Senior Technical Officer (SDG Coordination)

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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 Members and persons 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, for Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life, leaving no one behind.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are global objectives that will shape national development plans over the next 9 years. From ending poverty and hunger to responding to climate change and sustaining our natural resources, food and agriculture lies at the heart of the 2030 Agenda. The Food and Agriulture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for Better production, Better nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better life, leaving no one behind. The FAO Office of Sustainable Development Goals (OSG) coordinates FAO engagement in the 2030 Agenda follow-up and review, working closely with concerned units across the Organization with an overall objective to mainstream SDGs through the FAO Strategic Framework.
The SDGs are central in FAO’s overall theory of change. Key SDGs and their indicators, including all indicators for which FAO is custodian or contributing agency, are used to promote focus, track progress and express aspirations at the level of medium/long-term outcome/impact. Twenty Programme Priority Areas (PPAs) guide the programmes that FAO will implement under the four Betters in order to fill critical gaps and put in place the conditions needed to drive the changes that will ultimately contribute to the achievement of the specific SDG targets.

The position is located in the Office of Sustainable Development Goals (OSG) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines
The Senior Technical Officer (SDG Coordination) reports to the Director, Office of Sustainable Development Goals (OSG).

Technical Focus
FAO’s work on SDGs covers various service lines including, monitoring and reporting progress, building capacity of countries to follow up and review the 2030 Agenda in areas of FAO work and supporting interventions to improve key SDG targets at national, regional and global level. The post is focusing on coordinating the provision and delivery of policy and strategy support on SDGs services towards FAO Members, FAO units and other stakeholders at global, regional and national level that can support agri-food systems transformations.

Key Results
Leadership and technical expertise for the planning, development and implementation of Programmes of work, projects, related products and services in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework and supporting integration of SDGs in the agri-food sector.

Key Functions
• Leads the development, implementation and evaluation on technical issues of assigned programmes/projects; directs the review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, liaises with relevant parties; identifies and initiates follow-up actions;
• Coordinates programmes and reviews the assessment of issues and trends for the implementation of programmes and projects as well as the preparation of impact evaluation or equivalent studies;
• Supervises preparation of various written outputs, e.g. background papers, analysis, substantial sections of reports as well as studies, and inputs to publications;
• Directs substantive support to consultative meetings and conferences, to include the proposition of agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations;
• Manages outreach activities; designs and conducts training workshops, seminars; and makes presentations on assigned topics/activities;
• Leads field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties;
• Provides advice to develop policies and strategies as well as national protocols and guide lines for projects with specific domains related to FAO's work.

Specific Functions
• Provides general oversight and coordination of work programmes in the Office of Sustainable Development Goals;
• Designs innovative approaches in order to scale up the SDG work of FAO on the ground and in cooperation with public, private, academia and civil society; reviews and evaluates lessons learned and make proposals for improvements;
• Compiles inputs for the contribution of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals to the Office of Strategy, Planning and Resources Management (OSP) in further integrating the SDGs into the Organization’s strategic planning and reporting framework, support coordination within FAO on SDG corporate planning and reporting, and contribute to qualitative reporting to Governing Bodies on SDGs;
• Documents resource and capacity needs from country and regional offices related to supporting FAO Members in developing and implementing SDGs-based agri-food systems transformations and identifies potential resource mobilization opportunities to cover these needs;
• Prepares concept notes for resource mobilization proposals and oversees the preparation of project documents as per needs of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals;
• Prepares substantive inputs for monitoring overall progress on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and coordinates with other relevant stakeholders on possible corrective actions;
• Acts as focal point in OSG for FAO strategic themes (e.g. Climate Change Strategy, Science and Innovation Strategy, etc.), strategic exercises (e.g. flagship reports like SDGS report, SOFI, Foresight Exercises, etc.) and initiatives (e.g. Hand-in-Hand, One country one commodity etc.);
• Promotes and facilitates interactions and exchanges with other senior technical officers and technical focal points in relevant FAO units to ensure coordination and coherence on common issues related to delivery of the FAO SDGs services;
• Maintains networks of collaboration with peers in other UN organizations and FAO partners to gather information and promote awareness of technical issues to improve integration of SDGs in the agri-food sector.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in sustainable development, environment, economics, social studies or other area related to FAO work
• Ten years of relevant experience in strategy and policy formulation, advice and analysis in the area of sustainable development
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish)

Competencies
• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking

Technical/Functional Skills
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is essential
• Extent of knowledge of the content of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs as well as other development agenda such as the Paris Agreement, etc.
• Extent and relevance of experience in the area of SDGs technical cooperation's related activities, policy advice and analysis and/or providing technical support and advice on institutional capacity building processes
• Relevance and extent of experience in the area(s) of food security, agriculture, environmental management, rural development to achieve sustainable development
• Extent and relevance of experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with UN agencies, NGOs as well as donors and government institutions and agencies
• Relevance and extent of experience in working with inter-governmental bodies and multi-disciplinary teams.