Fishing Technology and Operations Specialists

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture. Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply; Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

International Consultants (COF.REG)/Subscribers to Personal Services Agreements (PSA.SBS) represent an important source of expertise for FAO, making their specialist contributions across the globe towards the achievement of the Organization’s strategic objectives. For FAO to be able to attract and employ the best possible experts in the wide range of technical areas of its mandate, a competitive selection process has been introduced. This process is intended to create a pool of candidates which can be called upon when their expertise is required, ensuring a transparent and rigorous selection process.

The FAO Fisheries Division (NFI) promotes policies and strategies aiming at sustainable and responsible development of fisheries and aquaculture in inland and marine waters. The Fishing Technology and Operations Team (NFIFO) of NFI aims to assist FAO Members in building the technical and operational capacities of their fishing industry, through increasing access to better fishing vessel and gear technologies, financial and insurance services, responsible investments, safety measures and through innovative practices that promote sustainable fisheries and minimize pollution from fishing operations. The objectives of NFIFO are: 1) Support the development of an efficient, innovative, safe and socio-economically sound fishing industry; 2) Support responsible practices for sustainable fisheries and reduction of impacts of fishing operations on ecosystems; 3) Reduce the pollution from fishing operations (gears and vessels) and fishing harbours; 4) Enhance the knowledge, skills and competencies of fishing vessel personnel to carry out their work in a professional and safe manner; and 5) Increase the access of the fisheries industry to financial and insurance services and investment opportunities. 
Assignments pursuant to this Call for Expression of Interest may be at the Organization’s headquarters in Rome (Italy), home based, or on field missions, as required.

FAO's work is related to the implementation of Chapter 8 (Fishing Operations) of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, including the following main areas of NFIFO’s work: fishing operations and fishing vessel design and technology; fishing gear technology and selectivity; environmental impacts of fishing; pollution reduction in fisheries, infrastructure development, including harbours and landing sites for fishing vessels; fishing fleet economic performance; fisheries micro-finance and credit, fisheries insurance; fisheries investments; small-scale fishing technology; emergency response; safety at sea; and programmes/projects formulation and implementation.

NFIFO's work also includes the implementation of the GloLitter Partnerships, RegLitter, PROSEAS and REBYC III projects. The team is currently seeking consultants to assist in the implementation activities addressing abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gears (ALDFG) at national and regional level.

Reporting Lines

The COF.REG/PSA.SBS will work under the overall supervision of the Team Leader of NFIFO and the direct supervision of a technical officer of NFIFO.

Technical Focus 

• Law of the Sea. Experts on fishing regulations and/or environmental law with a particular focus on prevention and reduction of pollution from ships.
• Fishing gear technology to support fishing gear modifications (incl. fish aggregating devices - FADs) and gear marking trials to prevent and reduce gear loss and ghost fishing. 
• Waste management with a particular focus on plastic litter produced by the fishing sector, including ALDFG.
• Fisheries infrastructure engineers and architects.
• Naval architects with experience in fishing vessel design and construction.
• Surveys development, implementation, and analysis.

Tasks and responsibilities

The tasks and responsibilities of each selected COF.REG or PSA.SBS will be defined in the Terms of Reference for the specific assignment. In general, depending on the specific assignment, designated tasks and responsibilities will normally include a number of the following elements:

Consultants (COF.REG) and Subscribers (PSAs)

• Support project formulation in accordance with FAO’s Strategic Framework and the FAO project cycle.
• Carry out coordination, implementation and administration of assigned activities in accordance with FAO rules, procedures and systems, and donor requirements.
• Support implementation of the above-mentioned projects (GloLitter Partnerships, RegLitter, PROSEAS and REBYC III) and other projects.
• Provide substantive technical inputs to relevant activities and projects, including studies, publications and analyses, knowledge products and dissemination materials related to NFIFO’s areas of work, including guidelines, manuals, research papers, capacity building and training materials, and related websites.
• Collect, manage and analyze data to be used to inform and guide the teams’ technical and policy work.
• Perform outreach and communication-related activities.
• Any other duties related to NFIFO’s areas of work.
Consultants (COF.REG)
• Carry out organization of and participate in external events (including field missions) in support of the delivery of NFIFO’s programme of work, including consultation, training, capacity building and technical assistance.
• Collaborate with other FAO divisions, UN agencies (e.g. IMO, ILO, UN Environment, World Bank), intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and other external partners in the areas of NFIFOs programme of work, as well as areas of mutually beneficial interest to FAO Member countries.
• Contribute to NFIFO’s work related to resource mobilization, monitoring of regular programme expenses and organization of international meetings.
• Assist beneficiary countries in undertaking the necessary policy and legislative revisions for the adoption and effective implementation of the provisions of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear, FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and complementary international instruments. 
• Support implementation of the above-mentioned projects (GloLitter Partnerships, RegLitter, PROSEAS and REBYC III) and other projects.
• Represent NFIFO at internal and external meetings, particularly those related to the development and implementation of NFIFO’s activities.
• Prepare and organize consultations, workshops and technical meetings.
• Collaborate with relevant institutions, networks and platforms that could help FAO leverage its messages and advance global dialogue on various issues related to NFIFO’s programme of work, helping the Organization specifically to implement its Programme Priority Area (PPA) on Blue Transformation, as well as FAO’s PPAs on Bioeconomy for sustainable food and agriculture, Scaling up Investment and Resilient agri-food systems.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree for:
o COF.REG: in Fisheries /Marine Biology/ Environmental Studies, Marine engineering, Architecture, Development Studies, Economics, Political Sciences, Law, Business Administration, International Relations, or other relevant field.
o PSAs: University degree in the above areas. A technical diploma plus demonstrated and relevant professional experience of at least 4 years can be accepted in lieu of a university degree.
• Relevant experience in one or more areas in the field of fishing operations and vessel design and technology; fishing technology, gear selectivity and environmental impacts of fishing; pollution reduction in fisheries, waste management, fisheries infrastructure development, including harbours and landing sites for fishing vessels; fishing fleet economic performance; fisheries micro-finance and credit, fisheries insurance; fisheries investments; sustainable business model development, small-scale fishing technology; emergency response; safety at sea; and programmes/ projects formulation and implementation.

• Years of relevant experience:
o For COF.REG/PSAs level C: one to four years of relevant experience.
o For COF.REG/PSAs level B: at least five years of relevant experience.
o For COF.REG: level A: at least 12 years of relevant experience, 15 years for PSA.SBS.

• Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other languages of the Organization (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian). For PSA it can be required only one language level C.

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 above mentioned area of work, particularly in developing countries is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of field experience in a technical area of assignment.
• Extent and relevance of experience in providing technical advice at local, national, regional and global levels.
• Extent and relevance of knowledge in the implementation of international instruments, standards and guidelines, related to pertinent field of expertise. Particularly the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related guidelines is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience in project/programme formulation and implementation of projects, programmes and studies in the pertinent field of expertise.
• Extent and relevance of knowledge and understanding of the work of international organizations, regional entities and national governments.
• Extent of experience with working in a team of professional staff from diverse technical and cultural backgrounds and expertise.
• Extent of experience in monitoring, knowledge management and information dissemination.
• Extent of experience with capacity development and knowledge sharing activities.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any 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 recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at For more information, visit the FAO employment website Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

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