision of the Agriculture Team Leader, in consultation with the Lead Technical Unit in FAO Headquarters Forestry Division (NFO) and the Multidisciplinary Team in the FAO Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE MDT) and working in close collaboration with the Government sector institutions, the incumbent will perform his/her responsibilities.

Technical Focus

The Natural Resources Project Specialist will provide support in enhancing natural resources management and agricultural production system to provide technical support on protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of ecosystems (Better Environment).

The incumbent will closely work with Government partner institutions, the MRV project Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and the Lead Technical Unit at FAO HQ (NFM team within NFO) and shall be responsible for the operational planning and coordination of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD ) MRV UTF/ETH/118/ETH- National REDD MRV Capacity Consolidation and Strengthening project and support technical guidance and capacity development to country counterparts to achieve project outputs. The Project Specialist will allow for the smooth implementation of project outputs through provision of critical programmatic and operational support.

Tasks and responsibilities

He/she will provide overall operational support to the project including the following main responsibilities:

• Facilitate preparation of detailed work plans and budgets for the project in collaboration with project staff Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), National Consultants (NCs), Lead Technical Officer (LTO), country counterparts, donor and related stakeholders;
• Ensure and monitor effective project implementation (work plan, procurement plan, notes for the file, field visits, monitoring, etc.);
• Support the operational implementation of project activities, including the hiring of project staff and preparation procurement plan, procurement request for office and field equipment;
• In consultation with Measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) project focal point, support organizing and conducting of MRV project task force meetings;
• In consultation with Government counterparts and project CTA prepare technical specifications and purchase requisitions for procurement items (office and field) for MRV project;
• Lead the drafting of Letters of Agreements (LoA), related documents and other operational documents and frequently monitor the implementation of such Agreements;
• Prepare periodic progress and final reports, including financial reports;
• Prepare minutes from key project meetings in order to have a record of decisions made on project implementation;
• Liaise frequently with and maintain good working relationship with Government counterparts, relevant academic partners Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resource (WDCFNR), Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Addis Ababa University (AAU), donors and other stakeholders;
• Support Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Ethiopian Forest Development (EFD) in formulation natural resources management, forest resource management and development projects and programs;
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Candidate should be national of Ethiopia
• Minimum of Advanced University Degree (Master or its equivalent) in Forestry, Natural Resources Management, Agroforestry, Forest Economics, Agricultural Economics, Natural Resource Economics, and Rural Development.
• A minimum of 10 years of practical and extensive experiences in the above mentioned areas of work.
• Working knowledge (level C) of spoken and written English. Knowledge of local languages used at the duty station is a strong asset.

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
• Good understanding of nation natural resource management policy and strategy;
• Knowledge of forest sector of the country and national climate change adaption programmes;
• Organization and planning skills;
• Training delivery and presentation skills;
• Technical report writing skills.

Selection Criteria

Academic Qualification, relevant experience, readiness to work in a multi-cultural environment, honesty and aptitude

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION