Technical Officer (Global Environment Facility - GEF)

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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 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

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a global funding mechanism for a number of UN agreements. FAO supports eligible countries to access resources managed by the GEF Secretariat, including the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and soon the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, by supporting project identification, development and implementation funded by these funds (collectively called 'GEF projects').

FAO's Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) assists Member Nations in identifying and developing sound responses to the global environmental challenges such as human induced climate change, biodiversity loss, land and water degradation, poor management of shared aquatic and marine resources (international waters) and improper use and/or poor management of chemicals and waste. OCB hosts the FAO-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coordination Unit.

FAO's Coordination Unit for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) supports governments, civil society and FAO Decentralized Offices to conceptualize, develop and deliver strategic GEF co-financed investments. FAO-GEF's work focusses on the critical nexus between global environmental issues and sustainable agrifood systems. FAO's GEF portfolio encompasses the range of investment priorities across GEF's priority areas of work, including biodiversity, climate change (mitigation and adaptation), land degradation, chemicals and wasteas well as international waters, increasingly in the integrated programming space of the GEF such as Food Systems, Ecosystem Restoration or Critical Forest Biomes.

FAO's Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC) helps Member Nations in the region to address the critical challenges in ending hunger and ensuring sustainable and resilient food systems across the region. RLC provides programmatic and technical support to its network of country offices across the region. The GEF portfolio in RLC is one of FAO's largest regional portfolios, with 42 projects across 22 countries.

The post is located in the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC) in Santiago, Chile.

Reporting Lines

The Technical Officer (GEF) reports to the Policy Officer (Climate Change Finance Specialist) in RLC and the Technical Officer (Natural Resources - GEF)/Regional Lead for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and the Environment (OCB)/GEF Unit at FAO headquarters.

Technical Focus

Identification, design, implementation support and monitoring of FAO-GEF projects and programmes and those of other environmental financing mechanisms. This comprises strategic and policy work, with a focus on the nexus between global environmental challenges and sustainable agriculture, including climate change and resilience, land, water, fisheries, forestry, biological diversity and other environmental services.

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; provides technical backstopping to field projects.
• Collaborates in the development of improved/updated tools, systems, processes and databases.
• Participates in multidisciplinary teams and/or leads working groups/teams; collaborates with other Divisions/Offices/Centres and promotes best practices.
• Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development activities within Member Nations such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events, including preparation of related information, learning materials and 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 Strategic Framework.

Specific Functions

• Supports the multidisciplinary teams in assisting governments, Decentralized Offices (DO) and Lead Technical Officers (LTOs) in the identification and formulation of natural resources and environmental management projects for financing by the GEF Trust Fund, Biodiversity Fund, LDCF and SCCF.
• Provides GEF technical assistance and project design guidance to DO and LTOs in the identification, development and implementation of natural resource/environmental project proposals that address country priorities and FAO and GEF strategic and programme priorities.
• Keeps abreast of new developments and requirements in GEF Programming Directions and GEF policy and FAO's engagement therein.
• Provides quality control at all stages of the GEF project cycle in line with GEF eligibility criteria and alignment with GEF Programming Directions and FAO-GEF policy guidance.
• Supports the preparation and approval of project proposals and provides contributions for the drafting of proposals.
• Monitors FAO-GEF portfolio and participates in the implementation of assigned projects, makes recommendations for improvement, and assists in the preparation of the annual Project Implementation Reviews (PIR) and other reports as needed.
• Supports the preparation of management responses ensuing from evaluations and providing DOs and LTOs oversight to their implementation.
• Delivers capacity development activities to FAO colleagues and partners on the strategies, priorities and procedures, and trends related to GEF.
• Supports the definition of priority areas and develops programmatic approaches in the region, based on the results of the Regional Conferences.
• Contributes to knowledge management, including fostering cross-project learning between countries, identifies best practices, supports systematization of FAO's contribution to GEBs (Global Environmental Benefits); ensures communication and visibility for policy advocacy.
• Supports the Regional Office to improve relationships with GEF Operational Focal Points and strengthens inter-sectoral dialogue, coordination and collaboration between all relevant sectors, including ministries of environment, agriculture, finance and planning.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agriculture, forestry, fisheries or natural resources management or related biological sciences.
• Five years of relevant experience in natural resources management, including in biodiversity and genetic resources for food and agriculture management.
• Working knowledge (full proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official 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.
• Relevant experience in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, climate change, energy, land, water, forest or fisheries management, including GEF project and programme preparation.
• Demonstrated capacity to write technical reports and ability to analyse and integrate diverse information from various sources.
• Extent and relevance of experience in preparation of projects and programmatic approaches (particularly GEF projects and programmes) and in results-based monitoring and supervision of multidisciplinary projects.
• Extent and relevance of experience in one or more of the GEF focal areas (biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, chemicals and waste) that in turn is relevant to FAO's priorities and comparative advantages.
• Extent and relevance of experience in providing technical assistance to project proponents at national, subregional and regional levels with regard to project development, results-based management, implementation support and its modalities monitoring and evaluation planning, and monitoring for project impact.
• Relevance of experience in Latin America region would be an asset.
• Knowledge of FAO's project approval processes and Field Project Monitoring and Information System (FPMIS) would be an asset.
• Working knowledge (full proficiency - level C) of Spanish is a strong asset.