Programme Officer (Forest Monitoring)

Organizational Setting

The Forestry Division (NFO) leads FAO's work in promoting sustainable forest management and providing leadership on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of forestry, including contributions of forests and trees to poverty reduction and food security and nutrition. Staff of the Division liaise with Members, civil society and the private sector in aspects ranging from development of effective forest policies to forest conservation and management issues and strengthening the role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Division also collects, analyses and disseminates information on the world's forest resources and on the production, trade and consumption of wood and non-wood forest products.

The Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms (FMDP) Team of the Forestry Division supports Members on all aspects of forest monitoring to provide reliable information for forest and land use related policy development, planning, sustainable management and for satisfying international reporting requirements under the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, and the CBD's Global Biodiversity Framework. The Team also supports countries on technical issues related to National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS), the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Restoration Monitoring, the development of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) with environmental integrity and eligibility and monitoring requirements for forest finance initiatives such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF). The team also develops and maintains Open Foris and SEPAL platforms (Digital Public Goods for forest and land use monitoring). It works closely with the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) team. The work of the team supports implementation of Programme Priority Areas for a better environment under the FAO Strategic Framework.

The position is located in the Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms Team of the Forestry Division (NFO) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

The Programme Officer (Forest Monitoring) reports to the Senior Forestry Officer/Team Leader of the Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms Team, under the overall guidance of the Deputy Director, NFO.

Technical Focus

The Programme Officer (Forest Monitoring) provides support to projects and programmes implemented by the Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms Team.

Key Results

Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate assigned programmes/projects.

Key Functions

•          Carries out basic research on selected aspects of programmes, operations and other activities; collects, analyses and presents statistical data and other information gathered from diverse sources.
•          Provides substantive support for policy coordination and evaluation functions, including the review and analysis of emerging development issues and trends, participation in impact evaluation or equivalent studies.
•          Participates in survey initiatives; supports data collection, reviews, analyses and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares preliminary conclusions.
•          Contributes to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications.
•          Undertakes outreach activities; participates in the development of training workshops, seminars; participates in and makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.
•          Participates in field missions, including provision of substantive and administrative support, data collection, etc.
•          Monitors activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements) and preparation of related documents/reports (work programme, programme budget.), as necessary.

 Specific Functions

•          Supports monitoring and evaluation of forest monitoring project implementation including the design of indicators and means of verification, the collection of data to track and report progress, and support to internal and external project evaluations.
•          Develops team wide guidance on measuring and reporting the implementation of forest monitoring technical assistance with standardized pre-and post-training assessments and surveys.
•          Supports project and programme compliance with FAO internal procedures.
•          Supports project and programme donor reporting, including the organization and implementation of Steering Committee meetings, and the compilation of progress reports and presentations.
•          Supports delivery of forest monitoring projects and programmes, through structured work planning and monitoring progress.
•          Supports the design and delivery of Letters of Agreement.
•          Supports resource mobilization efforts through programme/project formulation.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•          Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration or public administration, social science, political science or a related field.
•          Three years of relevant experience in project or programme management, administration or related area.
•          Working knowledge (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.
•          Extent and relevance of experience in programme/project work planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
•          Extent and relevance of experience in the field of administration, human resources and finance.
•          Extent of knowledge of forest monitoring, and delivery of forest monitoring projects and programmes.
•          Understanding of FAO policies and programmes is considered a strong asset.