CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT:

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality.
Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations
depending on the evolving needs of the Organization
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Organizational Setting

This position will provide technical support to a project funded by the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme that improves Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) in Thailand while furthering the development of Thailand’s Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the European Union. The initial draft of Thailand’s Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) has been prepared by the Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office (TEFSO) with Thai VPA stakeholders and submitted to the EU at the Joint Expert Meeting (JEM) 3 in March 2018. The EU via the European Forest Institute (EFI) has commented on the draft for further development. At JEM 3, the Thai side was requested by the EU to provide support in recruiting a national consultant to assist the working group in developing the TLAS documents. The position will be supported via funds from FAO through TEFSO, and will be based at TEFSO. This position is expected to be extended in a second phase from January to June 2019.

Reporting Lines

The national consultant on TLAS will aim to provide technical support to the TEFSO and TLAS Sub-Working Group/Ad Hoc Working Group on FLEGT (AHWG). He/she will work closely with the Sub-working group/AHWG and relevant stakeholders/institutions in term of providing technical consulting and writing the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) of Thailand, which consists of five elements under the FLEGT VPA. The TLAS’s elements consist of 1) Legality Definition; 2) Supply Chain Control (SCC); 3) Verification; 4) FLEGT Licensing; and 5) Independent Audit. Given that the Thai side has requested support for more than one technical consultant from the EU, this position needs to be linked and share the information in order to succeed at the given tasks.

Technical Focus

The draft Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) annex in Thai and English
The draft Supply Chain Control (SCC) annex in Thai and English
Presentation on TH TLAS and SCC Annexes for use in future Joint Expert Meetings (JEM) and VPA Negotiations (NEG)
Recommendations on the next steps for providing verification of compliance, FLEGT license (issue) and Independent audit

Tasks and responsibilities

A. Preparation of documents:

- Review documents and technical feedback from the EU/EFI on the draft of the Thai Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) and related Annexes. The review should include TLAS and related Annexes from other country models that have successfully concluded VPA negotiations.

- Identify and propose a draft of a practical amendment to the TLAS and related elements for discussing with relevant stakeholders i.e. Sub-Working Groups (SWG), Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG), related agencies, etc.

- Preparation of a 6-months work plan on working with sub-working groups and AHWG, in consultation with the relevant Sub-working group (SWG) and/or AHWG, in terms of collaboration and delivery of outputs.

- Conduct field visits as necessary, in conjunction with on-going FLEGT projects in Thailand, to better understand supply chain control issues in practice.

B. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders i.e. Sub-working groups (SWG), Ad-Hoc Working group (AHWG), related agencies, etc. on developing the TH TLAS and Supply Chain Control (SCC) documents.

- Attend relevant SWG and AHWG meetings, and present progress of the TH TLAS and related Annexes as needed.

- Work closely with relevant stakeholders on revising the TH TLAS and related documents based on discussion.

- Provide briefings to Thai government officials on the progress of the TH TLAS and related Annexes, as required.

- Translate the draft and final versions relevant documents into Thai and English to support the stakeholders in providing input to the documents.

C. Deliver the complete documents listed under Phase I based on the conclusion of the Sub-working group(s)/AHWG and comments from EU technical consultants, which are ready to be negotiated with the EU. The Phase II documents will be delivered in a subsequent phase in 2019.

Phase I:

Submit the complete documents in both Thai and English of the TH TLAS annex
Submit the complete documents in both Thai and English of the SCC annex
Prepare a detailed presentation on the TH TLAS and SCC Annexes that can be used in future JEM and NEG

Phrase II:

Submit the complete documents in both Thai and English of the Verification of compliance description/annex.
Submit the complete documents in both Thai and English of the FLEGT License description/annex.
Submit the complete documents in both Thai and English of the Independent Audit description/annex.
Submit the revised documents in both Thai and English of the TH TLAS annex based on the EU’s comments.
Submit the revised documents in both Thai and English of the SCC annex base on the EU’s comments.
Prepare a detailed presentation on the Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) that can be used in future JEM and NEG.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

University degree in forestry, forest economics, international relations, or other relevant field to the Terms-of-Reference;
At least 5 years’ experience in writing reports or technical documents;
Fluent in English and Thai;

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Work experience with the Royal Thai Government in the forest and land use sector
Extent and relevance of experience in project management
Extent and relevance of experience in forestry
Understanding of certification, legality verification, and FLEGT concept
Excellent writing, interpretation and communication skills;

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Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO,

Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing).
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognised in the IAU/UNESCO list.
Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
Candidates with acceptable language certificate/s should upload them when submitting their application. For details, visit http://www.fao.org/3/I8446EN/i8446en.pdf
For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
For further information on categories, contract duration and honoraria, please refer to the Conditions page.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

Vacancies will be removed from the recruitment portal at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: [email protected]

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

National Consultant on TLAS Phase I