Rangeland Management Specialist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, help to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The following position is at SB4 SC8 level

Pakistan has been experiencing frequent natural disasters and non-coherent economic policies which has affected the overall economy specifically the agriculture sector and livelihood of the people. Outbreak of pandemic and locust attack has damaged agriculture crops and affected the food supply chain in Pakistan. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is supporting the Government of Pakistan at national and provincial levels through different analytical policy reports on food supply chain, food forecast livestock, forestry, fisheries and climate change. Similarly, a web-based data management system is under development for agriculture, food security and nutrition statistics in Pakistan. Through this system, support Government of Pakistan in monitoring food prices and supply chain through live dashboards will enable better planning and policy making.

There is currently a team of Value chain Specialist, Water Management Specialist, Engineers, agronomists, statisticians, economists and policy analysts working on different components to strengthen the food supply chain and enhance the food security in Pakistan. This position is located in FAO Pakistan, based in Quetta. FAO Pakistan seeks a qualified professional with a strong analytical and quantitative capacity to contribute in the “Revival of Balochistan Water Resources Program (RBWRP)” funded by EU. This experience will provide wide scope of work as outlined below:

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer and in close coordination with concerned FAO provincial teams, the Rangeland Management Specialist will perform the following tasks:

Technical Focus

Ensure timely delivery of all activities related to rangeland management in the (RBWRP)”.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Rangeland Management Specialist will be responsible for the following actions:

• Provide technical support to the FAO provincial teams with regards to rangeland management and in particular to the RBWRP; • Designing and implementation specific interventions for pasture preservation, production and reseeding technologies; • Support the review and analysis of the major rangeland related challenges in the selected River Basins of RBWRP; • Assist Forest Department in planning, identifying conservation opportunities, and developing conservation plans consistent with the needs of the land and the objectives of the project; • Support to build the capacity of educational and training institutions to provide relevant rangeland management training and education in Balochistan; • Collaborate effectively with Water Management Specialist to work for the application of improved and proven methods and techniques in rangelands for surface rainfall and water harvesting; • Develop conservation plans, assists in designing technical surveys, and performs work on rangeland rehabilitation in the target watersheds/River basins; • Identify and support the livestock farmers to practice rangeland resilience and management practices; • Support the provision of grants to finance community level initiatives contributing to revegetation of rangelands and grazing management including provision of vegetation manipulation, multipurpose tree planting and fodder crops and low-cost physical fencing in marked areas; • Design monitoring and surveying activities that may impact sensitive shrub and pasturelands; • Prepare technical briefs on scope of rangeland management techniques in selected project sites; • Take part in the project inception at the beginning of the project implementation; advise on the formulation of project implementation plan; • Liaise and coordinate with the project partners, concerned department on FAO rangeland interventions in the target districts; • Facilitate and participate in the training workshops on rangeland management techniques, and climate change; • Perform other related duties, as assigned by the supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in rangeland management, Forestry, Agriculture or any equitant education background. • 08 years’ of relevant experience; • Working knowledge of English and Urdu, knowledge of Balochi, Pashtu and other local languages used in province would be an asset; • National of Pakistan.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical Skills

• Technical experience in designing and implementation of pasture preservation, production and reseeding technologies; • Practical experience regarding rehabilitation of degraded rangelands; • Vast knowledge in innovative techniques for rain and flood water harvesting, groundwater management, etc. • Technical analytical skills and proposal formulation for various rangeland management interventions; • Experience working in establishment of Rangeland management committee/groups and training; • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable; • Experience working with cost estimations, validation and monitoring of different infrastructures.

Functional Skills

• Ability to operate effectively in a team, contributing positively to team operations and working relationships. • Knowledge of United Nations and International Organizations’ administrative policies and procedures. • Excellent drafting skills and analytical mind • Demonstrated ability to conduct research • Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English • Excellent interpersonal skills and to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment • Willingness to travel • Ability to work independently, with initiative and minimal supervision • Good knowledge of common administrative and financial rules and regulations • Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards • Willingness to display initiative and take responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and closely follow-up until successful outputs are achieved. • Willingness to continue to seek new, innovative and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work assigned. • Ability to identify and recommend remedial measures to address problems in systems design or implementation

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above.

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.