Manager, The Forest and Farm Facility

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, for Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life, leaving no one behind.

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) is a partnership between FAO, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and AgriCord, managed within the Forestry Division of FAO in Rome. FFF is a proven delivery mechanism to sustain Climate Resilient Landscapes and Improved Livelihoods at a very practical level through support to governments and forest and farm producer organizations in countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The FFF empowers Forest and Farm Producer Organizations (FFPOs), with special focus on gender equality, indigenous peoples and youth, to achieve four interconnected outcomes: increase their linkage and participation in policy advocacy; improve their technical and business capacities to develop enterprises and to access finance in order to achieve sustainable livelihoods; develop technical and organizational solutions which both mitigate and help their adaptation to climate change in their own landscapes; and provide better social and cultural services to their Members.

Information about the programme can be found at http://www.fao.org/forest-farm-facility/en/.

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) is located in the Forestry Division (NFO) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

The Manager of the Forest and Farm Facility reports to the Director, NFO, under guidance from the Donor Support Group and Steering Committee of the Facility.

Summary of Duties and Functions

The Manager, Forest and Farm Facility, will be responsible for the overall management of the programme. In particular, he/she will:

• Provide the intellectual leadership and strategic vision of the Forest and Farm Facility and be responsible for the management of operations and the supervision of staff;
• Assure the achievement of the impact, outcomes and outputs and programme objectives, contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and monitor learning and progress;
• Be responsible for budget management of the trust fund/s and accountable to the donors, including the provision of technical and financial reports to the Steering Committee and the Donor Support Group on an annual basis;
• Promote the Forest and Farm Facility and the role of Forest and Farm Producer Organizations at all levels (local, national, regional and global), with partners and donors with a view to expanding the programme and mobilizing additional resources for this purpose;
• Enhance innovation, communications and knowledge generation;
• Collaborate closely and build partnerships internally within FAO with other forestry teams, the relevant Programme Priority Areas of the Strategic Framework 2022-2031, and other divisions, offices and centres across FAO, to develop more integrated approaches; and strengthen ties to external partners and networks;
• Promote a culture of transparency, respect, gender equality and trust within the team.

Minimum requirements:

• Advanced university degree in forestry or a related field of study, preferably with emphasis on community forestry/agroforestry producer organizations, small-scale enterprise development and/or policy;
• Minimum twelve years of relevant experience in the forestry and rural development sector including broad international country level experience in and including capacity development for forest and farm producer organizations, landscape approaches, inclusive of value chains, poverty reduction and cross-sectoral policy coordination. Experience in working on gender equality, youth engagement and with Indigenous Peoples would be an asset;
• Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory skills and a strong sense of responsibility;
• Experience with management of international programmes, including resource mobilization, partnerships and processes related to development cooperation in forest/natural resources and climate change sectors;
• Ability to develop and maintain professional contacts with government officials and international organizations;
• Well-developed communication and analytical skills;
• Demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively with a diverse team of people of different national and cultural backgrounds in an international setting;
• Working knowledge of English and a limited knowledge of one of the other FAO official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).