Organizational Setting

FAO Mongolia operates with the vision of being a leading, credible, and responsive partner in ensuring food and nutrition security for the population. In line with FAO’s global mandate, the Organization supports Mongolia in addressing critical challenges in agriculture and food systems, including low productivity, land degradation and overgrazing, climate change impacts, and vulnerabilities affecting rural livelihoods. FAO also contributes to advancing sustainable water management for food security and strengthening resilient and inclusive agrifood systems. Mongolia's water resources are unevenly distributed and increasingly affected by climate variability, drought and growing water demand.

Groundwater is an important source of water for rural communities, livestock production, agriculture and economic development, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where surface water resources are limited or seasonal. Despite its importance, groundwater information remains fragmented and monitoring networks require strengthening to support sustainable water resources management and long-term planning. Improved groundwater assessment, monitoring and data management are needed to better understand groundwater availability, vulnerability and use, and to support informed decision-making for water security and agricultural development.

FAO is supporting the Government of Mongolia through the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) "Strengthening Groundwater Assessment and Sustainable Water Management for Food Security in Mongolia". The project aims to strengthen groundwater assessment, groundwater monitoring, vulnerability mapping, technical recommendations, community-level water security analysis and geo information management systems to support sustainable water resources management and evidence-based planning. To support implementation of the TCP, FAO seeks a Groundwater and Water Management Specialist who will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Mongolia and in close coordination with the FAO RAP Land and Water Officer.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Mongolia, direct supervision of AFAOR (programme) in Mongolia, relevant government counterparts and other project stakeholders.

Technical focus

The incumbent will provide project management and technical support for the TCP implementation related to groundwater assessment, groundwater monitoring, hydrogeological analysis, water resources management, GIS-based information systems and capacity development in the Agriculture and Land-use sector. The specialist will work closely with government counterparts, project stakeholders and the FAO RAP Land and Water Office to support the development of technical assessments, groundwater information systems and recommendations for sustainable groundwater and water resources management in Mongolia. The incumbent must take on various roles within an organization to help ensure effective day-to-day operations of the project.

Tasks and responsibilities

Concept note development:

• Develop high quality proposal and concept note for donor submission covering the thematic windows such as water, livelihoods, climate resilience in the agriculture and land-use sector aligned with finance mechanisms.
• Provide regular updates on workplan and activity schedule in consultation with FAO and stakeholders;
• Engage with stakeholders, establish field demonstrations, awareness campaigns and other activities accordance with the FAO procedure;
• Identify priorities in terms of development of the concept note and proposal development and closely cooperate with respective government organizations.

Technical support for project implementation in particular water sector projects:

• Support groundwater assessment activities in selected project areas, including data collection, analysis and reporting.
• Compile, review and analyse available hydrogeological, hydrological, groundwater monitoring and water resources information.
• Contribute to groundwater resource assessments, aquifer characterization and groundwater recharge analysis.
• Support groundwater vulnerability and water security assessments and preparation of related technical reports and maps.
• Assist in the planning and implementation of groundwater monitoring activities, including field verification and data quality control.
• Support the development and updating of groundwater databases, GIS products and other information management tools.
• Support the development of groundwater vulnerability maps, water security assessments and decision-support tools for sustainable water resources management.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical recommendations for groundwater management, water security and sustainable agricultural water use.
• Support stakeholder consultations, technical meetings, workshops and validation events organized under the project.
• Assist in the preparation of training materials and delivery of capacity development activities for government counterparts and stakeholders.
• Prepare technical reports, mission reports and other documentation required for project implementation.
• Coordinate with the FAO RAP Land and Water Office, government counterparts and project partners to support timely implementation of project activities and delivery of technical outputs.
• Support the preparation of technical inputs, concept notes and recommendations for future groundwater and water management investments and resource mobilization opportunities.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Water, Water Resources Engineering, hydrogeology, Agriculture, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of working experience in project implementation, Groundwater and Water Management, agricultural development, biodiversity conservation, or related areas.
• Working knowledge of English and Mongolian.
• Nationality of Mongolia.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience in the application of GIS and spatial data management for water resources, groundwater assessment, environmental management, natural resources management, agriculture, or related fields.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Good command of written and spoken English and Mongolian.
• Excellent planning and organizing skills, accurate with attention to detail.
• Able to work as part of a multinational team.
• Experience in the UN system is an asset.
• Strong writing, composition, editing and reporting skills in both English and Mongolian.
• Technical knowledge on theories and practices in land management.
• Excellent inter-personal skills, including the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships at all levels.
• Proactive approach to improve the visibility of project activities.
• Teamwork and strong soft skills including interpersonal, ethical, listening and communication skills, proactive, problem solving, self-organizing, planning, setting priorities and efficient use of time.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing). Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. 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 http://www.whed.net/. For additional employment opportunities 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.