Land Technical Specialist at Food and Agriculture Organization

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments 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 posts are located in the FAO Representation in Kenya with duty station in Samburu and Laikipia Counties.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Kenya is implementing an EU-funded project titled“Support to the attainment of Vision 2030 through Devolved Land Reforms in Community Lands of Kenya (GCP/KEN/085/EC).” in close collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, the National Land Commission as well as the County Governments of Tana River, Turkana, Samburu, Marsabit, Baringo, Nandi, West Pokot and Laikipia.

Job Description:

The Land Technical Officer will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Kenya and the direct supervision of the Land Programme Manager.

Responsibilities:

• In close coordination with the Programme Manager, act as the County programme manager in the full implementation of scheduled activities on land.
• Plan and report in the web-based database all county activities on a monthly basis in collaboration with county programme and administrative officers and in consultation with sector heads.
• Provide the first level of line management to county programme officers and support their engagement with the relevant county ministries (a second level of line management will be provided by the sector heads).
• Under guidance of the programme manager, provide technical support for the establishment and trainings of County Land Management Boards and Ministry of Lands office in the County.
• Guide and provide technical advice on the identification of existing policies, institutional and legal gaps/conflicts for sustainable governance of community lands and natural resources in alignment of the FAO county programme with a) the Country Programming Framework (CPF) and b) the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP).
• With support from the programme manager, provide methodological recommendations for inclusive and negotiated Land Use Planning with the County Government.
• Promote and technically support county government and community groups trained on Voluntary Guidelines and other related FAO tools, e.g. Participatory Land Delimitation (PLD) methodology, Improving Gender Equality in Territorial Issues (IGETI), etc. for monitoring efficiency and transparency in community land administration and management and training on provisions of the new legal frameworks for land governance.
• If there is no Head of County Officer already appointed, represent FAO in the county by holding regular meetings with senior county government officials and being the prime point of contact between the County Governor and FAO Kenya.
• Monitor the progress and execution of activities as per the work plan, and perform other duties as required.

Qualifications:

• University degree in Natural Resource Management, Land Management, Land Administration, Surveying, or Legal studies or related fields from a recognized higher institution.
• 6-7 years of relevant working experience with University Degree in natural resource management programmes at national level or 3-4 years with Advanced University Degree.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Excellent working knowledge of computer applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and GIS).
• National of Kenya.
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Must be willing to read and learn FAO methodologies and other relevant studies to perform this work
• Excellent strategic visioning, creative thinking and problem solving skills.
• Competence in Result Based Management and Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation tools.
• High level of integrity and accountability, flexible approaches to work and commitment.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks and work under pressure with a wide range of individuals and institutions.
• Knowledge and understating of the local content of the counties
• Besides being based in the county, the officer must be willing to travel or be relocated to a different county as deemed necessary.
• Excellent understanding of the Kenya policy context in relation to land and natural resource management and climate change
• Familiarity with FAO modus operandi and other UN programming approaches or previous experience in working for INGOs and/or NGOs