Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger and achieve food security for all. The Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF) supports the development of sustainable agrifood systems, food safety, and quality at national, regional, and international levels. The Division works to align agrifood systems with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on reducing food loss and waste, improving food safety, and promoting sustainable investments across value chains.
Reporting Lines
The Food Safety in Agrifood Systems Specialist will report to the Director of ESF or a designated Food Safety Officer.
Technical Focusย
The specialist will support the development of methodologies, tools, and normative products related to food safety, quality and related capacity building activities. The activities are to be carried out using FAOโs agrifood systems transformation approach. The role will involve providing technical assistance to member countries, with a focus on achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Tasks and responsibilities
โข ย ย Support knowledge exchange activities, networking, and partnerships within and outside FAO to in support of food safety and quality projects, and in line with FAOโs agrifood systems transformation approach.
โข ย ย Assist in the development and implementation of field projects to deliver global public goods on food safety and quality and agrifood systems transformation at national and regional levels.
โข ย ย Conduct analyses on technical and policy matters to inform decision-making on complex problems in food safety, quality, and agrifood systems.
โข ย ย Prepare and edit technical documents and guidance on food safety, quality, and systems approaches to transformative change in agrifood systems.
โข ย ย Support the organization of internal and external technical meetings, expert consultations, and workshops on food safety, quality, and agrifood systems transformation.
โข ย ย Contribute to the Divisionโs communications and resource mobilization efforts related to food safety, quality, and agrifood systems.
โข ย ย Provide technical support to member countries in developing and implementing national food safety and quality standards, including capacity building for stakeholders.
โข ย ย Conduct diagnostic missions to assess food safety and quality aspects in agrifood systems.
โข ย ย Develop and deliver training programs on food safety and quality management systems, and agrifood systems transformation for various stakeholders, including government agencies, producers, and processors.
FAO Standards and guidelines:
โข ย ย Liaison with OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes.
โข ย ย 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 ย
FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia ย ย
Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044enย
FAOSTYLE: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081enย
FAO terminology: http://www.fao.org/faotermย
FAO Names of Countries: https://www.fao.org/nocs/en ย ย
Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff).ย
โข ย ย 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
โข ย ย Masterโs or advanced degree in Agronomy, Food Science, Food safety, agrifood systems, Agricultural Food Science and Technology, or a related field.
โข ย ย A minimum of one to four years Category C and five to nine years for Category B of relevant experience in one of the following areas of work: Food Science and Technology, Food Safety, quality management, and with a solid understanding of agrifood systems transformation.
โข ย ย Working knowledge of English is a requirement, and limited knowledge of one of the other UN official languages (French, Spanish Arabic, Chinese, Russian) would be considered an asset.
FAO Core Competencies
โข ย ย Results Focus
โข ย ย Teamwork
โข ย ย Communication
โข ย ย Building Effective Relationships
โข ย ย Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills ย
โข ย ย Work experience in more than one location or area of workย
โข ย ย Extent and relevance of experience in food safety and quality management, including the development and implementation of quality management systems (e.g., HACCP, ISO standards) as well as agrifood systems, including value chain development, food processing, and post-harvest management.
โข ย ย Extent and relevance of experience in capacity building and training for stakeholders in food safety, quality, and agrifood systems.
โข ย ย Familiarity with FAOโs work on food safety, quality, and agrifood systems, including the Codex Alimentarius and SDGs.
โข ย ย Demonstrated ability to conduct diagnostic missions and provide technical assistance to improve food safety and quality in agrifood systems.
โข ย ย Experience in research and writing on topics related to food safety, quality, and agrifood systems transformation.
โข ย ย Proficiency in remote working tools (e.g., MS Teams, OneDrive, MS Office, Zoom).
โข ย ย Ability to work under pressure and prioritize tasks effectively.
Selection Criteria
ย
โข ย ย Limited knowledge of one of ย another UN official language (French, Spanish Arabic, Chinese, Russian) would be considered an assetย