National Specialist on Land Tenure

Organizational Setting

The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has requested FAO to support the conceptual development and provide technical expertise for the development of “Smart Village” pilot implementation to provide capacity development activities to the newly re-settled community members to re-build their existing capacities for smooth integration/adoption to the rural environment/economy, as well as to learn from, share experiences, and establish linkages with a network of international smart villages.

In this regard, FAO launched new TCP project for technical support and provision of capacity development for the rural population on community development planning practices, as well as demonstrate examples of innovative approaches and best practices through exploring economic initiatives in a participatory way (production units that are planned to be established, agri-food sectors to be promoted, and opportunities for green/digital rural business development).

Subsequently, the project will provide support to the decision makers, planners and local authorities of the “Smart Village” initiative through provision of advice as well as relevant information materials on a variety of thematic areas, from digital agriculture to climate smart technology and practices, land conservation.

Reporting Lines

The National Specialist on Land tenure will work under the overall supervision of FAOR, the programmatic supervision of AFAOR, the direct supervision of the Lead Technical Officer, in close collaboration with the National Programme/Operations Specialist and the project team.

Technical Focus

The National Specialist on Land tenure shall assess and integrate land tenure issues into the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Specialist on Land tenure is expected to: • Collaborate closely with the FAO project team and relevant experts from the MoA; • Review state policies, legislation and institutional arrangements related to land tenure (stock-taking) as relevant for the pilot community, including the land administration system, land tenure security, land use and land tenure arrangements in place in the pilot area. • Review the reports of relevant projects (international and national) on land reform and land allocation in the pilot region. • Provide practical recommendations related to land tenure security, land reform and land allocation in the target area and ensure their integration with the community development planning. • Contribute to policy recommendations related to land tenure security, land reform and land allocation in the target area.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree (preferably master’s degree) in Land use planning, Cadastre, Land tenure, or other related fields • At least 5 years of professional experience in Land use planning, Cadastre, Land tenure, or other related fields • Working language in English and Azerbaijani is required. • National of Azerbaijan or a resident with a valid work permit

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous experience in land use management and land ownership • Strong understanding of the national policy and legislation on land tenure • Ability to adopt new ideas • Commitment to participatory and bottom-up approaches • Ability to communicate, including advocating to government agencies • Ability to complete tasks in a timely, cost-effective way and/or escalated properly.