Senior Technical Advisor

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Description

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Provide high-level technical expertise and strategic guidance to the Project Management Unit (PMU) and the project executing entities on all technical aspects of the ““FOREST Invest”” project, playing a key role in facilitating knowledge transfer, developing national capacities, and fostering collaboration among various stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector entities, academic institutions, and local communities. Under the overall guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and the Budget Holder (BH), and in close collaboration with the Project Manager and the National Technical Coordinator.

Responsibilities

• Support the development of training modules and the delivery of training programs on CAS for various stakeholders.
• Advise on the upgrade of national curricula of forestry faculties and vocational schools to incorporate introduced CAS practices and technologies.
• Provide technical guidance on the restoration and afforestation of public forest land using CAS principles.
• Advise on strategies for engaging the private sector in climate-adaptive silviculture and low-carbon investments, including the conversion of degraded coppice stands and the establishment of shelterbelts and agroforestry systems aligned with decarbonization goals and strategies.
• Contribute to the development of platforms involving stakeholders for a modern and transparent biomass energy value chain, integrating sustainability criteria.
• Advise on the support provided by the project for mobilizing private finance for agribusinesses involved in decarbonization processes, including the development of decarbonization strategies and financial plans.
• Advise on and support the capacity development activities by the project, including for financial institutions, consultancy service providers, and academia on climate-related challenges and opportunities in the forestry and agribusiness sectors.
• Contribute to the monitoring of achievement of indicators related to SFM, CAS, carbon finance, and decarbonization.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, presentations, and other knowledge products related to the project’s technical components, as well as to the development and dissemination of communication to promote “FOREST Invest” results, best practices and success stories.
• Provide technical inputs and review of project work plans, monitoring of indicators and reports to be shared with FAO, the GCF and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to gender mainstreaming in relevant technical activities, ensuring the participation and empowerment of women.
• Support FAO and GCF missions and undertake periodic field missions as needed.
• Contribute to the preparation and leading, as needed, of the technical meetings, conferences, and workshops. 
• Participate in possible donor working group(s) whose members are active in projects similar to “FOREST Invest”, for sharing information and align donors’ respective interventions and funding to optimize CC adaptation in Serbia.
•  Participate in the selection processes of “FOREST Invest” technical experts, including as a member of interview panels, where applicable.
• Perform any other duties as requested by FAO;
•  Provide expert technical advice and support on sustainable forest management (SFM) and climate-adaptive silviculture (CAS) practices relevant to the Serbian context.
• Contribute to the establishment and operationalization of the National Forest Monitoring System (NFM), ensuring its methodological and statistical soundness.
• Advise on the development and dissemination of guidelines for decision-makers on Agriculture, Forestry, and Land Use (AFOLU) and the design of an offset mechanism for the AFOLU sector, linking to Serbia’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) plan.

Minimum Requirements:

• Advanced University degree in forestry, environmental science, natural resource management, climate change, or a related field
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in sustainable forest management, climate change mitigation and adaptation in the forestry sector, carbon finance, biomass energy, or related areas
• Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2501217

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