Young Professional Officer Innovation and Digital Agriculture

Organizational Setting 

The FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) was established in 1996 in Samoa to coordinate the work of FAO in the Pacific Islands, including the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and one Associate Member, Tokelau. SAP is responsible for developing, overseeing and implementing programmes and projects to address food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions and entities. The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) in Bangkok.

This position is located in the FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) in Apia, Samoa.

Reporting Lines

The Young Professional Officer (Innovation and Digital Agriculture) reports to the Food and Nutrition Officer, SAP, who is responsible for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Solutions Platform in SAP. 

Technical Focus

Support the implementation of the “Science and Innovation Strategy” to ensure improved use of sustainable, inclusive digital solutions to deliver agriculture and food system transformation in the Pacific region. Effective technical support for the implementation of Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) in the Pacific.

Key Results

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

Key Functions

·         Analyses relevant technical social, economic, environmental, climate 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

·         Provides support for the implementation of the “Science and Innovation Strategy” in the Pacific, aiming at better-informed country planning through quality data; better informed digital support for food systems transformation; and inclusive digital agriculture ecosystems;

·         Provides support for the implementation of the DVI in the Pacific;

·         Assists in building awareness and capacity amongst RAP and SAP, and within SAP Offices at subregional and national levels;

·         Supports profile homegrown digital and innovative solutions in the region under the overall arrangement of the SIDS Solutions Platform;

·         Liaises with the SAP Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Officers to support identification, assessment and evaluation of the feasibility of developing and deploying new digital technologies and services (especially those related to priority farm/herd/fish value chains and production systems, farm services and rural economy);

·         Supports the review of the state of digital platforms, digital databases and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications from public agency departments, private companies, academia, farmers groups and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the Pacific;

·         Contributes to the analyses of existing e-Agriculture strategies and national digitalization programmes/priorities relevant to agriculture and food security to provide strategic and technical advice to the SAP MDT;

·         Contributes to the development and maintenance of a database of innovation hubs, technology centres, and digital experts for multidisciplinary partnerships;

Performs other duties as required.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

·                   Advanced university degree in computer science, information and communication technologies, business, commerce, economics, agricultural sciences, agricultural economics, food science, nutrition, food safety, environment studies, international development, rural development, systems analytics or related field;    

·         One year of relevant experience in food and nutrition security, rural and agriculture development or in any of the above-mentioned field of study.

·         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 agriculture, addressing for example: production and pro-harvest losses, advisory services, market linkages, financial services, data management, use of geospatial technologies, blockchain, artificial intelligence, drone use in agriculture, etc.

·         Experience with management of online interactions is considered an asset.

·         Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable.

·         Extent and relevance of experience in implementation of technical assistance projects, preferably in the areas of agriculture and natural resources management, is desirable.

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