Job Recruitment at Food and Agriculture Organization
POSITION: Senior Economist
The UN-specialized Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) coordinates global hunger assistance. Food security for all is the FAO’s goal by providing people with enough high-quality food to live active, healthy lifestyles. The RAF oversees 47 sub-Saharan African nations. Their guides are Regional Program Priority Area Initiatives, which ensure project success and show how FAO has changed the region’s most important agri-food systems.
RAF’s programs complement the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31, which aims to make agri-food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable to improve productivity, nutrition, the environment, and life for everyone. The four betters organize FAO’s direct contributions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and the broader SDG agenda, which is essential to FAO’s vision. The four betters illustrate agricultural systems’ economic, social, and environmental interdependence. They advocate a strategic, systems-oriented approach to all FAO activities.
Through identification, planning, and implementation, RAF leads FAO’s regional food security, agriculture, and rural development priorities. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programs, establishes regional priorities for FAO, and develops, promotes, and oversees FAO’s strategic response to regional objectives in conjunction with headquarters offices and divisions. RAF also assists in incorporating regional priorities into the organization’s work programme and budget, implementing permitted regional programmes and projects, evaluating program implementation, and highlighting issues. The African Union and Regional Economic Integration Organizations are among the RAF’s regional partners.
The Regional Office promotes regional policy discourse on food security, agriculture, and rural development, forms regional collaborations, builds capacity, and mobilizes resources.
The Regional Programme Leader manages the Senior Economist post in Accra, Ghana’s Regional Office for Africa (RAF) Programme Unit.
Reporting Lines
The Senior Economist reports to the Regional Programme Leader (RPL) of the FAO Regional Office for Africa and is in regular touch with FAO headquarters in Rome for functional advice.
Technical Focus
At RAF, the Senior Economist will help create and implement coherent, integrated, and successful analytical, policy, and governance work at the regional, subregional, and national levels. He or she will oversee specialized initiatives in the Program Area of Work on trade and market possibilities for inclusive growth, with a focus on agricultural commodities markets and international and regional trade. The Senior Economist will also contribute to RAF’s strategic thinking and programmatic activities related to the transformation of agri-food systems, strengthening partnerships and knowledge networks within and outside the Organization, and supporting country-level actions guided by the Country Programming Frameworks (CPFs).
Key Results:
Leadership and innovative thinking for developing and implementing comprehensive technical, statistical, and/or analytical frameworks to support the work program and related products, projects, and services in compliance with the FAO Strategic Framework.
Key Functions.
- Manages or leads highly specialized or multidisciplinary teams, as well as providing technical leadership in high-level policy analysis missions or projects, policy networks, and/or international policymaking organizations.
- Leads the work of technical or policy officers in the Regional Office, in partnership with colleagues from subregional offices and headquarters, on policy and governance issues under the FAO Strategic Framework.
- Advocates for strategic alliances, best practices, and policy discourse to improve food security and nutrition policies, as well as sustainable agriculture and food systems.
- Collaborates with UN Regional and Country Teams to enhance cross-sectoral policies and strategies in agriculture, food security, nutrition, and sustainable development.
- Collaborates with development partners, particularly international financial institutions, to promote and deepen the relationship between scientific and policy work and investments in food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and food systems.
- Analyses regional and country-level issues to help identify country and regional goals and needs.
- Design, implement, and monitor regional and subregional policy work programmes, as well as supporting budgets and/or resourcing strategies.
- Plans, organizes, and participates in capacity-building initiatives that involve providing technical advice and support, as well as overseeing the creation of associated materials, online tools, and information kits.
- Represents the organization at international and intergovernmental meetings and conferences.
Specific Functions
- Leads and participates in the development of research, papers, briefings, statements, and other knowledge products about agricultural commerce, commodity markets, agri-food system transformation, and related policy issues.
- Contributes to the assessment of the impact of crises on food security in order to make informed decisions.
- Contributes to strategic thinking, planning, and programming issues with trade, investments, and market opportunities for inclusive growth.
- Coordinates FAO’s activity in Africa with headquarters teams and departments focusing on agricultural commodity markets and international and regional commerce.
- Advises Members and provides technical support to FAO Subregional and Country Offices in the region on the formulation and implementation of agricultural trade and investment programmes.
- Promotes and manages collaborative activities and processes with other Programme Areas of work in the RAF, as well as maintaining close working relationships with HQ Divisions, units, and Decentralized Offices.
- Develops, coordinates, and implements collaborations with external partners to strengthen FAO’s work programme and deliverables in the African region.
- Identifies developing areas of work for FAO in Africa and prepares or manages the creation of concept notes, proposals, and work plans.
- Candidates will be assessed against the following criteria:
Minimum Requirements
- A graduate degree in economics, agricultural economics, or a similar subject.
- Ten years of relevant expertise in conducting quantitative economic analyses of agricultural markets, trade, and regulations.
- Working proficiency (proficient, level C) of English, as well as intermediate (level B) understanding of another FAO official language.
Competencies
- Results Focus
- Effective leadership involves engaging and empowering others through communication.
- Partnering and advocating for knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
- Strategic thinking
Technical/functional skills
- Work experience in multiple locations or areas of work, especially in field positions.
- Understanding complex strategy and policy processes.
- The breadth and applicability of expertise and knowledge in analysing commodities markets, commerce, and related policy.
- Extensive and relevant experience in policy analysis and advice on food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and rural development.
- Capable of conducting quantitative economic analyses of agricultural commodity production, consumption, stocks, trade, and pricing, as well as preparing analytical studies and reports.
- The breadth and usefulness of knowledge and experience working with intergovernmental organizations and multidisciplinary teams.
How to Apply for this Food and Agriculture Organization Recruitment
Closing Date: February 17, 2024
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