Senior Agricultural Officer (Team Leader)

Organizational Setting

The Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) enables the transition to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable plant production and protection through optimization and minimization. This requires the integration and harmonization of all appropriate crop production policies and practices in order to increase production in a sustainable manner so as to eradicate hunger and malnutrition while preserving the natural resources and environment for future use.

The Senior Agricultural Officer (Team Leader) will lead the Crop and Mechanization Systems Team (NSPLD), one of the six teams that make up NSP. NSPLD contributes to NSP's overarching goal of fostering resilient and sustainable plant production and protection systems that produce more with less. The team leads efforts to develop, validate and promote the adoption of context-specific, modern agronomic practices with sustainable agriculture mechanization as an integral part that sustainably enhance the productivity, efficiency and resilience of diverse cropping systems.

The position is located in the Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) in FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

The Senior Agricultural Officer (Team Leader) reports to the Director, NSP.

Technical Focus

Support Member Nations in fostering sustainable crop production systems through policy development, capacity building, knowledge transfer and technical/project support. In so doing, promote the use of context-sensitive and fit-for-purpose modern agronomic techniques, strategies and practices, which encompass efficient, productivity-enhancing and environmentally sound methods for land preparation, sowing, managements of soil fertility and moisture and harvest of crops that are grown for food, feed, fiber, oil, ornamental and industrial purposes.

Key Results

Leadership and technical policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of divisional/cross-divisional programmes of work, projects, products, services in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions

• Plans, manages, or leads highly specialized or multidisciplinary teams, leads, coordinates, and/or participates on Organization-wide, cross-divisional committees, project teams, and working groups, and/or provides technical leadership/secretariat services on technical networks and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies.
• Analyses global and country specific requirements and relevant technical issues to provide critical input into the FAO Strategic Framework, Programme of Work, work plans and the supporting budgets and/or resourcing strategies.
• Implements and monitors programmes of work involving the development of the approach, evidence-based strategies and related tools, methodologies and the supporting system/database, monitoring and reporting frameworks.
• Conducts, designs and oversees research and analysis of activities to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovation, technical reports, publications and/or on-going programme development as well as the provision of technical and/or policy advisory services.
• Provides technical and policy advisory services to Members and technical support to Decentralized Offices in the development and implementation of their programmes of work.
• Leads and/or collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within Members such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, on-line tools.
• Represents the Organization at international/inter-governmental meetings and conferences, advocates strategic partnerships, best practices and increased policy dialogue and develops and negotiates effective working relationships/consensus and agreements with international and national partners.
• Leads or participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Specific Functions

• Leads the development of interventions that use modern crop production and protection systems to address Members' development needs relating, in particular, to climate change adaptation and mitigation; nutrition outcomes; and overall input use-efficiency.
• Promotes the use of modern agriculture technologies e.g. drones, remote sensors, artificial intelligence, digitalization, information technology, etc. that are context-sensitive to enhance the productivity and resilience of cropping systems while promoting sustainable agricultural mechanization and efficient soil fertility and moisture management.
• Provides technical, capacity strengthening and policy support to Members to respond to their cropping systems' needs and enables them to adopt sustainable agricultural production and protection practices in rural, urban and peri-urban settings.
• As a member of the NSP management team, contributes to the programmatic and administrative operations of the division, through the exercise of responsibility for the agronomics component of its work on sustainable crop production systems.
• Manages efficiently NSPLD team's human and material resources to deliver high quality results and products that constitute an integral part of NSP's contribution to the implementation of the Organization's Strategic Framework, through leadership in strategic planning, organization of work, direction to staff and the judicious use of funds.
• Provides oversight and quality assurance for the Organization's work in Member Nations pertaining to the enhanced productivities of diverse cropping systems, especially for the crops that are grown for food, feed, fiber, oil, ornamental and industrial purposes.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agronomy, crop science, soil science, sustainable agriculture mechanization or related fields.
• Ten years of relevant experience with public or private sector institutions, international organizations with an emphasis on cropping systems agronomy, preferably with a focus on developing countries.
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies

• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is essential.
• Extent and relevance of experience in planning and delivery of strategies and programmes related to the sustainable intensification and diversification of crop production systems.
• Extent and relevance of experience in food, feed, fiber, oil, ornamental and/or industrial crops.
• Extent and relevance of knowledge and experience in developing sustainable crop production systems including agro-ecosystem management and value chains, modern agriculture systems and sustainable agriculture mechanization.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in leading multidisciplinary teams, working groups and networks related to crop systems improvement, including in developing countries.
• Extent and relevance of experience in leading capacity development and developing related tools and materials.
• Experience in promoting integrated approaches to crop production including crop/livestock or crop/fish systems, agro-forestry, urban and peri-urban agriculture is desirable.