National Specialist on Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Agrobiodiversity

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

FAO has secured funding from the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) to implement the project "Accelerating Agri-Food System Transformation in the Asia-Pacific Region through Promoting Biodiversity Mainstreaming and Traditional Knowledge on Nature-Positive Food Production" (TCP/RAS/4005). The project's goal is to strengthen institutional capacities and inform resource mobilization efforts toward biodiversity mainstreaming within and across agricultural sectors through enhanced national governance frameworks aligned with the specific needs and priorities of each participating country. Particularly, it is designed to support an in-depth analysis of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), targeting national contexts, identifying gaps, and proposing strategies for agrifood system transformation pathways. This approach ensures biodiversity mainstreaming in agricultural sectors based on diverse biophysical contexts and key agricultural sectors, benefiting Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

The main outputs of the project are\:

• National institutional capacities enhanced with tools and roadmap provided for mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors through national and/or sub-national governance frameworks, aligned with the objectives and targets of the KMGBF and agrifood system transformation pathways
• Capacities of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) participation, with a focus on youth and women, in biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural sectors enhanced
• Strategies for accessing sustainable finance for biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural sectors developed

For this purpose, FAO Sri Lanka is recruiting a National Specialist– Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Agrobiodiversity to conduct a national gap analysis and develop a roadmap for biodiversity mainstreaming through agroecological assessments and zoning. The consultant will focus on conserving seed genetic diversity of underutilized crops, minimizing harvest losses from wild animal attacks, mitigating human-animal conflicts, and promoting sustainable capture fisheries and aquaculture. Local consultations will be conducted to document biodiversity-friendly best practices, resulting in at least one knowledge product on traditional nature-positive production. Additionally, the consultant will produce an information brief or infographic on agrobiodiversity, highlighting sustainable utilization of underutilized crops, harvest loss mitigation, and collaboration with IPLCs.

Reporting Lines

The National Specialist– Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Agrobiodiversity will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes). He/she will work in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment, the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) team at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), and the Lead Technical Officer (LTO).

Technical Focus

• National gap analysis and development of a roadmap for biodiversity mainstreaming
• Knowledge products on agrobiodiversity, focusing on seed genetic diversity of underutilized crops, sustainable capture fisheries, and aquaculture
• Documentation of traditional practices for nature-positive production
• Promotion of sustainable utilization of nutrient-rich underutilized crops, minimizing harvest losses from wild animal attacks, and mitigating human-animal conflicts with IPLCs

Tasks and responsibilities

• Support the FAO Representative, the TCP team at the FAO RAP, and LTO to ensure the overall management of the TCP at the country level.
• Assist FAO to organize consultations with the government, FAO, and other counterparts to prioritize, supervise, and monitor the implementation of the country work plan and budget.
• Support the implementation of the TCP at the country level in collaboration with local consultants from the FAO country office staff and national consultants, as needed.
• Assist in coordinating relevant stakeholders at the country level to ensure effective communication and collaboration for the TCP.
• Provide stock-taking findings and policy recommendations and developing a roadmap for biodiversity mainstreaming in Sri Lanka based on agroecological assessments and zoning. This will focus particularly on the conservation of seed genetic diversity of underutilized crops and their sustainable use in an integrated landscape context, minimizing harvest losses due to wild animal attacks and mitigating human-animal conflicts, as well as promoting sustainability in capture fisheries and aquaculture.
• Work with the RAP regional LTO team to develop two knowledge products\:
1. A knowledge product (Video) on agrobiodiversity, with a focus on seed genetic diversity of underutilized crops and their sustainable use,
2. A knowledge product (Video) capture best practices of agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge on biodiversity-friendly agriculture practices, particularly focusing Kandyan home gardens.
• Support conducting workshops, meetings, round table discussions relevant to TCP.
• Collaborate closely with national consultation processes for the revision of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and the development of national targets.
• Support the organization of local consultations to capture biodiversity-friendly best practices from Sri Lanka.
• Work with the RAP biodiversity investment specialist (to be recruited) to develop a concept note for accessing financing based on the findings of the national gap analysis, local consultation results, and spatial zoning studies.
• Contribute to regional knowledge exchange in a timely manner.
• Support the National consultant - concept note preparation, to develop a concept note to access financing based on the findings of national gap analysis, with a focus on transforming agri-food systems to become nature positive, with special reference to conservation of biodiversity and resilient for climate change
• Support monitoring and reporting of progress and achievement of results and participate in technical discussions.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, or any other relevant subject.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in the fields of Agriculture, Environmental Science, and Natural Resource Management, with experience working on international donor-funded projects such as the GEF, Adaptation Fund, or the GCF, preferably in the Asian region.
• Working knowledge of English and in Sinhala and/or Tamil.
• National of Sri Lanka or resident in the country with a valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiarity with effective use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, Power Point).
• Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in developing technical reports - undertaking research, primary and secondary data collection, analysis and report writing.
• Ability to work/deliver independently with minimal supervision.

Selection Criteria

• Experience in working with government, regional and international development agencies.
• Extent and relevance of experience in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management
• Extent of experience in technical report writing.
• Experience in coordinating and liaising with industry, academia, national authorities, UN agencies, donors, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
• Familiarity with the UN System and /or development sector will be considered an asset.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

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 or have queries, please contact\: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, 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.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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