Technical Specialist (Forest-Positive Policy Analysis)

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• 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’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no-one behind. The main aim of the FAO Representation in Cambodia is to assist the Government 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.

The FAO Representation in Cambodia is implementing FAO’s Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2024-2028 as well as contributing to the development of United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024 – 2028 and providing technical assistance to the Government counterparts to develop relevant strategies and action plans. FAO Representation in Cambodia is implementing several projects and programmes under the six thematic areas, namely Food Systems, Agriculture Value Chains, One Health and Livestock Production, Fisheries, Forest, Land and Water, Data, Knowledge and Policy.

Under the Forest, Land, Water, Climate Change, and Climate Finance portfolio, FAO is implementing a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project titled “Strengthening Sustainable Forest Landscape Management and Commodity Production Decoupled from Deforestation in Agriculture-Forest Frontiers for People and Climate.”

The project focuses on Cambodia’s agriculture-forest frontier landscapes to reduce deforestation, enhance climate resilience, and improve rural livelihoods. It promotes forest-positive agricultural practices—such as agroforestry and sustainable commodity production—to support national commitments under Cambodia’s NDCs, REDD+ strategy, and NBSAP.

In response to emerging global deforestation-free supply chains, the initiative aims to promote sustainable production systems decoupled from deforestation in agriculture-forest frontier landscape. It also supports forest restoration and sustainable land-use planning, contributing to forest cover increases, emission reductions, and resilient market systems.

To support the above-mentioned project, a Technical (Forest-Positive Policy Analysis) will be recruited to coordinate with government focal points to map national land-use, agro-forestry tenure and commodity practices and conduct a gap analysis, to assess readiness for forest-positive and deforestation-free market alignment.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative to Cambodia, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), and Programme Advisor (Forest, Land and Water), with technical guidance from the Forestry officer (Hqs), the lead Technical Officer and project team and FAO Agriculture-Forest Nexus Team, the Technical Specialist (Forest-Positive Policy Analysis) will work closely with government focal points to map existing national instruments and practices related to agro-forestry land uses (including land use planning, land use governance instruments & decision-making and land formalization aspects) and commodity prioritized production. A gap analysis will then be conducted to assess the country’s readiness for forest-positive practices and its alignment with global deforestation-free international trends.

The Technical Specialist (Forest-Positive Policy Analysis) will be responsible for delivering the technical focus and tasks outlined below.

Technical Focus

The assignment focuses on mapping tenure in targeted areas, take stock of policy and institutional instruments that govern land-use decisions, tenure practices and commodity production in Cambodia, likely for cashew and other targeted commodities to be confirmed with government focal points. The analysis will evaluate the enabling environment for inclusive, climate-resilient production systems and due diligence compliance. Findings will be informed by national repositories, existing analysis, and stakeholder consultations. The objective is to provide actionable recommendations for improving land governance, land formalization and agro-forestry tenure practices while supporting deforestation-free commodity supply chains.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Technical Specialist (Forest-Positive Policy Analysis) will:
• Work Planning: develop a detailed work plan for the consultancy, including methodology, timeline, and stakeholder engagement approach.
• Policy and Institutional Mapping: Collect and assess relevant international, national policy, institutional, and local tenure related instruments & practices.
• Focus on instruments related to: (I) forest-positive and sustainable production systems (cashew, other targeted commodities to be confirmed etc..). (II) country’s readiness in deforestation free -based instruments, focusing on land tenure considerations.
• Complement desk research with national repositories, past assessments, and key stakeholder interviews.
• Compliance and Verification Analysis
• Map responsible institutional entities.
• Assess availability of data, documents, and systems to support due diligence.
• Take stock of traceability efforts and systems for the targeted commodities.
• Gap Analysis & Solutions
• Identify key tenure, policy and institutional gaps, overlaps, and challenges targeting agricultural and community forestry land practices.
• Propose actionable short- and medium-term solutions to strengthen the enabling environment & policy coherence.
• Drafting of Policy Gap Assessment Report
• Prepare Detailed Report Outline: Collaborate with NFO to develop a structured outline guiding the drafting of the policy report.
• Draft Policy Report: Summarize key findings from the analysis, including recommendations to promote positive commodity production and deforestation-free practices.
• Consultation and Validation Process
• Organize and facilitate a validation meeting with key stakeholders.
• Present findings and gather technical inputs.
• Revise and finalize the report based on feedback.
• Perform related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in forestry, agriculture policy, tenure, economics or related matters
• At least 5 years of professional experience in a relevant field related to environmental, agriculture-forestry nexus and tenure, natural resources and/or forestry policy in Cambodia
• Good knowledge of the international context related to forests, and of the major international and regional environmental instruments
• Working knowledge of English
• National of Cambodia

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Demonstrated capacities to draft texts/reports
• Very good sense of organization and ability to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to prioritize tasks
• Ability to work in a harmonious and effective way in a multicultural team
• Ability to work closely with national institutions and governmental entities

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• 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.

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

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

• 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/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.
• 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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