Communication and Research Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved the Government of India’s GEF6 Green-Ag. The project is titled, “Green-Ag: Transforming Indian agriculture for global environmental benefits and the conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes”.

Therefore, the project objective is to catalyze transformative change for India’s agricultural sector to support the achievement of national and global environmental benefits and conserve critical biodiversity and forest landscapes. The project is organized around two components. The first component strengthens the enabling framework and institutional structures to mainstream biodiversity (BD), sustainable land management (SLM), climate change mitigation (CCM) and sustainable forest management (SFM) policies, priorities and practices in India’s agricultural sector. The second component demonstrates replicable “Improved agricultural and conservation practices” for sustainable production, resilient livelihood advancements, habitat improvements, and delivery of tangible BD, LD, CCM, and SFM benefits.

The project works at the national, state and pilot site levels. The project’s five demonstration states are i) Madhya Pradesh, ii) Mizoram, iii) Odisha, iv) Rajasthan and v) Uttarakhand. Site-level project effort focuses upon high conservation priority landscapes (e.g. protected areas) within each of these states.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in India and direct supervision of the Project Director, Green-Ag Project, the Communication and Research Specialist will undertake the following duties.

Technical Focus

Research, and communications and media.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Prepare a detailed knowledge management framework to document lessons learnt from the Green Agriculture project; • Document and disseminate lessons learnt, including case studies (both project and other relevant experiences) and findings from Green landscape monitoring • Research and assist in preparing, editing and review of case studies, research reports, briefing notes, policy papers, and other materials as required; • Review literature on poverty, rural livelihood and other relevant topics; • Guide state level communication officers, including providing training, mentoring and on-site monitoring; and • Coordinate plan, and organise relevant advocacy events and develop communication products; • Coordinate media presence and visibility (all types) of relevant project initiatives; • Support with inputs on review and update relevant content for project websites and country office website; • Document and disseminate lessons learnt, including case studies (both project and other relevant experiences) and findings from Green landscape impact monitoring; • Prepare periodic updates to National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) members on project progress in the Green Landscape within the state. • Facilitate knowledge sharing between relevant project states and other stakeholders nationally and internationally, through dissemination of information using existing government portals as well as through organization of special seminars, workshops, events, and audio-visual material; • Coordinate publication of relevant posters, articles, and reports in English and relevant State languages; and • Other duties as required • Liaise with the Office of Communication (OCC), either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes. • All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:

FAOSTYLE (English: https://www.fao.org/3/cb8081en/cb8081en.pdf; French: https://www.fao.org/3/AC339FR/ac339fr.pdf; Spanish: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339s/ac339s.pdf; Arabic: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339a/ac339a.pdf; Chinese: https://www.fao.org/3/ac339c/ac339c.pdf); FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm; FAO Names Of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en; Story guidelines http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/UPDATED-Digital-Storytelling-Guide-EN-FINAL.pdf; Story template http://intranet.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/occ/Quick_Guides/FAO-Stories-Template-UPDATED.pdf; UN map standards (available to staff); FAO Brand and policy book (available to staff). Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Master Level degree in Social Science, Journalism, communications, Public relations or related fields. • At least three years of relevant experience in interdisciplinary research and in developing media and communication material, especially relevant for web publishing, information management and hypermedia applications in relevant development sector with responsibilities as described above. • Working knowledge of English. • National of India.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in preparing press releases, op-eds, news articles, interviews and advocacy messages for relevant media houses and outlets, including publishing, newspaper, online news, radio and television mediums. • Excellent communication, reporting and presentation skills in English (both written and spoken). • Experience in Web content management, Photoshop software and tools related to web and desktop publishing. • Experience with photography and photo editing; and knowledge of photo editing software is an advantage. • Experience and skill in managing social media accounts, will be an asset. • Ability to work efficiently with minimal direct supervision and to coordinate and supervise the communication and information outputs of the State Project Offices. • Ability to produce high quality reports and publications. • Ability to handle stress and meet deadlines. • Experience of working with UN agencies and familiarity with UN rules and regulations is an asset. • Ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams is essential.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• 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 additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.