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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) is an intergovernmental organization comprising over 194 member nations. Since its establishment, FAO has been dedicated to alleviating poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, enhancing nutrition, and pursuing food security. Food security is defined as the availability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to always meet the dietary needs of all people for an active and healthy life. To achieve its objectives, FAO collaborates with a vast network of partners worldwide, including farmers’ groups, traders, non-governmental organizations, other UN agencies, development banks, and agribusiness firms. For more comprehensive information about FAO, please visit FAO Website.
The primary purpose of FAO country offices, led by an FAO Representative, is to support governments in formulating policies, programs, and projects aimed at achieving food security and reducing hunger and malnutrition. These offices work to enhance the agricultural, fisheries, and forestry sectors while ensuring the sustainable use of environmental and natural resources supporting training for animal health staff, and contributing to national reporting and policy recommendations
Reporting Lines
The Soil and Agroecological Zones Classification and Analysis Expert will function under the overall supervision of the FAO Representation, and direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Program), the technical supervision of the FAO Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and FAO Technical Officers in Eswatini, in close collaboration with the government focal points, and in liaison with the relevant FAO Technical Officers in SFS and RAF.
Technical Focus
The incumbent will develop a climate-responsive, GIS-based Agro-Ecological Zoning system for Eswatini that integrates multi-source data to map AEZ shifts, refine crop suitability, and support adaptive land-use planning under changing climate conditions.
Task and Responsibilities
The incumbent will perform the following specific activities:
• Review, assess and document existing AEZ classifications, crop suitability and methodologies used in Eswatini.
• Using data generated within the project and other key data available, identify and analyse AEZ shifts and their key drivers and assess and develop crop suitability classification based on AEZ shifts that reflect observed and projected AEZ changes.
• Identify core information, rules, standards and primary principles for the examination and evaluation of agro-ecological zones variables (climate, soils and terrain/landforms).
• Compile and analyse updated climate, soil, topographic, land use and hydrological data relevant to AEZ delineation.
• Re-delineate Agro-Ecological Zones using GIS-based spatial analysis and climate-responsive approaches
• Integrate updated soil classification, vegetation units and observed climate trends and available climate change projections in revised AEZ framework.
• Validate AEZ outputs through stakeholder consultation and targeted field verification
• Produce updated AEZ maps, Crop suitability maps, GIS layers, and technical and policy-oriented documentation
• Develop training manuals and conduct a training of trainers to train designated government officials on AEZ digital database
• Integrate updated soil classification, climate terrain data and define and map current AEZ boundaries, Identify AEZ shifts and intensification trends linked to climate variability, produce change detection maps showing areas of declining and improving suitability to produce updated AEZ GIS layer and, AEZ shift maps.
• Develop practical planning guidance (AEZ-specific Guideline/land use) for each AIZ, including soil and water management practices, sustainable intensification options, nature-based restoration interventions, costed restoration packages.
• Provide/Hand over to Government Updated AEZ GIS database (polygons and Attributes), AEZ change and suitability maps (GIS+PDF layouts), AEZ Technical Report, 4 AEZ land use and Restoration guideline documents, Training materials, all spatial data must be compatible with national soil and AEZ digital database managed under the project.
• Work or meet with Project Task Team regularly for feedback.
• Conduct stakeholder consultations and technical validation meetings, Undertake limited field verification (ground-truthing) where feasible and Incorporate stakeholder feedback into revised AEZ outputs
• Mainstream the updated agro-ecological zones variables into the Global Agro-ecological Zones (GAEZ) Data Portal for display and analysis, as well as any other relevant national, regional and global AEZ databases, including a user manual.
• Prepare a detailed technical report describing activities, results, findings and recommendations.
Minimum Requirements
• An Advanced degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Agricultural Science, GIS, Remote Sensing, Environmental Science, Natural Resources Evaluation or other relevant field of Natural Resources Science; or the equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in applications of remote sensing for monitoring agricultural processes and/or agro-ecological zones shifts and intensification, land resources evaluation and/or other natural resources studies.
• Working knowledge of English language (C1)
FAO Core Competencies
• Result Focused
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Build effective relationships
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Experience in spatial data handling, analysis, GIS and cartography.
• Demonstrated professional experience implementing projects in Eswatini related to climate change resilience, natural resources management, land-use planning and management, or other closely relevant thematic areas.
• Experience in soil mapping, land use planning, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
• Experience in project management and training.
• Advanced proficiency in GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS).
• Strong data analysis and interpretation skills.
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
- Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
- 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 more information, visit the FAO employment website
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
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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