Water Management and Hydrology Specialist (2 positions)

Organizational Setting

This position is located in FAO Pakistan, based in Multan and Hyderabad, Pakistan. . The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes 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 in a sustainable manner.

FAO Pakistan under the Green Climate Fund is implementing a project called Transforming Indus Basin with Climate Resilient Agriculture and Water Management in Punjab and Sindh Provinces. The project aims to develop the country’s capacity to get and use the information it needs to cope with the impacts of climate change on agriculture and water management. The overall goal of the projects is to enhance the capacity of agricultural and pastoral sectors to cope with climate change, by up scaling farmers’ adoption of climate change adaptation technologies and practices through a network of already established Farmers Field Schools, and by mainstreaming climate change adaptation concerns and strategies into on-going agricultural development initiatives, policies and programming.

Modelling of climate change scenarios for Pakistan shows that if agriculture and water management in the Indus River Basin continue along a ‘business as usual’ pathway, increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation will pose serious threats to the future livelihoods of farmers and to the Pakistani agricultural sector. In response to this challenge, the project will help shift Pakistan and Indus Basin agriculture from its current situation of high vulnerability toward an alternative paradigm wherein better information and farming practices will significantly increase resilience to climate change. To do this, the project will develop the country’s capacity to get and use the information it needs to cope with the impacts of climate change on agriculture and water management by putting in place state-of-the art technology (Component 1); building farmers resilience to climate change through skills, knowledge and technology (Component 2), and creating a wider enabling environment for continuous adaptation and expanded sustainable uptake of climate-resilient approaches (Component 3).

Under Component 1, the project aims to establish an evapotranspiration-based water management system by developing and deploying an ET monitoring system, build capacity to manage the system, and strengthening the network of agrometeorological stations in the project area by upgrading and installing instruments. Also, by the end of the project, PMD, PCRWR and the Departments of Irrigation in both Punjab and Sindh staff should become able to operate the national agro-meteorological system independently and will be competent to continue to strengthen the agro-meteorological system in the basin and the whole county at large.

The incumbent will closely coordinate with international consultants working on water-related project activities and technical officer and support project activities related to water management, mainly under Component 1. The incumbent will work closely with all relevant national agencies and stakeholders. The project areas are Khanewal, Lodhran, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarah, Shanghar, Umer Kot and Badin Districts.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision and guidance of FAO Representative in Pakistan and direct supervision of the Technical Officer (Water Management), technical guidance of the project Technical Advisor and Lead Technical Officers, and in close coordination and consultation with governmental counterparts, implementation partners and the project’s other technical specialists, the incumbent will undertake the following activities:

Technical Focus

Ensure timely delivery of all activities related with

• Experiencing in selecting, installing, using flow sensors, water level sensors, and other sensors used in water resources management is desirable.
• Experience in water accounting or water resources/demand assessment in Pakistan and/or developing countries is desirable.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Review and compile relevant literature on land use, water resources, hydrology and agriculture in Indus basin (with detailed literature for the target area)
• Collect and compile relevant data and information on land use, water availability and use, agriculture, and climate for selected canals within the Indus Basin
• Identify the data gaps, collect additional data and carry out analysis for assessing canal flows and seasonal variability for core subprojects
• Assist international water accounting (WA) specialist in preliminary analysis of collected data and information for the selected basin/canals and in the execution of the WA training:
• Assist international WA specialist to determine the temporal and geographic scale(s) and site(s) of the WA
• Assist the international WA Consultant to determine key questions to be addressed through WA
• Suggest suitable sites for installing canal/drainage flow sensors, groundwater level sensors, and other measurement equipment related to hydrology and climate.
• Support five WA assessments (1 national, 2 provincial, and 2 canal command area scales). The contents of the supports provided from the incumbent depends on the roles assigned among WA team members by international WA specialist. However it may include
• Arrange WA team meetings and field visits
• Data (pre-)processing
• Data analysis using Excel and other specialized software, especially related to climate change
• Adjusting WA output in to a format that can be used in a data portal being developed under the project
• Closely coordinate with WA team members to ensure progress and also to monitor and report progress to international WA specialist
• Provide support in designing and estimating cost of subprojects;
• Propose to the international WA specialist specifications of water level sensors, and other instruments to be installed and estimate the cost.
• In consultation with the international WA Consultant and relevant stakeholders, preparing training plans (timing, venue, preparing participant list, etc) including the logistical arrangements to organize the WA training.
• Prepare short reports after the completion of each training event
• Within the present Terms of Reference, carry out other duties as requested by the FAOR, LTO and GCF Technical Adviser

The incumbent are expected to frequently travel to project areas (Khanewal, Lodhran, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarah, Shanghar, Umer Kot and Badin) and Islamabad.

Expected Outputs:

• Meetings with organizations and visits to sites where ground data is collected
• Meeting minutes and field visit reports
• Literature review report with excel file and a folder that include relevant data and information on land use, water availability and use, agriculture, and climate for selected canals within the Indus Basin. The report should also summarizes data gap
• Contribution to technical documents upon request by supervisor, international water accounting specialist, and international hydrogeology specialist
• Workshop report for workshops related to water accounting
• Support and contribute to the preparation of progress reports
• Participate in stakeholder or implementing Partners planning and progress review meeting.
• End-of-assignment report containing findings, conclusions and recommendations for the future

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in hydrology, meteorology, hydrometeorology, environmental sciences, environmental studies or closely related fields.
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive and relevant experience in water management.
• Experience in conducting water accounting
• National of Pakistan

Technical and Functional Skills

• Ability to plan and organize own work, deliver results and meet deadlines
• Excellent skills in writing and editing technical/scientific documents in English
• Experience in multi-stakeholder meetings and training events
• Excellent oral and written communication skill in English,
• Experience of engaging actively with key stakeholders

FAO Core Competencies

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

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/