National Forest Inventory Expert📣 إعلان

About the Role

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is seeking a National Forest Inventory Expert to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) and the National Centre for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC). This full-time position is based in Riyadh and will focus on strengthening national capacities in sustainable rangeland and forest management through the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme (SRAD).

Role Context and Objectives

The FAO, through its Technical Cooperation Programme, provides technical and advisory support for national initiatives. This role is critical for the completion, validation, reporting, and dissemination of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's first comprehensive National Forest Inventory (NFI). The NFI provides essential data on forest resources, supporting evidence-based decision-making and national reporting obligations. The expert will provide technical leadership, specialized support for data analysis and interpretation, and facilitate knowledge transfer to NCVC and relevant stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and finalize the cleaned and validated National Forest Inventory database, ensuring dataset consistency for reporting.
• Lead the technical analysis and interpretation of NFI results, supporting the preparation of key indicators related to forest area, composition, biomass, carbon stock, biodiversity, and forest health.
• Draft the National Forest Inventory Database Report, including data structure, quality control, metadata, and management protocols.
• Draft the National Forest Inventory Methodology Report, covering sampling design, field protocols, data collection, quality assurance, and analytical approaches.
• Draft the National Forest Inventory Results Report for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including statistical analysis, findings, maps, charts, tables, and technical annexes.
• Collaborate with the FAO geospatial team to review and validate all maps, figures, and visual products for NFI reports.
• Prepare technical presentations, briefing notes, and communication materials summarizing key NFI findings for decision-makers.
• Design and deliver a National Workshop on NFI Results validation and dissemination, presenting findings, lessons learned, and recommendations.
• Provide technical advice during workshop discussions and review meetings.
• Support knowledge transfer and handover of methodologies, analytical procedures, databases, and reporting tools to NCVC and FAO technical teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• An advanced university degree (MSc or PhD) in Forestry, Forest Inventory, Natural Resources Management, Environmental Sciences, Forest Biometrics, Forestry Statistics, or a related field is required. A bachelor's degree with two additional years of relevant professional experience will also be considered.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in forest inventory design, implementation, analysis, reporting, and forest resource assessment.
• Demonstrated experience in National Forest Inventory implementation and reporting.
• Experience with forest inventory databases, quality assurance, and quality control procedures.
• Proficiency in forest statistics, sampling methodologies, and data analysis.
• Familiarity with GIS and spatial analysis tools.
• Experience in capacity development, training delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
• Working knowledge of English (level C) is mandatory.

Reporting and Work Environment

The National Forest Inventory Expert will report to the FAO Programme Director in Saudi Arabia and receive direct technical supervision from the Natural Resources Management Chief Technical Advisor. The expert will collaborate closely with FAO teams, NCVC technical counterparts, and other national and international experts involved in the NFI implementation. This is a full-time position based in Riyadh.

Additional Considerations

• A limited knowledge of Arabic (level B) will be an added advantage.
• Experience in forest biomass and carbon estimation, statistical analysis, and forest-related indicators is beneficial.
• Previous experience working with FAO, governmental institutions, or international organizations is desirable.
• Knowledge of dryland forestry, arid ecosystems, and forest monitoring challenges in the Near East region will be considered an asset.
• Previous experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region will be considered an advantage.