National Groundwater Expert in Morocco

Result of ServiceDeliverable 1 - January 2026 - Establishment of the groundwater study team in Morocco to take part in project activities and preparation of Inception meeting Deliverable 2 - February 2026 - Prepare a summary of discussions of Inception meeting - Provide summary of the materials’ social media postings (English and Arabic) - Data and information collection on the selected aquifer in Morocco to test methodology developed Deliverable 3 - March 2026 - Organization of consultation meeting on the implementation of the groundwater assessment tool with local stakeholders and report preparation on discussion - Provide summary of the materials’ social media postings (English and Arabic) Deliverable 4 - April 2026 - Provide feedback and recommendations to improve the assessment methodology - Support development of groundwater governance guidelines through consultation with national team and provide draft recommendations. Work LocationMorocco Expected duration4 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground The Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) was launched to address the growing challenges of water and food security in the Middle East and North Africa region. The initiative led by FAO-RNE is a comprehensive program designed to enhance the sustainable management of water resources while promoting food security in one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. The initiative’s work supports national governments, institutions, and stakeholders by providing scientific research, policy guidance, and technical assistance. The initiative is structured around three core outcomes: - Outcome 1: Strengthening the governance structures in countries across the region to achieve sustainable agricultural water use and enhanced food security. - Outcome 2: Enhancing the resilience in food systems and water services to effectively address the impacts of climate change. - Outcome 3: Facilitating knowledge sharing and experience dissemination to inform decision making processes. General objective Groundwater constitutes the primary source of water in more than half of the Arab States. The reliance on groundwater is increasing as surface water becomes scarcer due to the impact of climate change and increasing demand. In this context, effective groundwater governance should be prioritized to ensure sustainable use of this resource for future generations. To address these challenges, ESCWA is leading activities under Outcome 1 of the Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) to strengthen groundwater governance and optimize water allocation, minimize wastage, and ensure equitable and sustainable access to water resources for agriculture, ultimately enhancing food production and security. The consultant will contribute to groundwater governance efforts by supporting the application of the groundwater governance assessment tool on a selected aquifer in Morocco, conducting detailed institutional and policy analyses to identify gaps, strengths, and opportunities for governance improvements. This process will include engaging key stakeholders through consultations and workshops to gather insights and refine findings. To ensure that findings and recommendations are validated and widely accepted, the consultant will organize stakeholder consultations and validation workshops, facilitating discussions between local and national decision-makers, water authorities, and local communities. The consultant will also be responsible for logistically organizing inception and validation meetings in addition to following up social media outreach and local dissemination of project activities findings. Duties and responsibilities Under the supervision of the Senior Sustainable Development Officer for Water and the overall supervision of the Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster Lead, the consultant will: 1- Conduct institutional mapping and organizational analysis for selected aquifer: • Identify stakeholders from Morocco relevant to the selected pilot aquifer to be part of the National Groundwater Governance Study Team and representing different ministries/agencies, research institutes, farmers’ communities and other relevant stakeholders; • Provide technical support on data collection related to the selected aquifer in Morocco and ensure accessibility of information for decision-makers and water users; • Logistical support for organization of Inception Meeting and training on the methodology for participatory assessment of groundwater governance regimes; • Prepare a summary of discussions from the Inception Meeting. 2- Support national groundwater governance assessment on selected aquifer: • Assist national team in conducting a comprehensive assessment of groundwater governance of selected aquifer in Morocco addressing the dimensions of the groundwater governance assessment tool; • Support national dialogue through an inclusive participatory approach; • Identify challenges in completing assessment and relevant knowledge and data gaps. Provide recommendations; • Based on input from the national team, prepare a groundwater governance assessment report addressing all governance dimensions of the toolkit; • Identification of pathways/customized solutions to ensure sustainable management of groundwater and strengthen groundwater governance; • Support development of groundwater governance guidelines through consultation with national team and provide draft recommendations. 3- Prepare media content for social media outreach, ensuring wider visibility for consultations, reports, and key milestones in Morocco • Submit media content in Arabic and French for proposed posting on ESCWA social media channels and WSI project site. Qualifications/special skillsMaster’s degree or equivalent in water resources management, natural resources management, agriculture or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 7 years of experience in the areas of water resources management, including at least 2 years of experience working on groundwater, agriculture and climate change issues is required. Experience organizing consultations and working with local stakeholder groups is desirable. Demonstrated experience working or conducting research is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in Arabic and French is required; knowledge of English is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.