2303272

Forestry Officer (Technical Advisor)

Job Posting: 26/Oct/2023

Closure Date: 16/Nov/2023, 10:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : FAO Representation in Sierra Leone (FRSIL)

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition : Professional Project

Grade Level : P-3

Primary Location: Sierra Leone-Freetown

Duration : Fixed-term: 1 year with possibility of extension

Post Number : 2009927

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device 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, nationality, background and culture
•  Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons 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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the 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 main objective of the FAO country offices, headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments in developing policies, programs, and projects aimed at achieving food security, reducing hunger and malnutrition, developing the agricultural, fisheries, and forestry sectors, and sustainably utilizing environmental and natural resources. The need for current forest resource data is increasingly important for the development of national forestry policies and management actions, as well as for a wide range of international reporting requirements. The Forestry Division (NFO) of FAO has been supporting countries in developing their national capacity to collect, analyse, and report forestry data for decades through various initiatives and projects. In this context, the Government of Sierra Leone has requested additional technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to strengthen and consolidate its National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS), including its first National Forest Inventory. As a result, FAO is seeking to recruit an International Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) to provide technical guidance to national and sub-national experts in carrying out all project activities. The post is located in FAO Representation in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Reporting Lines The Forestry Office (Technical Advisor) reports to the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Sierra Leone, with direct supervision and support of the Forestry Officer/Lead Technical Officer based in the National Forest Monitoring Team (NFOM) of the Forestry Division at FAO headquarters.

Technical Focus The Forestry Officer (Technical Advisor) reports to support technical oversight and capacity development related to all project activities, including the implementation and technical delivery of field projects related to national forest monitoring and forest management guidelines. The Forestry Officer responds to country requests for technical assistance, contributes to solutions, and provides technical backstopping to forest monitoring projects as requested.

Key Results Research, technical analysis and project related services to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services.

Key Functions

•  Researches and analyses technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional, and technology related information, data and statistics and/or related policy issues to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services;
•  Produces a variety of technical information, data, statistics and reports as well as input for technical documents and web pages;
•  Provides technical support/analysis to various assessments, studies and initiatives and provides technical backstopping to field projects;
•  Collaborates in the development of improved/updated tools, systems, processes and databases;
•  Participates on multidisciplinary teams, and/or leads working groups/teams collaborates with other divisions and agencies on work groups and committees and promotes best practices;
•  Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development activities within Members such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, on-line tools;
•  Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations;
•  Supports resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate Strategy.

Specific Functions

•  Contributes to the technical implementation of all project activities in close collaboration with the National Project Coordinator (NPC), Government counterparts and technical partners and FAO technical experts such as Lead Technical Officer (LTO), international Remote Sensing (RS) experts, national RS consultants, and other Non-Staff Human Resources (NSHR);
•  Contributes to capacity development activities related to project activities to strengthen Government autonomy in Forest Monitoring, Forest Management and Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV);
•  Supports the implementation of the project technical activities, in close collaboration with the NPC and the International and FAO Remote-Sensing; Sustainable Management of Forest (SMF), Land Cover Classification System (LCCS), Carbon, Collect Earth Online (CEO)/ System for Earth Observation, Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL), Forest Reference Emission Level (FRELS)/ Forest Reference Level (FLR), National Forest Inventory (NFI) experts.
•  Ensures technical quality assurance and quality control of the technical outputs of the project (National Forest Monitoring - NFM/MRV systems, NFI);
•  Supports smooth project implementation through coordination of regular project task force meetings;
•  Prepares detailed work plans for the project in collaboration with project staff and stakeholders and makes implementation arrangements for the field activities and trainings;
•  Drafts Terms of Reference (ToR) for affiliate workforce and follow up on their recruitments and assignment in a timely manner;
•  Provides ongoing support to the NPC in preparing work plans and reporting on project activities;
•  Liaises weekly with the Project's LTO and relevant FAO experts to inform on progress and obtain technical clearance on key technical work and outputs;
•  Undertakes ad-hoc supervision missions in collaboration with the NPC;
•  Monitors the work of short-term affiliate workforce and review their reports;
•  Supports the NPC in organizing and conducting consultation of the project activities;
•  Ensures that field teams provide monthly reports of progress and assists in resolving bottlenecks, in close collaboration with the NPC;
•  Communicates regularly with FAO external technical partners;
•  Prepares and submits regular periodic and other reports as deemed;
•  Performs any other related tasks as and when requested.' CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•  Advanced university degree in forestry, forest economics, forest engineering or another related field.
•  Five years of relevant experience in forestry development, natural resources management, or other related field in developing countries.
•  Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

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.
•  Extent and relevance of experience and knowledge in forest assessment and monitoring issues.
•  Extent and relevance of experience in land and forest resources tenure, participatory forestry, forest policy, forest assessment and monitoring.
•  Depth of familiarity with assessment issues in forestry, and experience with MRV.
•  Extent and relevance of experience in the analysis and formulation of policies for sustainability improvement in the forest sector.
•  Ability to analyse complex forestry data and information.

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

•  FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment
•  Extension of fixed term appointments is based on certification of performance and availability of funds
•  Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. 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 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/
•  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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