Technical Office Forestry Sector and the Rural Economy

The position is located in the Forestry, Agriculture, Construction and Tourism (FACT) Unit within the Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR).  SECTOR is responsible for providing support to ILO constituents in addressing employment and labour opportunities and issues in specific economic and social sectors at the global, regional and national levels. The sectoral approach to decent work cuts across the entire Decent Work Agenda. 

The work of the Department includes:  consensus building on sector-specific policies and practices through social dialogue, including through tripartite sectoral meetings at the global, regional and national level; the promotion of ratification and effective implementation of international labour standards, with special attention to sectoral labour standards; the development and dissemination of knowledge and information relating to sector and/or industry-specific economic and employment trends; policy-oriented research on decent work issues in specific sectors; the implementation of development cooperation projects as well as the delivery of policy advice and capacity building programmes for tripartite constituents; and the promotion of policy coherence on key sectoral issues through strategic partnerships with other United Nations agencies, with multilateral organizations and with other stakeholders. 

SECTOR is also responsible for the coordination of Office-wide efforts for the promotion of decent work in the rural economy and the Department contributes to the ILO’s work on the promotion of decent work in global supply chains.

The FACT Unit promotes decent work in these sectors and coordinates ILO’s work on the promotion of decent work in the rural economy. 

The main role of the position is [to support ILO constituents – governments, employers and workers – to advance decent work in the forestry sector and the rural economy.

The incumbent works under direct supervision of the Head of FACT. 

The Technical Officer also works in collaboration with the other specialists at headquarters and in DWT/CO teams.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide technical and policy support to the FACT unit in the areas of forestry and the rural economy.
• Undertake sectoral analyses to identify constituent decent work priorities and needs. Review previous impact assessments done on approaches and interventions to identify innovative practices and propose adaptations to best address the issue(s) identified.
• Contribute to the formulation of strategies and policies relevant to forestry and the rural economy, including providing technical inputs to components of ILO Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) as well as UN and other development cooperation frameworks, in response to the demand from Member States. Collect and compile data, statistics and other information that reflect the country decent work situation and ILO constituents’ key concerns and priorities.
• Provide technical support to ILO constituents and other relevant stakeholders pertaining to forestry and the rural economy with a view to promoting social justice and decent work. Respond to requests for information and guidance on forestry and the rural economy. Draft policy recommendations and provide support with follow-up actions, as and when appropriate.
• Undertake policy-oriented  research and analysis that takes into account gender and diversity considerations in the area(s) of forestry and the rural economy. Commission research, draft terms of reference for research consultants and monitor and coordinate their work.
• Identify and maintain up-to-date knowledge on emerging trends and policy developments on forestry and the rural economy.
• Draft and/or provide technical input into the development, peer review and editing of policy briefs, working papers, reports, publications and other knowledge products and contribute to their dissemination. Provide evidence-based technical content for social media, digital and other knowledge-sharing tools and platforms, with a view to reaching broad and diverse audiences.
• Synthesize and share good practices and lessons learned, taking into account complementarities with other technical areas of the ILO Decent Work Agenda.
• Participate in the identification of capacity development needs of constituents in relation to forestry and the rural economy  and make proposals on how to address them. Prepare related training and learning materials and activities in collaboration with the International Training Centre in Turin (ITC-ILO) and/or with other relevant partners as applicable. Deliver training to diverse audiences using innovative methods and communication tools and leveraging the use of digital technologies. Participate in knowledge sharing activities.
• Provide substantive inputs to the design, development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and technical backstopping activities of development cooperation projects. Draft programme and project documents, taking into account priorities on forestry and the rural economy and the need to position these within relevant cooperation frameworks.
• Support resource mobilization efforts for new projects and activities including by leveraging opportunities for collaboration with partners and proposing new initiatives/activities, in the field of forestry and the rural economy.
• Participate in national, regional, international and UN inter-agency and other stakeholder working groups, consultations and forums to engage with potential and existing partners to  present the ILO approach and share good practices on forestry and the rural economy and explain and promote the technical agendas .
• Organize, assist in and/or facilitate meetings and other events in the areas of forestry and the rural economy, including proposing agenda items, identifying participants, preparing technical materials, proposing facilitation techniques, preparing and delivering presentations, drafting summary reports and monitoring follow-up.
• Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required qualifications:

Education:

• Advanced level university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in economics, social science, law or other relevant field.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in one of the afore-mentioned field(s) or other relevant field with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the experience stated below, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least five years of experience in the field of economic and social development, employment and labour relations, rural development or forestry.

Languages:

• Excellent command of one working language (English, French, Spanish) of the Organization. A working knowledge of a second language would be an advantage.

Source: https://jobs.ilo.org/job/Geneva-Technical-Officer,-Forestry-Sector-and-the-Rural-Economy-1200/1181727601/