Forest Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Specialist

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 a better production better nutrition a better environment and a better life leaving no one behind.

The Forestry Division (NFO) leads FAOs work in the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration in collaboration with other Divisions for example the Fishery and Aquaculture Division in promoting sustainable food agricultural systems and providing leadership on the environmental social and economic dimensions of forestry fishery and aquaculture including contributions to poverty reduction and food security and nutrition.

This position is located in the Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms team in NFO. The forest monitoring team supports FAO member countries on all aspects of forest monitoring to provide reliable information for national forest and land use related policy development planning and sustainable management. The data collected is used by countries for satisfying international reporting requirements under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement and for accessing results-based financing for forests like Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) payments or carbon finance.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will report to the Forestry Officer Measuring Reporting and Verification (MRV) in the Forest Monitoring team under the overall supervision of the Team Leader/Senior Forestry Officer. Depending on the assigned project the incumbent will work in close collaboration with the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and/or Lead Technical Officer (LTO) of the projects it works for and the incumbent will work in close coordination with the country offices where appropriate.

Technical Focus

The specialist will contribute to the operational success of FAOs work on forestry land use (change) and climate change and in specific on MRV for forest-related emissions and removals and MRV for participation in the TFFF ( ). The objective of this assignment is to develop the capacity of countries in MRV of forest area forest area changes and forest-related emissions and removals. The incumbent will support in the analysis of activity data and combine area estimates with emission factors obtained from analysing National Forest Inventory (NFI) data to obtain emission estimates to be used in greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory reporting in the construction of reference levels and the assessment of achieved emission reductions.
The overall objective is to support countries on one or several of the following: i) improve climate change reporting to the UNFCCC in specific supporting countries in reporting forest reference levels and Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) technical annexes and where appropriate inform the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the enhanced transparency framework (ETF); ii) support countries to achieve high quality MRV that meets requirements in carbon accounting standards to enable access to climate finance iii) support countries with participating in and reporting to the TFFF and getting access to its results-based conservation finance. Where appropriate countries will be familiarized and trained in the use of FAOs open source technical solutions and platforms such as Open Foris ( including Collect Earth Collect Earth Online and SEPAL.

Tasks and responsibilities

Support countries with technical advice on MRV for TFFF and MRV of forest-related emissions and removals
Assist in the elaboration of guidance material to help build MRV/TFFF capacity in country (for example e-learning courses or gap assessment tools)
Inform countries about TFFF requirements and assessment of tropical moist forest area deforestation area and fire-degraded forest area and submission of accession and annual reports to TFFF;
Inform countries about MRV requirements of different carbon accounting standards and support the submission of monitoring reports to e.g. ART-TREES
Perform MRV and TFFF gap assessments
Support countries with their analysis and combination of activity data (from satellite land monitoring systems) and emission factors (from national forest inventories)
Support countries with the implementation of the ETF with a focus on the forest and land use sector
Organize and/or facilitate meetings workshops technical trainings etc and coordinate with relevant units in FAO e.g. other NFO teams or the climate change team (OCB) in FAO
Any other duties as required

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

For Consultants: advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in forestry environmental sciences natural resource management or a related field; Consultants with a bachelors degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience
For PSAs: University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in forestry environmental sciences natural resource management or a related field
At least three years of relevant experience in forest monitoring forests and climate estimating GHG emissions from forests / Measurement Reporting and Verification
Working knowledge (level C) of English French or Spanish

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Extent and relevance of experience in forest monitoring forest and climate programmes and MRV
Work experience in/with developing countries
Familiarity with ETF and NDCs under the Paris Agreement of the UNFCCC
Familiarity with IPCC guidance and guidelines
Knowledge of ART-TREES MRV requirements is an advantage
Experience with FAOs open-source platforms is an advantage

Selection Criteria

Extent of experience in forest monitoring forest and climate programmes and MRV
Extent of experience of analysing remote sensing and/or national forest inventory data
Extent of experience in supporting developing countries capacity development activities
Extent of experience in international reporting systems
Extent of writing skills with the ability to produce high-quality reports and other written materials.

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

• 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 FAOs 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

FAOs commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

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

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 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 FAOs 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.

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