• 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 person 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

Organizational Setting

The Office of Evaluation (OED) anchors the evaluation function in the Organization. Evaluation in FAO provides results accountability to both member countries and the Director-General, giving more in-depth understanding and objective basis for their decision-making and oversight. Evaluation also contributes to corporate learning, feeding lessons into a robust feedback loop. Evaluation provides a sound basis for improvements in the Organization's programmes in terms of their relevance to countries, definition of objectives, their design and implementation. The Office also participates in system-wide evaluation initiatives, thereby contributing to assessments of development effectiveness by the United Nations (UN) system.

As request by FAO Management, OED will undertake the Evaluation of Quality of Science in FAO with the aim of ascertaining how well the Organization is using science, and the impact its use has in the achievement of its goals, especially in the context of the new Strategic Framework and Agenda 2030. The evaluation will pay particular attention to the processes, mechanisms and platforms in place to ensure that FAO’s work is science-based, and in keeping with its formative nature, it will seek to identify good practices and lessons learned in the application of science in the Organization.

Reporting Lines

The Evaluation Specialists will respond to the OED evaluation manager under the general responsibility of the Office of Evaluation (OED).

Technical Focus

Technical areas of expertise are science, innovation and technology in the areas of food security, nutrition, rural development, agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry, climate change adaptation and mitigation. Also, they may work in the evaluation of cross-cutting themes (such as gender, youth, and inclusion) and organizational structures.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Follow the methodological approach described in the evaluation Terms of Reference: contribute to finalizing evaluation tools including questionnaires, check-lists and interview protocols as appropriate and agreed with the team leader;
• Provide specialised expertise in assessing outputs, deliverables and activities carried out under his/her specific area
• Participate actively in the collection of primary data through, inter alia, interviews and meetings, face to face or virtual, with FAO concerned officers in HQ, and during the country visits, with key stakeholders including government members, FAO staff, external partners, project teams and beneficiaries as appropriate;
• Participate actively in the collection of relevant secondary data, in addition to the initial desk reviews carried out by OED, as required and identified in the evaluation matrix;
• Contribute to the consolidation of all evidence collected during the evaluation process in a structured format following the key evaluation questions and criteria;
• Deliver written inputs on the specific areas of assessment, as per the evaluation Terms of References, in all deliverables and support the Evaluation Team Leader in finalizing the report and integrating the comments as may be required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in science, economics, agriculture, food security, environment, development studies and related fields.
• Relevant experience in thematic, programme or project evaluations, as follows:
  • At least two years for a junior specialist
  • At least five years for a mid-level specialist
  • At least ten years for a senior specialist
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Professional experience in designing, planning, leading, and conducting thematic, programme/project evaluations, or organizational assessments.
• Knowledge of science, technology, and innovation (STI) for transformation of food systems.
• Knowledge of FAO’s mandate and work in the region will be a plus.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

• FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
• Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
• 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/
• For more information, visit the FAO employment website