Participatory Planning And Gender Specialist

Vacancy Number: FVAC17.011   Job Title Participatory Planning and Gender Specialist Division/Department FAO Representative in Lebanon Programme/Project Number GCP /LEB/027/SCF “Smart Adaptation of Forest Landscapes in Mountain Areas (SALMA)” Location Beirut – Lebanon, with extensive travel to the project sites Expected Start Date of Assignment 01 July 2017 Duration: One year renewable up to 54 months Reports to                            Mr. Abdel Hamied Hamid Name:                                          Dr. Maurice Saadé Title: Senior Regional Forestry Officer/RNE   FAO Representative in Lebanon   General Description of task(s)andobjectives to be achieved The objective of SALMA (FAO – GEF supported 5 years climate adaptation project) is to enhance the resilience of vulnerable rural communities and their livelihoods in mountain areas through sustainable forest management. SALMA is believed to contribute to the achievement of reduced soil and water erosion, forest fire prevention and control, pest management, diversification of livelihood income (from ecosystem services) of 24 selected vulnerable communities, and improved adaptive capacity of these communities through reforestation and sustainable and participative forest management at the landscape level. The project lies under the frame of Lebanon National Afforestation and Reforestation Programme.   Under the guidance of the Budget Holder (BH-FAO Representative in Lebanon) and the NPC representing MOA, and with technical guidance from the FAO Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and HQ Technical Officer (LTU) ),the Participatory Reforestation Planning and Gender Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the NPC and in collaboration with SALMA Project Manager and will be responsible for overall coordination, technical guidance, capacity building and supervision of participatory reforestation planning with Reforestation Consortium (RC), guarantee adequate gender mainstreaming in project activities and results benefitting women and men alike and will carry out the following duties as a part of the project activity:   1.             Complete, in close collaboration with the M&E expert, the results matrix of the SALMA project in order to guarantee gender mainstreaming, identifying relevant gender-sensitive indicators and targets at the output level. 2.             Identify, guide and manage various RPs, assist formation of RCs, and prepare and finalize contracts while building and maintaining relationships with municipalities and RPs; 3.             Provide training on participatory reforestation planning; 4.             Provide advice on participatory reforestation planning to RCs in preparing participatory reforestation plans; 5.             Evaluate proposed reforestation sites and participatory reforestation plans and assist the unit leader to prepare ranking lists of municipalities to be supported by the project; 6.             Ensure Lebanon and if need be FAO safeguard policies (which include gender) are reflected in the participatory reforestation plans and gender issues are fully addressed; 7.             Facilitate community mobilization and evaluate communities’ interactions with forests and ensure effective maintenance and protection measures and gender concerns are built into the participatory reforestation plans; 8.             Review the reports prepared by the RCs and provide necessary advice; 9.             Help RCs to maintain good working relationships with municipalities and RPs; 10.          Assist the unit leader in preparing Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) based on the approved participatory reforestation plans; 11.          Assist the unit leader in conducting field visits to reforestation sites to evaluate reforestation performance and provide advice to the RCs; 12.          Assist the unit leader in identifying issues to be addressed in maintaining and protecting the project supported reforestation sites and propose counter measures; 13.          Provide constant review on the participatory reforestation plan manual and update the document based on the field experience; 14.          Assist the unit leader in preparing biannual progress reports, particularly by tracking, monitoring and adapting the gendered approach applied by the SALMA project; 15.          Contribute to compiling lessons learned and ensure that they are shared and integrated as part of the wider NARP knowledge management approach; 16.          Contribute to formulating strategies for scaling-up and provide overall recommendations to Inter-ministerial Committee on reforestation activities based on the field lessons learned; and 17.          Identify and capitalize the best practices from SALMA on gender mainstreaming for systematic inclusion in SALMA-related technical publications.     key performance indicators Expected Outputs: -       Inception workshop -       Quarterly progress reports and annual reports including updated workplan fro the following reporting period -        Final project report after the final wrap-up workshop. Required Completion Date: 31 December 2021 Required Competencies Academic Qualifications The consultant must have: 1.             University degree in Agriculture/Rural Extension, Socio-economic, development studies, natural resources management or other related fields. 2.             Strong knowledge of participatory approaches with at least five years of relevant work experience.    Technical Competencies and Experience Requirements Strong prior project/programme management skills are essential. Experience in forestry, agriculture, and natural resources management is an advantage. Working knowledge in Arabic and English (mandatory). Working knowledge of French would be a plus. Proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS Office.