Landscape Coordination and Forest Restoration Specialist

Duration: 12 months (Full-time; renewable)

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing the AFR100 Support Programme – “Supporting AFR100 by engaging with small-scale forest and farm producers” (GCP/GLO/1208/GER) in Tanzania, with interventions focused on the Monduli – Karatu landscape in Arusha Region. The Programme supports locally led Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR), strengthened producer organizations, restoration-based enterprises, and improved livelihoods.

Implementation in the landscape is carried out in collaboration with local authorities, communities, Forest and Farm Producer Organizations (FFPOs), and several specialized service providers. Effective delivery therefore requires strong field-level coordination, technical oversight, and regular monitoring to ensure that interventions are coherent, technically sound, and aligned with agreed restoration priorities and workplans.

FAO therefore seeks to recruit a Landscape Coordination and Forest Restoration Specialist - to serve as the Programme’s field-based focal point in the landscape. The consultant will coordinate partner activities, provide technical guidance on FLR, regularly monitor implementation on the ground, facilitate collaboration among stakeholders, and support timely identification and resolution of implementation challenges.

Reporting Lines

The Landscape Coordination and Forest Restoration Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Tanzania and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme). The incumbent will work under the guidance of the AFR100 Tanzania coordinator and work in close coordination with the AFR100 Support Programme team, including technical and monitoring colleagues, to ensure effective field-level implementation, technical quality and timely reporting.

Technical Focus

The objective of the assignment is to strengthen field-level coordination, technical oversight and quality assurance of AFR100 Support Programme activities in the Monduli – Karatu landscape. The incumbent will support effective coordination among service providers and landscape stakeholders, provide technical guidance on Forest Landscape Restoration approaches, monitor implementation progress and quality on the ground, and facilitate timely identification and resolution of implementation challenges to ensure that activities are delivered in line with agreed workplans, restoration priorities and project objectives.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), and in close collaboration with the Tanzania AFR100 project coordination team, the specialist will:

Landscape coordination and facilitation

• Coordinate field-level activities across all service providers (SPs) operating in the Monduli – Karatu landscape, ensuring coherence, complementarity and avoidance of duplication across interventions.
• Organize and facilitate regular landscape-level coordination meetings and support effective coordination among SPs and other landscape stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with district authorities, designated local government focal points, communities and Forest and Farm Producer Organizations (FFPOs), including regular engagement with relevant District Council focal points.
• Facilitate collaboration and joint problem-solving among SPs, communities and local authorities, and support timely resolution of implementation challenges.
• Maintain a strong field presence and participate in key programme activities, including restoration bootcamps, sensitization sessions, coordination visits and other priority field events requiring technical oversight or follow-up.
• Support communities and producer groups in accessing the programme’s grant mechanisms, including sensitization on grant requirements and support with the application and platform submission process.

Technical guidance and quality assurance

• Provide technical guidance on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approaches and ensure that restoration interventions are consistent with priorities identified through ROAM and relevant technical guidance.
• Support SPs in selecting and applying restoration approaches and techniques appropriate to specific ecosystems, land-use contexts and local restoration objectives.
• Conduct regular field visits and site checks to verify the quality, technical soundness and progress of activities implemented by SPs.
• Ensure that restoration interventions remain aligned with agreed landscape restoration priorities, technical standards and approved workplans.
• Identify implementation challenges, technical risks and deviations from agreed approaches at an early stage and recommend practical corrective actions to the project team and relevant SPs.
• Follow up on agreed corrective actions and provide technical support to SPs, where required, to improve implementation quality.

Field-level support to monitoring, learning and visibility

• Support the M&E Specialist by helping verify that information reported by SPs accurately reflects implementation progress and results observed on the ground.
• Follow up SPs, as needed, on delayed, incomplete or unclear information and facilitate timely transmission of required inputs to the project M&E function.
• Flag discrepancies, implementation gaps or emerging issues identified during field visits to the Project Coordinator, M&E Specialist and other relevant colleagues for follow-up.
• Provide regular field-level updates and contextual information on restoration activities, implementation progress and emerging results across the landscape.
• Work with the Project Coordinator, Communication Specialist and other relevant colleagues to identify and share good practices, lessons learned, success stories and noteworthy field developments for appropriate documentation and visibility.
• Facilitate access to relevant field information, stakeholders and intervention sites to support monitoring, documentation, communication and learning activities led by the responsible project colleagues.
• Perform any other duties as specified by the supervisor in support and furtherance of the FAO mission goals and strategic framework.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Forestry, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Science, Agroforestry, Land Restoration, Ecology or a closely related field.
• At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR), sustainable land management, forestry, agroforestry, natural resource management or related field-based programmes.
• Working knowledge of English and fluency in Swahili.
• National of the United Republic of Tanzania.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/ Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience coordinating or supervising field-based activities involving multiple partners, service providers, local authorities and communities.
• Practical experience providing technical guidance on restoration approaches, including areas such as assisted natural regeneration, agroforestry, tree establishment, rangeland restoration, soil and water conservation or other relevant FLR practices.
• Experience working directly with rural communities, producer organizations and local government authorities.

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.