FAO recruits 01 Forestry Officer

Job Description: 1900800

Forestry Officer (Regional Coordinator, Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme)

Closure Date: 06/May/2019, 11:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: Subregional Office for Central Africa, SFC

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition: Professional Project

Grade Level: P-4.

Primary Location: Gabon-Libreville

Duration: Fixed term: one year with possibility of extension

Post Number: 2007068

CCOG Code: 1H06

The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

• People with disabilities are protected from any type of discrimination during any stage of employment, including the recruitment phase

• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

FAO’s Subregional Office for Central Africa (SFC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Africa (RAF).

The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme is an initiative of the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), funded by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) of the European Commission. It will be implemented through a partnership involving the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), the International Center for Agricultural Research (CIFOR) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The objective of the SWM Programme is to reconcile wildlife conservation issues with those of improved livelihoods and food security in a set of key (forested and savannah) socio-ecosystems by promoting the sustainable and legal exploitation of resilient wildlife populations by native rural peoples and by adjusting the supply of domestic proteins for the benefit of both rural and urban populations in ACP countries. This will include undertaking research and associated activities in relation to food and agriculture and the management of natural resources. Efforts to achieve the Programme’s objective will contribute to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of wildlife as well as the creation of new economic opportunities for local populations through empowerment and diversification. The project contributes to FAO’s Strategic Objectives on Food Security, Sustainable Natural Resources and Poverty Reduction in the context of the common vision for sustainable food and agriculture, and supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG-1) on Poverty Reduction; Goal 2 (SDG-2) on Zero Hunger; Goal 12 (SDG-12) on Responsible Consumption and Production, and Goal 15 (SDG-15) regarding Life on Land.

The incumbent will be part of the Programme Management Unit (PMU) that is led and coordinated by the FAO Forestry Department.

Reporting Lines

The Forestry Officer reports to the FAO Subregional Coordinator, SFC, under the technical supervision of the Senior Forestry Officer, SWM Coordinator, FOA.

Technical Focus

Provide technical guidance and support for the implementation of the SWM programme, and contribute to donor relations and resource mobilization, while ensuring technical linkage with other FAO teams and partner organizations, in accordance with FAO’s Strategic Objectives.

Key Results

Comprehensive technical and policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of regional programmes, projects, products and services in accordance with regional objectives and FAO’s Strategic Objectives.

Key Functions

• Plans and leads components of multidisciplinary teams, leads and/or participates in internal committees, project teams, and working groups and/or provides specialized expertise on technical networks and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies;

• Develops technical, analytical, monitoring and reporting frameworks, and related methodologies, tools, systems and databases, etc. to support the planning, implementation/delivery and monitoring of work programmes, projects, products and/or services;

• Designs and conducts research, data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting activities to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovative approaches and strategies, new tools, technologies, technical reports/publications, and/or policy proposals as well as the provision of technical/policy/ specialist/advice and expertise;

• Responds to country requests for technical and policy assistance, provides technical advice, assistance and solutions to Decentralized Offices and provides technical backstopping to field projects;

• Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within member countries such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, online tools;

• Promotes international cooperation/advocates best practices, increased policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international/intergovernmental meetings;

• Participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with FAO’s Corporate Strategy.

Specific Functions

• Manages the implementation of the SWM projects in Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar in close collaboration with the SWM Programme Coordinator;

• Monitors and evaluates the implementation of the Operational Partnership Agreements (OPA) signed with programme consortium partners CIRAD, CIFOR and WCS in targeted countries;

• Liaises with FAO technical officers and other FAO staff at headquarters and regional/subregional/country offices in Africa, as well as with the implementing partners to ensure the provision of appropriate technical support services in accordance with the SWM programme and projects documents;

• Ensures smooth collaborations with relevant national, regional and interregional institutions/organizations;

• Oversees the management of funds and the eligibility of expenditures incurred under specific site projects;

• Undertakes regular backstopping field missions to the SWM programme intervention sites and provides technical advice to facilitate smooth implementation of field activities;

• Supports national site review committees and task force meetings;

• Coordinates communication and outreach activities at regional and national levels in close consultation with the site coordinators and the communication coordinator within the PMU;

• Contributes to the preparation and implementation of Letters of Agreement (LoA), contracts with the field partners and Operational Partnership Agreements (OPA) with the implementing partners;

• Provides technical advice to the SFC Forestry Officer for the development of new projects and resource mobilization efforts, with special emphasis on projects and topics meeting SWM programme objectives;

• Contributes to build and maintain institutional relationships at national and regional levels in Central Africa, collaborating with relevant officers;

• Performs other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in forest resources management, wildlife management or a related field;

• Seven  years of relevant experience in forest resources management and implementation of projects, as well as programmes related to wildlife management;

• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two, or Arabic, Chinese or Russian.

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, particularly in field positions, is desirable;

• Extent and relevance of experience in planning, managing and implementing projects/programmes related to wildlife management especially in field positions in developing countries, preferably in Africa;

• Extent and relevance of experience collaborating with relevant national, regional and interregional institutions/organizations, preferably in francophone Africa;

• Extent and relevance of experience working in multicultural settings and multidisciplinary projects/programmes combining various approaches to wildlife management in the context of sustainable food and agriculture;

• Extent and relevance of experience disseminating project results, lessons learned and best practices to different audiences;

• Working knowledge of both English and French 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.

GENERAL INFORMATION

 • Candidates endorsed in the selection process for this vacancy announcement will be considered for the FAO Professional Employment Roster for a period of two years. The Roster is used to fill other similar positions at the same or lower grade, and in the same or another duty station;

• FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

 A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salary.htm

Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:

• Dependency allowances

• Rental subsidy

• Education grant for children

• Home leave travel

• 30 working days of annual leave per year

• Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

• International health insurance; optional life insurance

• Disability protection

FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization. This includes:

• elements of family-friendly policies

• flexible working arrangements

• standards of conduct

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;

• Your application will be screened based on the information provided on your online profile;

• Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list;

• 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;

• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered;

• Vacancies will be removed from the recruitment portal at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date;

• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org 

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT