Forestry Officer

FAO’s Subregional Office for West Africa (SFW) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional agrifood systems and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs) such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the West African Monetary and Economic Union (UEMOA) and Mano River Union. It assists the FAO Representations (FAORs) in the subregion with addressing subregional food security, agriculture and rural development issues at country level. The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Africa (RAF). 
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/or 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 programmes of work, 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 Members such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, on-line 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 the FAO Corporate Strategy.

Specific Functions:

• Contributes to FAO’s work on forest and watershed management, including generation and sharing of knowledge on forest, soil and water interactions, highland-lowland linkages, social, legal and policy issues, forest-water monitoring and reporting, and integrated landscape approaches at multiple levels.
• Contributes to FAO’s work on sustainable forestry and agroforestry production systems including related value chains and their contribution to food security and nutrition, livelihoods and rural economic development, particularly for small-holders;
• Provides technical oversight of all programmes funded by GEF, GCF, Adaptation Fund and other bilateral donors and ensures delivery of the programme/project objectives and expected results in collaboration with partner organizations;
• Provides technical expertise and oversight to Country Offices on the planning, implementation and monitoring of forest and landscape restoration programmes/projects such as Flagship initiatives under the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Great Green Wall Initiative, FAO Green Cities initiative, the GEF Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program (FOLUR);
• Provides technical expertise to resource mobilization efforts for the growth of FAO’s work related to forestry/natural resources management/climate change, including the preparation of new project proposals including multi country proposals with a particular focus on GEF, GCF and Adaptation Fund;
• Facilitates, promotes and supports forestry-related policy dialogue in coherence with sustainable agrifood systems, at subregional and country levels, including related synergies and tradeoffs;
• Supports institutions at all levels, including through capacity development, to prepare, implement, monitor and evaluate evidence-based forest policies and programmes in the context of agrifood systems, and leverage investments;
• Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations.

Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in forest resources management or a related field;
• Seven years of relevant experience in forest resources assessment, forest management, forest health management, forest genetic resources conservation and management, or related field;
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Technical/Functional Skills:

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions;
• Extent and relevance of experience or knowledge of forest management in diverse forest types and ecosystems;
• Extent and relevance of experience in supporting countries on sustainable forestry and agroforestry production, livelihoods generation and rural development;
• Experience in dealing with major funds including GEF, GCF, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) would be an asset;
• Experience in managing government relations and mobilizing resources would be an asset;
• Experience working/dealing with the subregional institutions such as ECOWAS, CILSS, Manu River Union, UEMOA, etc.

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2400189