Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the transformation to More efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, for Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life, leaving no one behind. ย The Digital FAO and Agro-Informatics Division (CSI) is responsible for all Information Technology (IT) activities within the Organization. ย CSI defines FAO Information Technology (IT) policies, strategy, IT architecture and standards and is responsible for the provision of digital ย products and services utilized to deliver the mandate of the Organization and support its operations worldwide.
FAO is advancing the delivery of its Digital Workplace initiatives aimed at supporting a modern, secure, and efficient working environment for FAO employees across Headquarters, Regional, and Country Offices. These initiatives require strong coordination to ensure projects remain aligned with organizational priorities, timelines, and quality standards. To support this effort, FAO seeks to engage a Project Manager to provide dedicated project management capacity, ensuring initiatives are effectively planned, coordinated, monitored, and delivered on track. The role will focus on managing cross-functional projects, facilitating collaboration among technical teams and stakeholders, and maintaining clear governance, reporting, and delivery discipline across the Digital Workplace portfolio.
A key project initiated in 2026; โFAO Headquarters Digital Infrastructure Upgradeโ aims to modernize network and data center infrastructure to meet the Organizationโs growing digital demands. This project will ensure reliable, secure, and high-speed connectivity across the FAO HQ campus, strengthening operational resilience, enhance user experience, and enable advanced digital services essential for FAOโs future work.
Reporting Lines
Overall supervision by the IT Division Deputy Director and direct supervision of the relevant Senior IT Officer.
Technical Focus
The Project Manager will coordinate and track the execution of the assigned projects, in particular, FAO Headquarters Digital Infrastructure Upgrade across all phases from planning to completion. ย He/She will support governance processes, reporting, and decision-making to ensure timely and well-aligned delivery of the initiative.
Tasks and responsibilities
The consultant responsibilities include:
โข ย ย ย ย Plan, coordinate, and track the delivery of the project โFAO Headquarters Digital Infrastructure Upgradeโ, ensuring effective execution across all project phases.
โข ย ย ย ย Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables in line with FAO project management methodologies.
โข ย ย ย ย Work closely with technical leads to monitor progress, manage dependencies, and identify, track, and mitigate risks and issues.
โข ย ย ย ย Facilitate coordination among cross-functional teams and business units to ensure alignment and minimize operational disruption.
โข ย ย ย ย Monitor and report on project performance against scope, schedule, budget, and quality objectives, providing regular updates to management and project governance bodies.
โข ย ย ย ย Prepare and maintain project documentation, dashboards, and status reports to support transparency and decision-making.
โข ย ย ย ย Support project governance processes, including reviews, approvals, and escalation mechanisms.
โข ย ย ย ย Contribute to the coordination and oversight of other Digital Workplace initiatives, as required.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
โข ย ย ย ย Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by International Association of Universities IAU/UNESCO in Business Administration, Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a closely related field. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.ย
โข ย ย ย ย Seven years of relevant working experience in managing complex, cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders, preferably within Information Technology infrastructure or enterprise technology environments.
โข ย ย ย ย Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English. Knowledge of one of the other FAO official languages is an asset.ย
โข ย ย ย ย A recognized professional project management certification, such as PMPยฎ, PRINCE2ยฎ, AgilePMยฎ, or equivalent.
FAO Core Competencies
โข ย ย ย ย Results Focus
โข ย ย ย ย Teamwork
โข ย ย ย ย Communication
โข ย ย ย ย Building Effective Relationships
โข ย ย ย ย Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
โข ย ย ย ย Work experience in more than one location or area of workย
โข ย ย ย ย Extent and relevance of experience in managing IT-related projects, including the coordination of technical components, service delivery activities, and stakeholder engagement.ย
โข ย ย ย ย Extent and relevance of experience in coordinating cross-functional technical teams and engaging with business stakeholders to translate requirements into actionable project outcomes.
โข ย ย ย ย Proficiency with project management methodologies and tools (e.g. Agile, Waterfall, hybrid approaches; MS Project, Jira, Confluence, or equivalent), as well as IT service management and governance frameworks.
โข ย ย ย ย Ability to develop and maintain project plans, schedules, and milestones for IT-related initiatives.
โข ย ย ย ย Strong understanding of IT related projects and coordination of technical deliverables.
โข ย ย ย ย Experience in risk, issue, and dependency management in complex projects.
โข ย ย ย ย Ability to prepare clear project documentation, status reports, and management dashboards.
โข ย ย ย ย Proficiency in using standard project management and collaboration tools.