Job Vacancy at FAO: Landscape Coordination and Forest Restoration Specialist – October 2026

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Job Title: Landscape Coordination and Forest Restoration Specialist Location: Arusha, Tanzania Duty Station / Project Area: Monduli–Karatu Landscape Job Type: Non-Staff Opportunity – National Project Personnel (NPP) Contract Duration: 12 months, full-time (renewable) Date Posted: 22 October 2026 Application Deadline: 6 November 2026 at 1:59 AM (Tanzania time, as displayed in the vacancy notice) Vacancy Reference: 2602189

About FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations working to achieve food security, improve nutrition, promote sustainable agriculture, and support rural development.

In Tanzania, FAO is implementing the AFR100 Support Programme, titled “Supporting AFR100 by Engaging with Small-Scale Forest and Farm Producers” (GCP/GLO/1208/GER). The programme focuses on the Monduli–Karatu landscape in Arusha Region, supporting locally led Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR), stronger producer organizations, restoration-based enterprises, and improved livelihoods.

FAO is seeking a qualified Landscape Coordination and Forest Restoration Specialist to coordinate field-level activities, provide technical guidance, monitor implementation, and strengthen collaboration among programme partners and local stakeholders.

Job Overview

The successful candidate will serve as the programme’s field-based focal point in the Monduli–Karatu landscape. The role involves coordinating service providers, providing technical guidance on forest and landscape restoration, monitoring the quality and progress of interventions, and supporting the timely identification and resolution of implementation challenges.

The specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Tanzania and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), in close collaboration with the AFR100 Tanzania coordination team and relevant technical and monitoring colleagues.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Landscape Coordination and Facilitation

• Coordinate field-level activities across all service providers operating in the Monduli–Karatu landscape, ensuring coherence, complementarity, and avoidance of duplication.

• Organize and facilitate regular landscape-level coordination meetings.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with district authorities, local government focal points, communities, and Forest and Farm Producer Organizations (FFPOs).

• Facilitate collaboration and joint problem-solving among service providers, communities, and local authorities.

• Support timely identification and resolution of implementation challenges.

• Maintain a strong field presence and participate in restoration bootcamps, sensitization sessions, coordination visits, and other priority field activities.

• Support communities and producer groups in accessing programme grant mechanisms, including sensitization on grant requirements and assistance with applications and online platform submissions.

2. Technical Guidance and Quality Assurance

• Provide technical guidance on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approaches, ensuring interventions align with priorities identified through ROAM and relevant technical guidance.

• Support service providers in selecting and applying restoration techniques suited to local ecosystems, land-use contexts, and restoration objectives.

• Conduct regular field visits and site inspections to verify the quality, technical soundness, and progress of activities.

• Ensure restoration interventions comply with agreed landscape priorities, technical standards, and approved workplans.

• Identify implementation challenges, technical risks, and deviations from agreed approaches at an early stage.

• Recommend practical corrective actions to the project team and relevant service providers.

• Follow up on corrective actions and provide technical support to improve implementation quality.

3. Field-Level Monitoring, Learning and Visibility

• Support the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist in verifying the accuracy of information reported by service providers against progress and results observed in the field.

• Follow up on delayed, incomplete, or unclear information and facilitate timely submission of required monitoring inputs.

• Report discrepancies, implementation gaps, and emerging issues to the Project Coordinator, M&E Specialist, and relevant colleagues.

• Provide regular field updates on restoration activities, implementation progress, and emerging results.

• Work with the Project Coordinator, Communication Specialist, and other colleagues to identify and document good practices, lessons learned, success stories, and important field developments.

• Facilitate access to field information, stakeholders, and intervention sites for monitoring, documentation, communication, and learning activities.

• Perform other duties assigned by the supervisor in support of FAO’s mission and strategic framework.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree in Forestry, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Science, Agroforestry, Land Restoration, Ecology, or a closely related field.

• Professional Experience: At least five years of relevant experience in Forest and Landscape Restoration, sustainable land management, forestry, agroforestry, natural resource management, or related field-based programmes.

• Languages: Working knowledge of English and fluency in Swahili.

• Nationality: Must be a national of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Technical and Functional Skills

Candidates should demonstrate the following:

• Experience coordinating or supervising field-based activities involving multiple partners, service providers, local authorities, and communities.

• Practical experience providing technical guidance on restoration approaches, including assisted natural regeneration, agroforestry, tree establishment, rangeland restoration, soil and water conservation, or other relevant FLR practices.

• Experience working directly with rural communities, producer organizations, and local government authorities.

FAO Core Competencies

Applicants will be assessed against the following core competencies:

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building Effective Relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Additional Information

• FAO does not charge any fees at any stage of recruitment, including application, interviews, or processing.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

• Higher educational qualifications must be obtained from institutions accredited or recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED).

• Qualifications should align with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.

• Appointment is subject to medical fitness certification, accreditation, applicable residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

• Candidates may be asked to provide performance assessments and authorize verification of employment, education, character, and other relevant records.

• Only complete applications submitted through the official FAO recruitment portal will be considered.

• Applications will be screened based on information provided in the applicant’s online profile.

• Personal information may be shared with FAO and authorized service providers for recruitment-related purposes, subject to the stated consent requirements.

• FAO encourages applicants to apply well before the deadline.

Important: Qualified female applicants, nationals of non- and under-represented Member Nations, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. FAO maintains strict standards of integrity and professional conduct, including zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination.

FAO is a non-smoking environment.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should follow these steps:

1. Visit the official FAO recruitment portal using the application link below.

2. Create or update your online profile with accurate and complete employment history, academic qualifications, and language skills.

3. Attach a letter of motivation to your online profile.

4. Review your information carefully and submit your application through the portal.

5. Ensure your application is complete and submitted before the closing date.

For assistance with recruitment-related queries, applicants can register with FAO’s client support team through the official support portal: FAO Client Support.

Application Link

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Application Deadline: 6 November 2026 at 1:59 AM, as stated in the vacancy notice.

Only applications submitted through the official FAO recruitment portal will be considered.