Fishery Officer (Data Systems)

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.

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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO Strategic Framework by supporting 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.

Organizational Setting

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to its strategic objectives and operations.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) is responsible for all programmes and activities related to fisheries and aquaculture and their sustainable development, with particular emphasis on human well-being, food security and poverty reduction; sustained production systems including through the protection of the environment and preservation of biodiversity and the promotion of responsible fishing practices; post-harvest utilization, marketing and trade with due regard to food security and the well-being of fishing communities; collection, compilation, validation, trend analysis and dissemination of the best available and up-to-date fishery statistics and for the syndication of the FAO information on all aspects of world fisheries and aquaculture.

The Fishery Information and Knowledge Management Team (NFISI) holds the responsibility for fulfilling the functions of supporting web-based information dissemination, communication and outreach, fisheries information systems, data management and digital innovation, and supporting information partnerships such as the Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS) and the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA).

The post is located in the Fishery Information and Knowledge Management Team (NFISI) of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines
The Fishery Officer (Data Systems) reports to the Senior Fishery Officer (NFISI Team Leader).

Technical Focus
Plan and lead fisheries and aquaculture information data systems portfolio, by providing guidance at the global, regional and national levels for improved and innovative means to collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of fisheries data; ensure systems application lifecycle management; cloud hosting and infrastructure use and management; coordinate integration solutions; corporate data governance and data policy alignment; lead IT innovation for fisheries and aquaculture.

Key Results
Comprehensive technical and policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of divisional programmes, projects, products and services in accordance with divisional objectives and the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions

• Plans and leads components of multidisciplinary teams, leads and/or participates on Organization-wide, cross-divisional committees, project teams and working groups, and/or provides specialised expertise in technical networks and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies.
• Develops technical, analytical, monitoring and reporting frameworks, and related methodologies, tools, systems and databases, etc. to support the planning, implementation, delivery and monitoring of programmes of work, projects, products and/or services.
• Designs and conducts research, data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting activities to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovative approaches and strategies, new tools, technologies, technical reports/publications, and/or policy proposals, as well as the provision of technical/policy/specialist/advice and expertise.
• Responds to country requests for technical and policy assistance, provides technical advice, assistance and solutions to Decentralized Offices and provides technical backstopping to field projects.
• Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to, and ensures the quality/effectiveness of, capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within Member Nations, such as policy support, organisational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, on-line tools.
• Promotes international cooperation/advocates best practices, supports increased policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international/intergovernmental meetings.
• Participates in resource mobilisation activities in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Specific Functions

• Leads information technology (IT) technical teams working locally or remotely from locations around the world for IT application development related to, but not limited to, fisheries and aquaculture data production, statistical and innovation applications.
• Manages the complete Information and communication technology (ICT) product, technology, system or application life cycle\: (a) business needs; (b) requirements definition; (c) ICT solution options (business case and project proposal); (d) IT solution design; (e) implementation and testing; (f) deployment; (g) documentation; (h) support and maintenance, according to the Digital FAO and Agro-Informatics Division’s (CSI) policy, standards and procedures.
• Monitors, audits and reports on service performance, regular progress and finance to foresee, identify and address areas of risk regarding fisheries and aquaculture data systems development and maintenance activities, and ensures compliance with agreed service level expectations.
• Supports information technology (IT) integration solutions for the FAO fisheries products along the data value chain with partners and external communities.
• Provides direction and oversight on mobile applications, geospatial, data engineering/analytics/production algorithms for essential datasets in fisheries and aquaculture.
• Manages the hands-on software development, troubleshooting, support and maintenance for managed data systems as needed.
  Identifies opportunities for synergies, digital innovation and efficiency and promotes continuous IT service improvement to address business needs.
• Contributes to the Organization's digitalisation and modernisation, identifying areas for beneficial cross-area sharing and collaboration on information systems, and specifically including cloud migration, artificial intelligence, data science and digital public goods.
• Identifies areas for beneficial cross-area sharing and collaboration on information systems, information technology or IT products and services by working with the CSI core teams and other Information Technology Officers, especially in reference to collaboration with the Agro-Informatics Platform, the Agro-Informatics Unit and Digital Empowerment Unit.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in computer science, information technology, information systems, software engineering, electric or electronic engineering, mathematics, statistics, or a related field.
• Seven years of relevant experience in delivering digital and information technology solutions and services related to fisheries and aquaculture systems, or equivalent in agriculture or living sciences.
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - 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 working with fisheries and aquaculture data/information databases and/or scientific information systems.
• Extent and relevance of experience in managing software development projects and multicultural multilocation IT teams.
• Extent and relevance of experience in designing, developing and deploying information systems using the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and DevOps methodologies.
• Proven track record and experience in innovating and using solutions for data gathering, management and applying artificial intelligence and machine learning where relevant, while adhering to industrial and fisheries domain-specific interoperability standards.
• Knowledge of and experience in development of data collection solutions (including mobile applications), data engineering and analytics, geospatial IT and the implementation of related Cloud technologies.
• Extent and relevance of knowledge and understanding of the broader information context of fisheries as applied to businesses and its management.
• Knowledge of current and potential future trends, practices and industry developments that impact the Organization.
• Extent and relevance of experience in providing technical assistance in capacity building in information systems.

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FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

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• Extension of fixed term appointments is based on certification of performance and availability of funds
• FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment.
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http\://www.whed.net/
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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