Forestry Specialist

Organizational Setting

The objective of the project “Reversing Desertification Process in Susceptible Areas of Brazil: Sustainable Agroforestry Practices and Biodiversity Conservation (REDESER) is to interrupt and reverse the desertification process through actions to address the increasingly strong causes of soil degradation and biodiversity loss in Areas Susceptible to Desertification (ASD) with focused actions, but not restricted to the areas of the States of Bahia, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará and Alagoas.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent reports to the Assistant Representative in FAO Brazil -– Programme.

Technical Focus

The Project’s actions are structured in five complementary components, namely:
1) Promote the Integrated Management of Natural Resources in productive landscapes of ASD; 2) Promote multiple-use forest management through the adoption and expansion of Sustainable Forest Management among family farmers in ASD; 3) Forest and Landscape Restoration, in order to contribute to the economies of communities and the maintenance of biodiversity; 4) Knowledge Management, capacity development and awareness aimed at communities and institutions involved in environmental licensing processes, and; 5) Coordination with other institutions, monitoring and evaluation.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Data Gathering of information on actions, projects and forest restoration programs of the Redeser project and other partners, in the project regions.
• Analyze the information about forest restoration initiatives in the project area, checking the impact on the goals and expected results of Redeser project.
• Propose the methodology for analyzing and monitoring restoration actions for the Redeser project.
• Present a project “exit” strategy for component 3 of the project.
• Monitor the co-financing budgets and potential synergistic actions for component 3.
• Contribute to the implementation of the project’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system, including support for the preparation of the Semiannual Project Progress Report (PPRs) and the Annual Project Implementation Review (PIR).
• Support the Project Technical Coordinator in preparing technical reports, planning, and monitoring evaluation missions, when requested.
• Support FAO Brazil in initiatives on forest management and restoration, when requested.
• Carry out field supervision visits and advise technical staff of project partners.
• Support and monitor the hiring selection/bidding process, definition of technical requirements and stages of the bidding process within its competence, in accordance with FAO standards and guidelines.
• Coordinate and record meetings, when requested.
• Availability for fieldwork and travel.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING:

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree Forestry Engineering, Biology, Agronomy, or related areas.
• At least 5 years of experience working on projects/activities related to forestry and landscape restoration.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Portuguese.
• Brazilian Nationality.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Spanish language
• Experience in environmental projects and integrated management of natural resources
• Experience in forest restoration and forest management.
• Work experience in the Brazilian northeast and specifically in the Caatinga Biome.
• Experience in implementing nurseries and managing seeds and seedlings.
• Work experience in international cooperation projects.
• Experience in project management and monitoring.
• Desirable experience in implementing projects with multi-stakeholder

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION