Organizational Setting

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. The main aim of the FAO Representation in Cambodia is to assist government to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

FAO is providing the technical support through Technical Cooperation Programme Project entitled “Unlocking opportunities for agriculture and forestry sectors development and transformation”. One of the outputs of the development of the forest industry strategy for production forest developed through participatory stakeholder coordination and engagement.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR), the Technical Specialist (Forest Industry) reports to the FAOR in Cambodia and works under the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) at the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and in cooperation with the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and the operational guidance of the Operations Officer of FAO Cambodia, and in collaboration with all FACMB staff and governmental counterparts.

Technical Focus

The Technical Specialist (Forest Industry) will support the development of Cambodia’s forest industry strategy for production forests, working closely with the Team Leader. The incumbent will support technical analyses of forestry policies and wood value chains, including demand and supply assessments for timber and fuelwood, market trends for certified wood products, and wood product import and export flows. The work will involve developing user-friendly economic and financial models to assess market prices, carbon credit values, and investment opportunities for private sector engagement. The incumbent will also conduct a gap analysis of the Production Forest Strategic Plan to identify bottlenecks in wood supply and processing capacity and facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations to update the strategy in line with current and future market needs.

Tasks and responsibilities

Demand and Supply analysis:

•     Collect data on wood product consumption and production from wood processing factories, industries using wood as energy, households, and small-scale industries.
•     Collect import and export data for all wood products.
•     Assess market demand for certified wood products.
•     Collaborate with the Team Leader to develop a wood products flow chart for Cambodia's wood industry.
•     Support the organization of stakeholder consultations to develop supply scenarios.

Economic and Financial Modelling:

•     Collect data on market prices for key wood products and carbon credits.

Production Forest Strategic Plan Update:

•     Conduct a gap analysis to identify where demand exceeds supply or where the supply chain lacks processing capacity or wood supply.
•     Identify challenges and opportunities for private sector investment in production forests and wood processing.
•     Evaluate the gaps in the current Production Forest Strategic Plan to address these challenges and opportunities.
•     Support the organization of stakeholder consultations to gather private sector perspectives on current challenges and opportunities.
•     Collect feedback on proposed updates to align the Production Forest Strategic Plan with the sector’s needs.
•     Perform related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements   

•     Advanced university degree in Forestry Science, Forest Economics, Environmental Science, or a related field.
•     Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in policy-related work, with substantial experience in sustainable forest management, forest industry development, and investment modelling for the forest industry in developing and least-developed countries.
•     Working knowledge of English (level C)
•     National of Cambodia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core 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.
•     Relevance and extent of experience in technical cooperation related activities, policy advice and analysis
•     Extent and relevance of experience in one or more of the following areas: in developing business cases and investment plans for the forestry sector.
•     Relevance and extent of experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams.
•     Ability to plan and organize own work, deliver results and meet deadlines.
•     Experience in working and/or coordinating with governmental organizations, the private sector, NGOs and other partners.
•     Extent and relevance of experience in the preparation and revision of technical/scientific documents and in organizing forums, workshops and trainings events.
•     Ability to write clear and concise technical documents. Leading, engaging, empowering and an excellent team player.
•     Experience in quantitative statistical analyses and methodological research in Forestry statistics.
•     Familiarity in using statistical software, especially Excel, R, Stata, SPSS, SAS or similar (preferably open-source) software.

Selection Criteria

•     Deep understanding of the forestry and wood industry sector, legal frameworks, and investment climate;
•     Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.