Environmental Externalities Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Agrifood Economics and Policy Division (ESA) conducts economic research and policy analysis to support 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. ESA provides evidence-based support to national, regional and global policy processes and initiatives related to monitoring and analysing food and agricultural policies, agribusiness and value chain development, rural transformation and poverty, food security and nutrition information and analysis, resilience, bioeconomy, and climate-smart agriculture. The division also leads the production of two FAO flagship publications: The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) and The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI). 

The post is located at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, in the investments for sustainable markets, agribusiness and rural transformations (iSMART) team within ESA. The focus of the iSMART team is on the economic analysis of the actors and their functions in agrifood systems, examining how factors such as market demand and supply, prices, government policies, digital innovations, vulnerability and capacity of actors, and environmental factors affect processes of inclusion, resilience, risk, sustainability, and transformation of agrifood value chains. iSMART hosts the Environmental Externalities Accounting Tool (EX-ACT) suite of tools that allows to evaluate, among others, climate change mitigation and biodiversity effects of various types of investments and policies in agrifood value chains. EX-ACT related work involves: (i) country and donor support through project and policy evaluation using the suite of tools; (ii) policy analysis and advice related to climate change, climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation; (iii) training and capacity building provision to wide range of partners (governments, donors, international organisations, NGOs, etc.); and (iv) tools development, refinement and technical support. The post aims at supporting these activities. 

Successful candidates may be placed in similar positions within the organisation. 

Reporting Lines

The Environmental Externalities Specialist reports to the EX-ACT Coordinator under overall supervision of the Senior Economist, iSMART, under the overall leadership of the ESA Director. He/she will also be reporting, through ESA Management, to technical cooperation units as well as donors funding the programme.

Technical Focus 

The Consultant/PSA will conduct carbon balance appraisals, biodiversity assessments and/or socio-economic analysis on a broad range of projects, programmes and policies related to sustainable agriculture and value chains, at various stages of their development including design, implementation and monitoring; conduct trainings; support technical development of the tools; update and maintain various underlying databases.  The Consultant/PSA will also contribute to research on cost-effectiveness of agri-food sector interventions in terms of their climate change resilience, mitigation and biodiversity conservation outcomes.

Tasks and responsibilities

The assigned tasks and responsibilities related to this area of work may include a mix of the following:

•    Conduct carbon balance, biodiversity and/or socio-economic appraisals, collecting associated data and preparing associated economic and financial reports as required;
•    Support development and maintenance of the EX-ACT application, including methodological advancements and their implementation;
•    Support the design of agrifood projects to ensure their sustainability, and in particular maximization of their climate change mitigation and biodiversity outcomes;
•    Support the research on cost-effectiveness of climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation options in agri-food sector to support formulating robust recommendations for strategic orientation of policies and investments of FAO’s Member Countries;
•    Liaise with internal and external partners, including governments, donor institutions, international organisations, NGOs, national institutions, and academic and research organizations;
•    Prepare and providing training and information material (capacity building) on the use of tools to a wide range of stakeholders with diverse background; 
•    Provide technical inputs into communication materials, including briefs, leaflets, presentations and text for the website; 
•    Any other tasks as required.

FAO Standards and guidelines:

Liaison with the OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, appropriate review and clearance processes. 

All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including: 
FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en   
FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia    
Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044en  
FAOSTYLE: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081en  
FAO terminology: http://www.fao.org/faoterm  
FAO Names Of Countries: https://www.fao.org/nocs/en    
Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff).  

Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section. 

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in economics, agricultural economics, environmental economics, agronomy, natural sciences or closely related field;
•    Relevant experience in environmental economic analysis, climate change mitigation and/or biodiversity conservation assessments in the agri-food sector: 
o    For Consultants/PSA level B: at least five years of relevant experience;
o    For PSA level C: one to four years of relevant experience;
o    For Consultants level C: two to four years of relevant experience
•    Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Work experience in more than one location or area of work 
•    Extent and relevance of experience in assessing climate change mitigation and/or biodiversity conservation outcomes of public or private interventions (policies, investments etc.) in the agri-food sector
•    Extent and relevance of experience in database management
•    Advanced knowledge of MS Excel
•    Familiarity with computer programming languages (Python, R or other)
•    Familiarity with UNFCCC framework and the IPCC guidelines for GHG inventories in sectors related to agriculture and agrifood systems (AFOLU, energy etc.), Familiarity with GHG Protocol guidelines for AFOLU, and/or familiarity with CBD post 2020 framework and the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
•    Familiarity with various methods used to evaluate externalities in agrifood systems (e.g. Life Cycle Assessments,  impact evaluation  methodologies) would be an advantage
•    Experience in GHG and/or biodiversity assessments of development projects would be an advantage
•    Familiarity with geospatial data analysis for project design, monitoring and implementation would be an advantage

Selection Criteria 

•    Working knowledge of French or Spanish will be highly valued
•    Demonstrated awareness of climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development policy issues
•    Ability to manage wide range of tasks and to work under tight deadlines
•    Demonstrated capacity to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary team
•    Excellent organisational skills
•    Strong interpersonal skills