Technical Specialist (Silviculture) – SB-4

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. The main aim of the FAO Representation in Cambodia is to assist government to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The FAO Representation in Cambodia is developing FAO’s Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2024-2028 as well as contributing to the development of United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024 – 2028, and providing technical assistance to the Government counterparts to develop relevant strategies and action plans. FAO Representation in Cambodia is implementing several projects and programmes under the six thematic areas, namely Food Systems Governance; Agriculture Value Chains; One Health and Livestock Production; Fisheries; Forest, Land and Water; and Data and Digital Transformation.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR), the Technical Specialist (Silviculture) reports to the FAOR in Cambodia and works under the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) at the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and in cooperation with the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and the operational guidance of the Operations Officer of FAO Cambodia, and in collaboration with all FACMB staff and governmental counterparts.

Technical Focus

The Technical Specialist (Silviculture) will provide technical support on sustainable wood production models to inform the development of Cambodia’s forest industry strategy, with a focus on plantation forestry and managed natural forests. The incumbent will collect and analyze data on existing and planned production areas, disaggregated by species, management type, and end use (e.g., sawlogs, woodchips, fuelwood). In collaboration with an international consultant, the incumbent will assess the Mean Annual Increment, quantify sustainable and unsustainable wood production, and model future supply scenarios. The role also includes identifying growth and economic parameters for diverse silvicultural systems, developing case studies on smallholder and industrial plantation models, and analyzing production costs. The incumbent will contribute to updating the Forest Product Strategic Plan by identifying gaps from the production side, including adequacy of silviculture with market opportunities and certification systems, and by supporting the organization of stakeholder consultations with the private sector, communities, and smallholders to align the strategy with emerging market dynamics and investment needs.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Technical Specialist (Silviculture) will:

•     Demand and Supply analysis:

o    Collect data on existing and planned plantations and managed natural forests, including areas per species, production (sawlogs, veneer logs, woodchips, fuelwood) and management types (e.g., company-managed, smallholder, community forestry).
o    Cooperate with an international consultant to collect data on Mean Annual Increment for different production and management systems.
o    Cooperate with an international consultant to quantify sustainable production and extrapolate future production based on plantation projects.
o    Cooperate with an international consultant to quantify the unsustainable production that would need to be replaced by additional plantations (e.g., supply from ELCs or infrastructure clearing).
o    Support the organization of stakeholder consultations to develop supply scenarios.

•     Economic and Financial Modelling:

o    Cooperate with the international consultant to identify and collect data for growth and economic modelling, including growth data for diverse species, management models, and locations, as well as production costs for various models.
o    Cooperate with the international consultant to develop economic case studies for various production models.

•     Forest Product Strategic Plan Updates:

o    Assess gaps in current wood production to meet market demand, including management, species, planting material, rotations, and certification.
o    Identify challenges and opportunities to meet the current and forecasted market dynamics, including the development of smallholder plantations.
o    Evaluate the gaps in the current Forest Product Strategic Plan to address these challenges and opportunities.
o    Support the organization of stakeholder consultations to gather perspectives from the private sector, smallholders, and communities.
o    Collect feedback on proposed updates to align the production forest strategic plan with the sector’s needs.
o    Perform related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements   

•     Advanced university degree in Forestry Science, Forest Economics, Environmental Science, or a related field.
•     Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in policy-related work, with substantial experience in sustainable forest management, forest industry development, and investment modelling for the forest industry in developing and least-developed countries.
•     Working knowledge of English (level C)
•     National of Cambodia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

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, particularly in field positions.
•     Relevance and extent of experience in technical cooperation related activities, policy advice and analysis
•     Extent and relevance of experience in one or more of the following areas: in developing business cases and investment plans for the forestry sector.
•     Relevance and extent of experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams.
•     Ability to plan and organize own work, deliver results and meet deadlines.
•     Experience in working and/or coordinating with governmental organizations, the private sector, NGOs and other partners.
•     Extent and relevance of experience in the preparation and revision of technical/scientific documents and in organizing forums, workshops and trainings events.
•     Experience in quantitative statistical analyses and methodological research in Forestry statistics.
•     Familiarity in using statistical software, especially Excel, R, Stata, SPSS, SAS or similar (preferably open-source) software.
•     Ability to write clear and concise technical documents.

Selection criteria

•     Deep understanding of the forestry and wood industry sector, legal frameworks, and investment climate.
•     Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.