Organizational Setting
The Central Asia WaterโLand Nexus (CAWLN) Programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under its eighth replenishment cycle (GEF-8), aims to strengthen transboundary cooperation and Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins. Within this framework, the CAWLN Coordination Project โ Supporting Sustainable Results under the WaterโLand Nexus Program (GCP/SEC/11379/GFF) provides programme-level coordination, knowledge management, environmental and social safeguards support, Earth Observation (EO) harmonization, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) services to all child projects under the CAWLN Programme. Umbrella programme and child projects will be implemented in five countries of the Central Asian sub-region: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Reporting Lines
The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia, the direct supervision and technical guidance of the projectโs Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and the operational guidance of the SEC Project Implementation Unit, and will work in close collaboration with FAO Country Offices and the Project Task Force.
Technical Focus
The main aim of the role is to provide technical leadership and strategic guidance for the effective implementation and management of the CAWLN program. This role encompasses serving as the Secretary to the Program Steering Committee (PrSC) and ensuring the daily technical implementation, coordination and supervision of the program.
Tasks and responsibilities
โข ย ย ย ย Provide technical guidance for programme work planning, supervise technical consultants, and ensure quality assurance and technical coherence across programme activities and outputs.
โข ย ย ย ย Provide technical leadership in the organization of workshops, training sessions, and knowledge-sharing events, ensuring they are tailored to the socio-economic and agro-ecological contexts in which the programme is implemented.
โข ย ย ย ย Serve as Secretary to the Programme Steering Committee (PrSC) by providing strategic advice and recommendations on programme implementation and strategic direction; overseeing the technical content submitted for PrSC review; ensuring timely follow-up on action points and decisions; and coordinating communication and technical coherence between the PMU and the PrSC.
โข ย ย ย ย Ensure alignment of all seven child projects with programme objectives and targets, as well as compliance with donor requirements and reporting guidelines.
โข ย ย ย ย Ensure the technical quality of reporting on programme activities, outputs, and achievements.
โข ย ย ย ย Maintain close coordination with responsible officers, Government counterparts, and FAO Country Offices on technical matters related to the programme; provide leadership and contribute to the capacity building and development of the PMU for effective programme implementation, including gender mainstreaming.
โข ย ย ย ย Provide additional technical and programme implementation support, as required.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
โข ย ย ย ย Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in International Relations, Political Science, International Development, Public Policy, Environmental Policy, Water Resources Management, or a related field. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
โข ย ย ย ย 5 years of relevant experience in program management and technical advisory roles, preferably in the Central Asia region.
โข ย ย ย ย Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Russian.
FAO Core Competencies
โข ย ย ย ย Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
โข ย ย ย ย Results Focus
โข ย ย ย ย Teamwork
โข ย ย ย ย Communication
โข ย ย ย ย Building Effective Relationships
Technical/Functional Skills
โข ย ย ย ย Strong expertise in project management, monitoring and evaluation, financial management in the context of sustainable natural resource management. Ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues and build consensus among diverse actors.
โข ย ย ย ย Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
โข ย ย ย ย Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
โข ย ย ย ย Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment. ย
Selection Criteria
โข ย ย ย ย Proven experience in managing teams and working with multi-stakeholder platforms.
โข ย ย ย ย Experience in serving as a secretary or providing secretariat support to steering committees or similar decision-making bodies is desirable
โข ย ย ย ย Experience in working on transboundary water management issues and understanding the complexities of policy coordination across national borders, particularly in Central Asia is desirable.
โข ย ย ย ย Experience in organizing high-level meetings, policy dialogues, and consultations with diverse stakeholders.
โข ย ย ย ย Experience working with international donors (e.g., Global Environment Facility) is highly desirable.