National forestry education, training and outreach specialist

Organizational Setting

Under the overall coordination of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), the Subregional Office for Central Asia (SEC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing strategies for addressing organizational priorities relating to sustainable agrifood systems, food security, agriculture and rural development, natural resource management, and climate change in Central Asia. SEC's technical assistance, provided mainly through projects, includes institution building, development of knowledge and competencies, and exchange of experience among the Member Countries. SEC supports regional policy dialogue on the above issues, facilitates the emergence of regional and subregional partnerships including with regional economic integration organizations, and supports capacity development and resource mobilization in the subregion.

The post is located in the Subregional Office for Central Asia (SEC) in Ankara, Türkiye.

Reporting Lines

Under overall supervision of the FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Türkiye, direct supervision of Lead Technical Officer (Forestry Officer/European Forestry Commission Secretary), and in collaboration with relevant FAO Türkiye and SEC teams

Technical Focus

•     Strengthening the Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of Forest Landscapes in Türkiye’s Kazdağlari Region
•     Enhancing the Capacity of the Turkish International Forestry Training Centre
•     Regional and national forest policy, education and training initiatives and processes

Tasks and responsibilities

•     Support the design and implementation of outdoor training facilities in the forest training center which is being established in Ezine nursery which will provide practical training on the cultivation of species that will improving the outdoor education especially for primary and secondary school students and informing of students on plant species as well as local women groups on the cultivation of some medicinal and aromatic plants.
•     Coordinate and conduct training series and capacity building for income generation activities, forestry-based value chain development and eco-tourism development following the FAO Farmer Field School guidelines and GDF Forest Schools approach. 
•     Prepare outreach materials for communicating and engaging with stakeholders in the project area, notably target forest districts, PAs, communities (including educational activities in schools) and visitors.
•     Support the implementation of Communications Strategy and Action Plan, including organization of events and preparation of outreach materials and knowledge products within the project, to reach out and ensure active engagement of all the stakeholders (including educational activities in schools and visitors), and to promote gender equity and integrated management at landscape scales.
•     Support the design, development and implementation of a Model Forest Work Plan, using International Model Forests Network (IMFN) guidelines.
•     Coordinate capacity building and training activities for harvesting workers training in harvesting (felling, bucking, winching, yarding etc), in transportation methods and in work safety and raising the awareness of practitioners
•     Develop and produce materials to implement TIFTC communication strategy
•     Develop training curriculum including upgraded forest fire management and all other technical subjects as identified in TIFTC strategy
•     Support and conduct trainings on integrated forest fire management for a selected pool of routinely trained Turkish experts in close coordination with the universities, FAO fire management experts and fire department of the General Directorate of Forestry (GDF) of Turkiye. 
•     Whenever necessary, provide support to the Lead Technical Officer about the overall project implementation and monitoring. 
•     Support the European Forestry Commission Secretary/SEC Forestry Officer to:
o    Monitor and contribute to regional forestry education and training initiatives and processes within the FAO and other partner organisations, including the Silva Network, Forest Europe, EU Erasmus and Costs programs, the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO).
o    Support and contribute to the organisation of the annual session and relevant communication and outreach activities of the FAO European Forestry Communicators' Network (FCN).
o    Support the coordination and implementation of the decisions of the informal European Forest Alliance network, consisting of members from the FAO, the UNECE, the EEA, Forest Europe and the EFI, led by the FAO until 2026. 
o    Support and contribute to the design and implementation of forestry education, training and outreach activities in the SEC region. 
o    Provide overall support for the forest policy process in the region within the FAO EFC mandate, in coordination with the NFO and REU teams and other regional partners.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•     Advanced university degree/ University degree/technical diploma/high school diploma forestry/natural resources management.
•     Minimum 10 years’ experience in forestry education, vocational training, national and regional forest policy development, capacity building, communication and outreach in forestry and overall forest management. 
•     Working knowledge of English 
•     National of Türkiye

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

•     Work experience in more than one location or area of work is desirable;
•     Extent and relevance of experience in forestry education, training, outreach and communication works in the country. 
•     Extent and relevance of planning, managing and implementing projects/programmes related to forest management, forestry education, trainings;
•     Extend and knowledge of forestry policy processes and initiatives
•     Extent and relevance of experience collaborating with relevant national, regional and interregional institutions/organizations on forestry education and training, preferably in Europe;
•     Extent and knowledge of and involvement in on-going forestry projects in the country including dissemination of project results, lessons learned and best practices for different audiences. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION