Policy Officer at Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

PROFESSIONAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO: ESA-83-14-PRJ

Deadline For Application: 7 November 2014
POSITION TITLE: Policy Officer (FIRST)
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA) , Economic and Social Development Department (ES)
GRADE LEVEL: P4
DUTY STATION: Multiple locations
DURATION ?: Fixed term: one year (with possibility of extension)
POST CODE/NO: unidentified
CCOG CODE: 1.E.02

Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member countries are encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

FAO and the European Union have agreed to a partnership programme designed to strengthen the enabling environment for food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (FNSSA) in a number of priority countries. The programme referred to as “FIRST” (Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation) will be supported by full time Policy Officers stationed in various countries. The Policy Officer will work under the overall guidance of the ESA Director (FAO/Rome), the technical supervision of the Manager of the FIRST Programme and the direct supervision of the FAO Country Representative, while working in close collaboration with the European Union Delegation, Government counterparts, relevant FAO Regional/Sub-regional offices and other stakeholders at country and/or regional level. In particular, the incumbent will:

• organizes and leads an in-depth assessment of the policy and institutional framework(s) related to FNSSA, reviews and analyzes global and country-specific requirements, and identifies areas for improvement;
• provides technical backstopping support to, and ensures the quality and effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities, as endorsed by the Government;
• responds to country requests for technical and policy assistance, provides technical advice, assistance and solutions for the full implementation of FNSSA programmes;
• prepares reports to FAO, European Union and Government on progress achieved and issues related to FIRST implementation;
• promotes international cooperation and advocates best practices and policy dialogue, while providing technical expertise at international/intergovernmental meetings, as requested;
• provides short-term policy and technical assistance in other countries as part of the FIRST expert network;
• participates in resource mobilization activities;
• performs other duties as required.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Candidates should meet the following:

• Advanced university degree in agricultural economics, development economics, food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture or a related area
• Seven years of relevant experience in policy analysis and advice related to food and nutrition security and/or sustainable agriculture policy

Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Russian, Arabic or Chinese

SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Extent and relevance of experience in policy analysis and advice in the area of food and nutrition security and/or sustainable agriculture policy
• Demonstrated ability to encourage and contribute to clear and open communication, as well as ability to prepare technical reports clearly and concisely
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships outside own immediate team to achieve common goals
• Ability to manage time and resources efficiently, monitoring progress and making adjustments as necessary to deliver work to set standards and deadlines
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

* The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments

REMUNERATION

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://icsc.un.org/

TO APPLY

For guidelines to applicants, please visit the Application Toolkit at http://www.fao.org/employment/current-vacancies/project/en/

Send your application to:

V.A ESA-83-14-PRJ
Economic and Social Development Department
FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome ITALY
E-mail: VA-83-14-PRJ-ESA@fao.org

Please note that FAO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director-General and may be assigned to any activities or office of the organization.

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT