Stakeholder and Knowledge Management Specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN) - An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Its employees come from various cultural backgrounds and are experts in the multiple fields of activity FAO engages in. FAO’s staff capacity allows it to support improved governance inter alia, generate, develop and adapt existing tools and guidelines and provide targeted governance support as a resource to country and regional level FAO offices. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Stakeholder and Knowledge Management Specialist

Vacancy Announcement: 2302792
Location: Nigeria
Organizational Unit: FRNIR
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)
Primary Location: Nigeria-Maiduguri
Duration: 12 months (with possibility of Extension)

Technical Focus

• The incumbent will play a critical role in the project aimed at rehabilitating coastal ecosystems and enhancing the climate resilience of mangrove ecosystems and their dependent forest and fisheries communities.
• The specialist will be responsible for engaging with stakeholders, conducting assessments, identifying gaps, proposing interventions, and fostering effective knowledge sharing throughout the project's lifecycle.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Organize state and local level consultations and focus groups involving government institutions, NGOs, CBOs, traditional leaders, local communities, private sector companies, and research institutions, with support from the FAO country office as needed.
• Identify and liaise with relevant government stakeholders for assessments, capacity-building, and training initiatives.
• Establish collaborative relationships with community groups, Community-based Organisations (CBOs), and NGOs active in the targeted sites. Describe their current activities, experience, and expertise.
• Identify capacity gaps within relevant government stakeholders, research institutions, and local communities to undertake assessments.
• Define training targets based on capacity gaps identified.
• Evaluate the existing awareness-raising platforms, programs, decision-making processes, and planning activities at the local level, and identify gaps.
• Identify existing development and management plans, policy documents, and evaluate their integration of mangrove ecosystems' conservation.
• Assess local government, traditional leaders, and community capacity for integrated management planning, sustainable mangrove management, and adoption of sustainable practices.
• Identify existing local monitoring systems and gaps, proposing solutions for monitoring efficiency using participatory methods.
• Analyse existing national and decentralized institutional frameworks, identifying barriers to cross-sectoral coordination for natural resource management.
• Assess the consideration of mangrove ecosystem services in planning efforts and identify gaps.
• Identify gaps and weaknesses in existing national and decentralised policy documents related to natural resource management and climate change concerns.
• Propose interventions to address priority gaps/weaknesses in the institutional and policy frameworks for sustainable, integrated, and climate-resilient mangrove management.
• Develop and revise necessary frameworks and policy documents.
• Identify opportunities to scale up project interventions for resilient coastal ecosystem management at the national level.
• Develop strategies for efficient sharing of project progress, results, and lessons learned from the PACT project and other relevant initiatives.
• Maintain continuous communication with other experts and provide inputs for their deliverables as required.
• Identify and map relevant stakeholders, including governmental institutions, private sector entities, civil society organizations, research institutions, and donors.
• Perform other duties as required.

Minimum Requirements
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• University Degree in Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Resource Economics, and or other related fields 
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in participatory decision-making and local development, knowledge management and awareness, institutional capacity building, policy strengthening, communities’ vulnerability assessments value chain / socio-economic development. Specific experience in assessing and building communities’ resilience is an added advantage.
• Working knowledge of English.
• National of Nigeria, with working experience in mangrove/coastal landscapes within the country

FAO Core Competencies:

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

Technical / Functional Skills:

• Previous experience working on international donors’ projects highly preferable.
• Experience in comprehensive institutional strengthening including conducting a capacity needs assessment and developing strategies to promote capacity development preferred.
• Experience in participatory approaches and knowledge management.
• Experience in developing knowledge management strategies and communication strategies preferred.
• Strong understanding of policy frameworks, institutional coordination, and governance planning related to natural resource management.
• Previous experience working in the coastal area of Nigeria, particularly in mangrove areas, an advantage.
• Proven capacity to create good relationships with a diversity of stakeholders including government institutions, NGOs, private sector, research institutions and local communities, and conduct fieldwork.
• Good command of computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Power point, Internet)

Application Closing Date
27th September, 2023 (10:59:00 PM)