Soil and Water Pollution Consultant

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• 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

Organizational Setting

The Land and Water Division (NSL) of FAO foresees a future whereby governments, development partners, civil societies, academic institutions, and the private sector and farmers, all work together to ensure that land, soil, and water resources are wisely used, conserved, and restored for sustainable and resilient agri-food systems that support food security, nutrition, and human wellbeing. NSL provides policy guidance, technical and financial assistance to Members in developing policies, programmes, best practices and management tools for ensuring productive and efficient use of land, soil and water resources to meet present and future demands for agricultural products, while ensuring the long-term sustainability of these resources. It promotes equitable access to and sustainable management of these natural resources with a view to enhancing productivity, livelihoods, equity, health and ecosystem services.

Under the new Strategy, NSL will work towards a core set of five integrated and strategic Objectives and Action Areas that have been elaborated to cut across the thematic areas of land, water, soils, and geospatial areas of work of the Division: (1) Good governance; (2) Wise use and restoration; (3) Mitigation and resilience; (4) Integrated solutions; (5) Data, digitalization, technology and innovation.
The post is located in the Land and Water Division (NSL) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

In view of its global mandate, the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Secretariat is hosted at the Land and Water Division. The Global Soil Partnership was established in December 2012 as a mechanism to promote sustainable soil management under a strong interactive partnership and enhanced collaboration and synergy of efforts between all stakeholders. From land users through policy makers, one of the key objectives of the GSP is to improve soil governance and promote sustainable management of soils. The Global Soil Partnership Secretariat facilitates the implementation of activities through its regional soil partnerships and scientifically guided through its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils.

Reporting Lines

The International Consultant reports to the GSP Secretary.

Technical Focus

Support the development, quality control and effective implementation of the soil health and water quality assessment components of FEUKR Project Officer in Ukraine. Manage, coordinate and provide support based on the knowledge of the local conditions, culture, and institutions of Ukraine. Support the development, quality control and effective implementation of FAO’s soil portfolio including the Global Soil Partnership work plan through the provision of expertise in relevant technical areas including project formulation.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Collect, consolidate, synthesize, and analyze soil and water pollution data received from military-impacted region;
• Compile global, regional and national evidences on soil and water pollution, existing legislations, major sources of pollution and available information and data from military-impacted region;
• Write technical documents summarizing the evidence found in military-impacted regions and extracting global conclusions;
• Facilitate and promote the inclusion of soil and water pollution in international work plans and agreements of the Global Soil Partnership;
• Provide technical support/analysis to various assessments, studies and initiatives and provide technical support to field projects on sustainable soil management to prevent, minimize and control soil and water pollution;
• Participate in multidisciplinary teams, collaborate with other departments and agencies in working groups and committees and promote the integration of soil and water pollution in the agricultural, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors;
• Support resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate strategy and under the Healthy Soils Facility;
• Collaborate in and ensure the quality / effectiveness of capacity development activities within member countries such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, on-line tools;
• Support the development and implementation of the SoilSTAT Soil Health Indicator System and the Global Soil Health Index (GSHI);
• Contribute to the implementation of various projects under the Healthy Soils Facility;

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in soil science, geochemistry, agriculture, analytical chemistry, environmental sciences, or a related field with some specialization in soil and water pollution.
• At least ten years of relevant experience soil and water pollution caused by war and military activities and remediation, ecological and human health risk assessment, or soil health assessment;
• Working knowledge of English, Russian or French and limited knowledge of one of the other three FAO official languages, Arabic, Chinese, or Spanish;

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience of work with member countries in terms of normative and technical work on soils or water;
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results within deadlines.
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
• Understanding of FAO policies and programmes and familiarity with UN policy agendas;
• Extent and relevance of experience or knowledge of issues related to soil laboratory functioning and soil sample analyses or sustainable soil management and agriculture (including forestry) and natural resources management in developing countries and in particular in relation to war zones and armed regions, sustainable agriculture and forestry in developing countries;
• Extent and relevance of experience in the formulation and implementation of projects related to sustainable soil management will be an asset;
• Extent and relevance of experience in the preparation of technical and policy reports and capacity development materials;
• Extent of experience in organizing medium to large scale international technical meetings and conferences.

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

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
• 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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