Young Professional Officer (Innovation and Digital Agriculture)

1H011H01

• 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 FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

In collaboration with the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), the Subregional Office for Central Asia (FAO-SEC) is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing strategies for addressing priorities relating to food security, agriculture and rural development, natural resource management, climate change and sustainable food systems in the Central Asia subregion. The Organization’s technical assistance includes institution building, development of knowledge and competencies, and exchange of experience among FAO member countries. FAO-SEC supports regional policy dialogue on the above issues, facilitates the emergence of regional and subregional partnerships, and supports capacity development and resource mobilization in the subregion.

Guided by the FAO Strategic Framework and the objective of supporting countries in their aspiration of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the priorities defined by the Regional Conference for Europe, FAO-SEC and the other FAO Offices in the Region are implementing their programmes under the programmatic umbrella of the Regional Initiatives. The Regional Initiatives are supported by a multidisciplinary team of technical experts assigned to achieve the desired results and to support the country offices in facilitating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in close collaboration with technical experts at FAO headquarters.

Reporting Lines

The Young Professional Officer (Innovation and Digital Agriculture) reports to the Senior Policy Officer (SEC) and works in close collaboration with the Digital Agriculture Team in REU as well as the Innovation in Digital Agriculture team in FAO’s Office of Innovation (OIN).

Technical Focus

The Young Professional Officer (Innovation and Digital Agriculture) will get acquainted with the current status of digital agriculture in the Europe and Central Asia region and will support the use of sustainable, inclusive digital solutions to deliver agri-food system transformation across the region, with special attention to FAO member states in the SEC subregion.

Key Results

Research, technical analysis and project related services to support the delivery of assigned projects, products and services.

Key Functions

• Analyzes relevant technical social, economic, environmental, and technology information, data and/or statistics for input in various documents;

• Maintains records and updates databases and web pages;

• Provides technical support to various projects;

• Collaborates in the development of training tools and materials and the organization of workshops/seminars etc.;

• Participates in the organization and follow-up of meetings, consultations and conferences, the production of required materials and the provision of information and assistance to partners.
  

Specific Functions

• Assists in building awareness and capacity amongst FAO staff at regional, subregional and country levels on data/digital agriculture and supports FAO project teams in the region in the use of innovative digital solutions through workshops and meetings;

• Provides support to a mapping of on-going Technical Cooperation Programmes and ongoing projects and initiatives that could benefit from digital innovation;

• Provides support to engagement and knowledge sharing with countries to present the advantages and opportunities of FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, Digital Villages Initiative and other relevant digital initiatives;

• Collects and compiles data on strategic partners, initiatives and resources to build and scale-up digital interventions for agriculture in member states;

• Assists in the development of concept notes, project documents, training tools and materials and the organization of workshops/webinars, etc;

• Performs other duties as required

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agriculture, information technology, economics or related field;
• One year of relevant experience in information technology, digitalization, startup environment or management consulting;
• Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
  

Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in digital technology and innovation;
• Work experience in agriculture digitalization and information technology is desirable;
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

NB Please note that candidates should be 32 years of age or younger as of 31 December of the year of application.