Regional Advisor on Sustainable Development, Food Security Issues

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 125,630 USD and 161,973 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is in Cluster 1: 'Climate change and natural resource sustainability' of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA - unescwa.org). Cluster 1 acts as a pioneer and multi-stakeholder regional platform for deliberation, consensus-building, peer learning, and policy solutions to address the challenges of climate change, water scarcity and energy inefficiency that impede sustainable development in the Arab region. The Regional Advisor on Sustainable Development, Food Security Issues reports to the Cluster Lead and works in close collaboration with the Deputy Executive Secretary for Programme Support.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Regional Advisor on Sustainable Development, Food Security Issues will be responsible for the following duties:

1.Provide policy advice and technical support to ESCWA Member States on food security in ESCWA member countries through mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into national agricultural and environmental strategies and programmes, with a focus on fostering the implementation of SDGs in general taking into consideration the socio-economic conditions, gender mainstreaming and poverty reduction dimensions.. 2.Undertake missions to member states in response to requests and provide recommendations to such requests (including policy briefs, technical reports, training and resource material on sustainable agriculture, food security, climate change and its impact on food production, food loss and waste); 3.Performs consulting assignments, in collaboration with clients, (e.g. Member States), by planning and facilitating workshops on environmental sustainability and implementation of related SDGS issues , through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing action plans clients will use to manage change. 4.Researches, analyzes food security, Sustainable Consumption and Production, fighting desertification and other environmental sustainability related issues and presents information gathered from diverse sources. 5.Develops draft policy recommendations on resilience of the agricultural sector, monitoring food security, good agricultural practices, and enhancing coordination between agriculture and water sectors issues, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies, 6.Formulates survey initiatives; designs data collection tools; reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares relevant recommendations. 7.Organizes and prepares written outputs on best practices in sustainable land management and agriculture resilience issues, e.g. draft background papers, anlyses. 8.Provides substantive backstopping to capacity building meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations on sustainable development issues. 9.Initiates and coordinates outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities. 10.Leads and/or participates in large, complex field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc. 11.Prepares speeches and other inputs for presentations by senior staff on sustainable development issues. 12.Designs, and monitors the implementation of capacity building projects on Food security and environmental sustainability issues 13.Performs other duties as required.

Competencies •Professionalism: Ability to apply sustainable development theories, concepts and approaches. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic resources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. •Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. •Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in agriculture, food sciences, food security, water or environment or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Work Experience A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in agriculture, food security, sustainable development particularly on topics related to planning for sustainable agriculture and food security at the national/international level is required; At least two years of experience in providing technical and advisory services for governments; and experience in coordination, and networking at the regional and international level is required. Demonstrated experience working with Arab States is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Arabic is also a working language of ESCWA. For this post, fluency in English is required. Fluency in Arabic is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

Note: "Fluency" equals a rating of 'fluent' in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of 'confident' in two of the four areas.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice - This position is temporarily available until 31 December 2020. Extension of the appointment is subject to availability of funds, extension of the mandate, continued need for services, and satisfactory performance.

• If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

•Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.