Technical Expert for projects in the Land and Water programme

Organizational Setting

The FAO Sub-Regional office for West Africa (SFW) responsible for developing, promoting and implementing FAO agreed strategies to help countries and sub-regional organizations address food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development priorities in West Africa. The Office has a multidisciplinary team of technical experts, in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, land and water, and pastoralism, who provide technical support to the 15 member countries of ECOWAS in their fight against poverty and the promotion of food and nutritional security; as well as to a wider 17 member countries of the Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) in strengthening the resilience of the Sahel countries.

There is growing international recognition that the agricultural sectors (including crops, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture and livestock) play a central role in responding to climate change, as these sectors are among the foremost priorities in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by African countries under the UNFCCC. In this regard, SFW Strategy has as one of its priority areas “Sustainable Management of the Environment and Natural Resources (SMENR)” that intends to support countries address issues related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, the preservation of biodiversity, and the collection, management and sharing on the environment and natural resources data in the sub-region.

SFW is increasingly receiving requests from countries in West Africa for providing technical support in the development of concept notes and project proposals to key environmental donors (GCF and GEF and Adaptation Fund) as well as their implementation. As an accredited agency to the GEF, GCF and Adaptation Fund, FAO intends to expand its portfolio to assist countries in fulfilling their ambitions on climate action, notably, with UNFCCC, as well as the NDCs in the Paris Agreement.

The portfolio of SFW comprises more than 60 projects funded by GEF. To succeed in the engagement with countries and the Secretariat of GEF, the FAO intends to strengthen its climate team at SFW.

FAO SFW Multidisciplinary Team and Call purpose

The purpose of this call is to provide FAO’s Sub-Regional Office for West Africa and its country offices with qualified technical experts to be part of multidisciplinary team, to enhance FAO’s support to the design and implementation of projects related to the Land and water fields in the sub-region, with a particular focus on GEF, Adaptation Fund and GCF.

The recruited technical experts will be based at SFW office (Dakar, Senegal), required to travel for field missions in respective countries of intervention and where relevant.

Reporting Lines

The Technical Expert will work under the overall guidance of the Senior Policy Officer at SFW and the technical supervision of the Land and Water Officer at SFW, and in close collaboration with projects implementation teams at country level.

Technical Focus

Strengthen the implementation oversight of GEF and GCF projects by supporting SFW in the provision of technical support to the countries offices in the Environment field, particularly on land and water-related initiatives.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Engage with projects teams, as well as related country offices, and provide them with additional technical support to enhance the Implementation of the assigned projects, particularly on land and water.
• Provide technical support / analysis to various assessments, studies and initiatives and provides technical backstopping to GEF field projects;
• Collaborate in the development of improved / updated tools, systems, processes, and databases;
• Participate on multi-disciplinary teams, on working groups and committees and promotes best practices;
• Contribute to the collection and promotion of knowledge sharing and best practices and influences partners in stakeholder consultations;
• Undertake field trip to supervise the projects implementation and technically support the project management unit
• Ensure the 1st technical review of projects documents and provide advice on needed improvements.
• Perform other relevant duties as required

Candidates will be assessed against the following.

Minimum Requirements

FAO Core Competencies

Technical / Functional Skills

Selection Criteria

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

Additional information

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

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

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 /

For more information, visit the FAO employment website

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.