Junior Policy Specialist, Responsible Business Conduct

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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 member nations, 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 our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

The Markets and Trade Division (EST) monitors and analyses trends in international, regional and national agricultural commodity markets, collecting and disseminating comprehensive market and policy information concerning the major traded commodities and those important to food security. It also undertakes forward-looking outlook studies. The Division analyses issues that affect global food and agricultural trade, including policy analysis of trade measures and agreements, and provides technical support and capacity building to members in all these areas. Through its Global Information and Early Warning Service, the Division is also responsible for FAO's early warnings on food shortfalls. The Division houses secretariats of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP), the Intergovernmental Commodity Groups (IGGs), the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), the World Banana Forum (WBF), among other key platforms for agricultural trade and development.
The Team on Responsible Global Value Chains (RGVC) in EST works, among other activities, for the advancement of social and environmental development through Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in Agriculture, trade and global supply chains. The work of the RGVC Team aims to create a better understanding of the main issues related to environmental and social development in business conduct in the agricultural sector, in sourcing and trading agricultural commodities Among its workstreams, a key focus area includes the promotion and uptake of the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains (OECD-FAO Guidance) among companies, stakeholders and governments. This post is home based and focused on supporting the implementation of FAO’s work on the OECD-FAO Guidance.
Reporting Lines
The Consultants/PSAs will report directly to the RGVC Team Leader and work in close collaboration with the team member in charge of the OECD-FAO Guidance and FAO’s work on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in Agriculture.

Technical Focus

Technical expertise is required in areas such as: Corporate sustainability, trade, business, development, stakeholder engagement and environmental and social risk in thematic areas related to supply chains, responsible business conduct and business and human rights (ex. scope 3 carbon emissions and climate risk in agricultural supply chains, decent work and child labour, responsible investment, auditing, sustainability reporting, etc).

Tasks and responsibilities

The tasks for this position include, but not limited to, the following:

• Compile, analyze and synthesize data on the use and reference of the OECD-FAO Guidance by companies, governments, civil society organizations and other stakeholders;
• Collect data and creating an excel database of examples of environmental and social development impacts in global agricultural supply chains, and a set of good practices in mitigating impacts by companies together in cooperation with different stakeholders;
• Research and draft an internal policy/summary note on the role of small and medium agricultural enterprises in global agricultural supply chains, including compiling empirical data on the role of SMEs in agri-food supply chains, challenges in addressing social and environmental impacts, and practical responses to due diligence, considering the operational environment of doing business in low- and middle-income countries;
• Conduct desk-based research and draft an internal summary note on the role of cooperatives and risk-based due diligence in agriculture, considering practical ways in which they can be leveraged to reduce environmental and social impacts in global agricultural supply chains;
• Support the development of EST proposals and initiatives involving business climate risks aimed to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by agri-food companies;
• Draft text on FAO's activities on RBC in global value chains to be published on the FAO Website;
• Support the communication of FAO's work on the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains, including outreach in drafting messages for social media content (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook);
• Coordinate the translation and PWS processing of all publications associated to the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains in all UN languages;
• Support the coordination of content of FAO's corporate website on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in Agriculture and the EST webpages on the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains, including updating materials, publications and coordination of translation and layout of all updates in all UN languages;
• Liaise with external partners on RBC and due diligence;
• Carry out any other organizational and technical work as required by the Team.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in a related field such as business and management, economics, agricultural sciences, climate change, natural resource management, social and environmental sustainability, development studies, labour markets and sustainability.
• A minimum of 1 year of relevant experience in working for a company or consulting firm on sustainability issues, or for UN agency/IFIs or other international actors in areas related to business, environmental and social risk mitigation and private sector development in the agricultural sector
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian) for Consultants. For PSA.SBS working knowledge of English is sufficient.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in areas related to company sustainability, environmental and social impacts in supply chains, or supporting private sector development projects in a developing country for UN agencies, International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and/or major international organizations would be considered an asset
• Field experience in working with low- and middle-income countries and understanding operational and development challenges for businesses is an advantage
• Knowledge of a niche area in business and agricultural supply chains such as climate risk, trade and cooperatives, small and medium agricultural enterprises and global trade, among others, is an advantage
• Knowledge and experience with environmental and social impact guidance frameworks such as the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, or IFC Performance Standards is a distinct advantage
• Knowledge of Spanish and/or French is desirable
• Experience in working with FAO and knowledge of FAO procedures is a plus
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and ability to interact effectively with different stakeholders and team members
• Superior attention to detail
• Good organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects independently and proactively
• Excellent time management and problem-solving skills
• Ability to write reports and minutes in a clear and systematic manner
• Self-starter with initiative to lead tasks independently
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

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