Forest Sector Finance Specialist

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FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• 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
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

The Government of Brazil, through the National Productive Forests Program (NPFP), aims to recover areas that have been altered or degraded for productive purposes, with a view to the adequacy and environmental regularization of family farming and the expansion of the production capacity of healthy food and socio-biodiversity products. A key challenge to the success of the NPFP is access to adequate, affordable, and tailored financial services for smallholders, community forestry groups, cooperatives, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in productive forestry and restoration activities. Better access to financing for family farmers and smallholders is needed for primary production as well as for processing, storage, and market access. Small family farmers, however, continue to be excluded of most of the formal financial services and face risks related to production, markets, climate change, and unstable income.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has experience in strengthening smallholder access to finance through initiatives such as the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) as well as in supporting the design of blended finance solutions to unlock investment in forest and landscape restoration. Building on this experience, FAO will oversee a scoping study to identify opportunities, barriers, and recommendations for strengthening financial access in support of NPFP implementation.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent reports to the Assistant Representative in FAO Brazil – Programme.

Technical Focus

The main objective of this role is to assess financial instruments and mechanisms that are able to enhance access to financial services to family farmers and smallholders on restoration, productive forestry and related value-added production and market development under the NPFP, and to provide technical support in developing recommendations for improving access to financial services for smallholders, communities, and SMEs under the NPFP, with focus in the Amazon and Cerrado regions.  
Specific objectives are to:
●    Map existing and potential public, private, and blended finance instruments available in Brazil that could support restoration, productive forestry and related value-added production activities.
●    Assess the barriers and opportunities faced by both financial service provides as well as smallholders, traditional communities, Indigenous Peoples, and SMEs in accessing these financial services.
●    Analyse four financial mechanisms (partial credit guarantees, agricultural insurance, revolving funds, and savings and credit schemes) and their potential application in the NPFP context as well as FAO potential technical assistance in facilitating access to finance under the NPFP. 
●    Provide technical support in developing recommendations on priority financial instruments and mechanisms to be amended or developed and related proposed roadmaps for follow-up action implementation

Tasks And Responsibilities

The incumbent will undertake the following tasks:

●    Desk Review:
o    Review relevant national policies, credit programs, and financial instruments related to forests, agriculture, rural development, and restoration.
o    Review FAO’s global and regional experiences (FFF, AFR100 support programme, blended finance initiatives).

●    Stakeholder Mapping:
o    Identify key actors (public banks, private financial institutions, cooperatives, microfinance providers, climate funds, impact investors, and community-based finance mechanisms).

●    Analysis:
o    Assess gaps, barriers, and enabling factors in smallholder and community access to financial services.
o    Examine innovative finance instruments (partial credit guarantees, agricultural insurance, revolving funds, and savings and credit schemes) and their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks as well as conditions for successful deployment in the NPFP context. The analysis should cover the different types of financial services that could be introduced within the scope of the NPFP, with the description of the financial service, the profile of the beneficiary, specific aspects to be considered for its implementation within the scope of the NPFP, impacts that could be achieved, necessary institutional arrangements, governance mechanisms, among others.
o    Provide further in-depth analysis of 2-3 priority instruments for potential development and practical piloting. 
o    Assess FAO potential technical assistance, including through FAO’s capitalization of financial instruments, Forest and Farm Facility or business incubation in the context of restoration.

●    Recommendations and Roadmap:
o    Provide technical support in developing recommendations for financial mechanisms and partnerships relevant to NPFP implementation and possible pilots.
o    Support the development of roles for FAO in providing technical assistance, capacity building, and facilitation of partnerships.
o    Provide support in outlining an operational roadmap for piloting and scaling financial access solutions within the NPFP framework.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING:

Minimum Requirements

●    University Degree in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Rural Development, Environmental Management, Forest Engineering, or a related field.
●    At least 6 years of relevant professional experience in rural financial inclusion and/or in providing financial services to smallholders, cooperatives, traditional communities, and SMEs engaged in restoration, productive forestry, and related value chains.
●    Working Knowledge (level C) in Portuguese and English 
●    National of Brazil 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

●    Experience in financial analysis of investment projects in the agricultural sector.
●    Knowledge of evaluating financing sources for agricultural development.
●    Participation in the design of alternative financing mechanisms for projects and programs.
●    Experience in developing public rural development programs.
●    Master Degree will be an asset

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 a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• 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.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. 

How To Apply

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
•  We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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