National Spatial Analysis and GIS Specialist

Job Description

National Spatial Analysis and GIS Specialist 

Job Posting: 21/Sep/2020

Closure Date: 10/Oct/2020, 3:44:00 AM

Organizational Unit: FANEP

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)

Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location: Nepal-Kathmandu

Duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension

Post Number: N/A

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 order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
 
Qualified female applicants are encouraged to apply.
 
People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
 
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

Organizational Setting

The project “Building a Resilient Churia Region in Nepal” (BRCRN) was approved by the 24^th meeting of the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in November 2019, and is Nepal’s first full-size GCF project. FAO, as the nominated Accredited Entity (AE) for the project, is responsible to the GCF for implementation of the project and is also co-Executing Entity (EE) with the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE) of the Government of Nepal (GoN). The BRCRN project will be implemented in 26 critical river systems in the southeast region of Nepal, covering parts of Provinces 1, 2 and 3, linking the Churia hills and upper Terai, and aims to promote widespread adoption of climate-resilient land use practices, confront the challenges of deforestation and forest degradation, better maintain the forest ecosystem in the Churia hills, and build resilience to climate-induced hazards.

In its capacity as co-EE, FAO will develop a detailed benchmark for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the forest sector, against which the climate change mitigation impact of the BRCRN project can be assessed.  FAO will also support MoFE, provincial authorities and local stakeholders in the development of Critical Ecosystem Restoration Plans (CERPs) for the 26 target river systems, which will guide the design and implementation of project interventions to mainstream climate-resilient land use practices into the development path of the Churia region. A national expert is sought to provide the technical advisory services required to deliver these results.  The consultant will be part of the global FAO REDD+ and National Forest Monitoring (NFM) cluster, which supports developing countries to implement robust and transparent national forest monitoring systems for the monitoring and reporting of REDD+ activities, and will draw on the pool of global expertise and experience available in this team. 

Technical Focus

• Strengthen national and provincial institutional capacity on climate change impact assessment and ecosystem mapping:
• Support development and validation of CERPs in 26 target river systems of BRCRN project:
• Validate the development of a sub-national Forest Emission levels for the project area based on the multi-criteria baseline spatial analysis of CERPs:
• Ensuring accountability and transparency of the CERP and SFRL formulation process with local stakeholders:

Reporting Lines 

Under the overall operational supervision of the FAO Representative in Nepal,  direct supervision of TA Team Manager, in close consultation  with A FAOR (programme) and the technical supervision of LTO FAO RAP, in coordination with the BRCRN National Project Director under MoFE, and with technical guidance from the remote sensing thematic team leader of the REDD+/NFM team at FAO HQ, the guidance of the senior forestry officer in RAP, and in coordination with the wider REDD+NFM cluster team in FOA HQ and in the Asia Pacific region, the National Consultant-Spatial Analysis and GIS Expert will undertake the assigned activities/task. 

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Spatial Analysis and GIS Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks:

Task 1: Strengthen national and provincial institutional capacity on climate change impact assessment and ecosystem mapping:

• Support the capacity assessment of national (MoFE, President’s Churia Conservation Development Board) and provincial authorities, including Ministries of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment (MoITFE) and Ministries of Agriculture, Cooperatives and Land Management (MoACLM) on RS/GIS and spatial analysis for planning;
• Deliver provincial and municipal level trainings on the use of GIS tools in multi-criteria planning and analysis.
• Develop training material. 

Task 2: Support development and validation of CERPs in 26 target river systems of BRCRN project:

• Validate the design of a methodology for multi-criteria baseline spatial analysis of targeted river systems, to objectively assess climate risks and the potential impact of project interventions on adaptation and mitigation outcomes;
• Develop methodologies to use multi-criteria spatial analysis tool  and guideline for service providers to develop CERPs   and support in validation on different levels;
• Provide technical support to the implementation and validation of spatial analysis performed by service provider;
• Participate in field consultations to validate CERPs with key local stakeholders, accounting for locally-specific social and environmental risks, conditions, and natural resource management frameworks, and according to the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Task 3: Validate the development of a sub-national Forest Emission levels for the project area based on the multi-criteria baseline spatial analysis of CERPs:

• In collaboration with FAO technical teams in HQ validate the design of a baseline spatial analysis of targeted river systems, to objectively assess this precursors to a subnational FRL and the potential impact of project interventions on adaptation and mitigation outcomes;
• The objectives of the Sub-national Forest Reference Level (SFRL) are:
• to support climate change mitigation efforts in the local context of the project and specifically to track the reduction of emissions from the forest and land use sector;
• to assess and evaluate the performance of policies and measures and sustainable forest management practices;
• to provide information on emissions to stakeholders including policy makers, government line departments, technicians and members of the public on a transparent and consistent basis;
• to facilitate access to potential funding sources for results based payments. 

Task 4: Ensuring accountability and transparency of the CERP and SFRL formulation process with local stakeholders:

• Conduct an assessment of the local level devolution needs and the methodology used to increase capacity of provincial and municipal key personell and decision makers during the CERP formulation in the use of GIS tools and products.
• Liaise with knowledge management and communication experts for proper dissemination of findings of the CERPs and baseline processes including maps and other GIS products.
• Co-Design an annual feedback process and peer review process based on GIS products in the provinces and municipalities that informs budgetary decisions and implementation actions.
• Any other GIS related tasks assigned by the Team Leader 

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• National of Nepal
• Advanced University (Master) degree in Forestry, Remote Sensing or a closely related field;
• At least 7 years of work experience on remote sensing, GIS and forest monitoring;
• Working knowledge of English and Nepali
• Candidate should have knowledge of computer skills in English and Nepali
• (MS Office package: word, excel and power point)

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• In-depth knowledge of REDD+, MRV procedures and associated IPCC methodologies;
• Proven experience of delivering technical training on land cover change assessment and GIS to government counterparts;
• Proven experience of developing spatial analysis tools using GIS for multi-criteria decision-making and monitoring
• Proven track record of advising and collaborating with government institutions and other stakeholders such as NGOs;
• In-depth understanding of the breadth, scope, strengths, weaknesses and interoperability of existing land cover monitoring systems and tools (e.g. Open Foris toolkit, TerraAmazon, Google Earth Engine, etc.);
• Proficiency in both spoken and written English;
• Strong inter-personal skills and excellent oral communication skills.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced university degree;
• Relevant Work experience;
• Language skills;
• Extent of relevant technical experience in the related areas
• Ability to manage and work with a multidisciplinary and multicultural team
• Good working knowledge of English (Written and Spoken)
• Experience with similar internationally funded development projects will be an added advantage

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 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 additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

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  

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.
We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

 
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

Apply Instructions

Apply Link: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2002147

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