Evaluation Officer

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

• 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 the 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 is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members (194 countries and the European Union), FAO works in more than 130 countries worldwide.

FAO implements a wide portfolio of projects, programmes, and initiatives across multiple sectors. These include animal production
and health, fisheries, food and nutrition, food systems and safety, forestry, social protection, inclusive rural development, information management systems / data systems for monitoring and decision making, land and water, plant production and protection, and others. FAO has a growing portfolio of work in the development and humanitarian (emergency and resilience) sectors. FAO evaluates the strategic alignment, implementation, efficacy, and efficiency of its portfolio of work through its independent Office of Evaluation (OED), which is led by the Director of OED who reports to the Director-General and the FAO Programme Committee.

OED evaluates FAO strategies, initiatives, programmes, and projects at global, regional, and national levels. OED seeks to generate credible and useful evidence and insights to inform decisions, support oversight, and help FAO achieve its mission. In so doing, OED advances knowledge and provides results accountability to both the Director-General and Member Nations. OED also
participates in system-wide evaluation initiatives, thereby contributing to assessments of development and humanitarian
effectiveness by the UN system.

OED values candidates who are highly motivated to excel and want to join OED colleagues in generating transformative knowledge for FAO, its Member Nations, and others working in the fields in which FAO operates to achieve its mission of ending hunger!

The position is located in the Office of Evaluation (OED) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines
The Evaluation Officer reports to a more senior Evaluation Officer in OED.

Technical Focus
Evaluations

Key Results
Planning, designing, conducting and promoting the use of evaluations, thereby contributing to enhanced results-accountability to the Director-General and the Governing Bodies, and enriched learning by the Organization; and improved results-based management.

Key Functions

• Composes and manages project evaluation teams.
• Supports evaluations of programmes, programme components or cluster of projects.
• Supports lead evaluators in the preparation of evaluation reports and related materials.
• Assist with the organization and preparation of meetings, missions, workshops and other events.
• Keeps abreast of methodological developments in evaluation and contributes to the development of evaluation methodologies and tools.
• Liaises and collaborates with other units of the Organization with a view to promoting results-based and evaluation culture, and enhanced learning from evaluations.
• Liaises and collaborates with the evaluation units of other United Nations organizations as well as professional evaluation bodies.
• Performs other duties as required.

Specific Functions

• Helps design and conduct evaluations of projects, programmes, and thematic or geographic areas focused on measuring results, that is, outcomes and impacts.
• Supports the preparation of evaluation reports and related materials, such as briefs, papers, and presentations.
• Applies (and enforces in others) rigorous analytical thinking in conducting analyses (qualitative and quantitative), preparing dissemination materials (reports, papers and journal articles, presentations, and so on), and documenting work completed to ensure it is reproducible.
• Ensures the quality of the work conducted or managed, including reports and presentations, and assists in quality enhancement of evaluations conducted by others.
• Participates actively and productively in multidisciplinary evaluation teams, often with internal and external partners.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) focused on research and evaluation methods and in one of the following fields: data science, economics, econometrics, geography, political science, public policy, sociology, or statistics.
• Three years of relevant experience in supporting, designing, planning and/or conducting evaluations.
• 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
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Ph.D. degree is highly desirable.
• Extent and relevance of technical expertise in conducting evaluations (particularly impact evaluations, that is, using designs that establish cause and effect relationships rigorously) and designing and analysing panel surveys, as demonstrated by at least three publications in peer-reviewed journals. List of peer-reviewed publications must be uploaded as a separate document and excluding articles published in predatory journals (document #1 to be uploaded).
• Proven ability to deliver clear and concise reports and presentations as demonstrated through a writing sample of an evaluation conducted (document #2 to be uploaded), a brief justification/rationale for the writing sample selected (document #3 to be uploaded), a presentation based on that writing sample (document #4 to be uploaded), and a cover letter (document #5 to be uploaded).
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable, as well as in fields related to FAO's mission (such as agriculture, nutrition, emergency and resilience, climate mitigation and resilience, and others), is highly desirable - as demonstrated in the CV (document #6 to be uploaded)
• Analytical skills and ability to write clear and concise reports in English.

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

FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment
Extension of fixed term appointments is based on certification of performance and availability of funds
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

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: https://commonsystem.org/cp/default.asp
Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:

Dependency allowances
Rental subsidy
Education grant for children
Home leave travel
30 working days of annual leave per year
Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund
International health insurance; optional life insurance
Disability protection

FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization. This includes:
elements of family-friendly policies
flexible working arrangements
standards of conduct.
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HOW TO APPLY

• 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;
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided on your online profile;
• 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/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.
• 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

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT