National Consultant on Soil Rehabilitation and Management

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programs, 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 sustainably. The post is located in the FAO Representation in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran) and the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad (MAJ). All FAO-Iran employees shall follow the UN workweek (from Sunday to Thursday) and holiday schedule.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will perform his/her tasks and duties under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative to the I.R. Iran, direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme), in close coordination with the Project Officer, technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer, in close contact with the other FAO colleagues and in collaboration with the Department of Water and Soil of the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad.

Technical Focus

The National Soil Rehabilitation and Management Consultant provides technical expertise and support to implementation, operation, and capacity development of the soil-related technical concerns of the project associated with climate change in close collaboration with the Project Officer and the national stakeholders.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will perform the following tasks and duties:

1. Review available strategies, institutional mechanisms, requirements of the Government of Iran (GoI) and existing capacities related to the soil rehabilitation and management in the country;
2. Perform baseline assessment of soil resources and soil management in each province with a focus on how the systems cope with climate and disaster risks;
3. Review TOR and technical specifications, manage the soil examinations and analyse results;
4. In collaboration with the FAO team, assess climate change and climate related hazards impact and vulnerability on soil resources in each province including the impacts and lessons learned from the past floods and droughts;
5. Draft strategy for climate and disaster (flood and drought) resilient soil rehabilitation and sustainable management for each province, working closely with the FAO team to adopt multi-hazard and integrated (soil, water, agriculture) approaches;
6. Identify and document climate and disaster (flood and drought) resilient soil management practices, drawing on FAO tested technologies and practices such as soil salinity management, dryland agriculture, etc.;
7. Develop related training materials for climate and disaster resilient and sustainable soil rehabilitation and management;
8. Contribute to the design and implementation of project trainings;
9. In collaboration with the water resources/irrigation and DRM/CCA institutional consultants, identify the pilot sites in the 4 target provinces and design of pilot interventions
10. Lead the soil related pilot interventions implementation, including coaching to local authorities, monitoring and documenting results and lessons learned
11. Contribute to the development of strategic frameworks and reports mentioned in the project document including the final report on soil rehabilitation and management;
12. Perform other tasks assigned by the FAO Representative to I.R. Iran.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in soil science, ecology, and conservation or a related field as appropriate for the specific profile.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in sustainable monitoring, rehabilitation, and management of soil resources.
• National of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Proven communications skills and fluent in English and Persian.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge and familiarity with institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks of national entities engaged in soil preservation, rehabilitation, and management.
• Ability to interact tactfully and effectively with multiple institutional actors in diverse sectors and at diverse levels, to communicate messages and to promote dialogue.
• Experience in design and implementation of soil survey/examinations.
• Experience in developing strategies and plans in the area of technical expertise.
• Experience in capacity needs assessment and design and delivery of trainings/capacity building programmes including hands-on coaching.
• Experience in implementing sustainable soil rehabilitation and management projects with due considerations of climate change and disaster impacts.
• Proven capacity to conduct fieldwork and the ability to work in teams and establish working relationships central and local government institutions and civil society organizations.

• Good command of computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet).

• Knowledge and experience of climate change issues in soil management

• Excellent knowledge of and working experience with government institutions at all levels.
• Capacity to draft concise and strategic documents.