Deputy Director, Statistics Division

• 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.

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 agri-food systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Organizational Setting

The Statistics Division (ESS) provides timely and reliable data on food and agriculture to facilitate the design and monitoring of evidence-based policy decisions by Member Nations, as well as serves as the foremost authoritative source of statistical standards and methods in agricultural and food statistics. The Division aims to build statistical capacity at national, regional and international institutions to enhance their ability to collect, analyse and disseminate agriculture and food statistics, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators. At the same time, the Statistics Division has the role to coordinate FAO’s data and statistical system which is composed of different Centres, Offices and Divisions that produce and disseminate data and statistics in FAO. As such, ESS is responsible for the development, coordination and monitoring of corporate plans, procedures, policies and standards, as well as the management of the corporate processes of quality assurance of the data and statistics produced in FAO. In correspondence with this, the Director of the Statistics Division also has the role of Chief Statistician of the Organization.

ESS is organized in two Groups or streams of work. The Data Group is responsible for the functions of production of statistics that are relevant for FAO and the function of capacity development/technical assistance to Members on data generation. The Governance and Quality Group is responsible for the functions of coordination of FAO’s data and statistical system and quality assurance. It is also responsible for fostering modernization and innovation of corporate data and statistical processes and for the corporate dissemination of data and statistics. It also manages the coordination between FAO statistics and the broader statistical community. Each stream is composed of technical teams that are responsible for the implementation of the Division’s biennial workplan.

The position is located in the Office of the Director of the Statistics Division (ESS) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Director, ESS, as a member of the Economic and Social Development Stream Management Team, the Deputy Director will assist with the day-to-day management of the Division. Specifically, he/she will support the Director in providing day-to-day strategic, managerial, and technical leadership in the functions that correspond to the Governance and Quality Assurance Group.

Summary of Duties and Functions

• Supports the Director in the day-to-day management of the Governance and Quality Assurance Group, including strategic vision, planning, and implementation as well as the cost-effective use of financial and human resources, in contribution to FAO’s Strategic Framework and strategic objectives; and handle day-to-day matters in the absence of the Director;
• Supports the Director in managing the implementation of divisional outputs under his/her responsibility and ensure their timely and effective delivery, including of project activities funded by extra-budgetary resources;
• Supports the Director in providing overall technical guidance and oversight on the following areas\:

oCoordination of FAO’s internal and external governance on data and statistics;

oCorporate planning, monitoring and reporting of FAO Programme of work on data and statistics;

oCorporate coordination of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring and reporting and coordination of capacity development related to SDG indicators;

oDevelopment, review and implementation of FAO Statistics and Data Quality Assurance Framework and related Corporate Statistical Standards;

oQuality monitoring and assessment of FAO data and statistics and, as necessary, development and implementation of quality improvement plans;

oImplementation of the Accountability Framework for FAO Statistical Activities;

oManagement and modernization of corporate statistical working systems;

oManagement and modernization of corporate statistical dissemination platforms;

oCoordination of the production of statistical publications;

oInnovation in the use of alternative data sources for statistics;

• Supports the Director in the effective representation of the FAO statistics in the international statistical community, in particular, in the Statistical Commission, the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA) and the Committee of the Chief Statisticians of the United Nations System (CCS-UNS);
• Supports the Director in strengthening FAO’s statistical governance processes by acting as secretary of the Data Coordination Group both, at the Director and technical levels;
• Coordinates the implementation of cross-divisional work and corporate projects in the areas under his/her responsibility;
• Coordinates the preparation of flagship publications;
• Maintains a motivated and effective workforce, by ensuring the recruitment of highly qualified staff, promoting communication both within and across teams, mentoring, coaching and supporting career development and by implementing effective approaches for performance management;
• Ensures high visibility to FAO’s work on data and statistics, further develops strategic partnerships with other Agencies and Institutions for collaborative work in the area of data and statistics, and develops and negotiates effective working relationships and agreements with international and national partners;
• Strengthens relationships with potential donors for the mobilization of extra-budgetary resources in support of priority areas of work under his/her responsibility;
• Represents the Division in international and other external and internal meetings addressing statistics-related management issues;
• Performs other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Ph.D. or equivalent is preferred but not required) in statistics or economics or closely related fields;
• Minimum twelve years of relevant experience in the production of official statistics, the development of statistical methods and data based analytical products and the provision of technical assistance and statistical capacity development activities, in national and/or international organizations;
• A minimum of four years of experience in leadership positions, supervising large teams in the production of official statistics in national and/or international organizations;
• Relevant experience in the coordination of statistical systems and in the development and implementation of quality assurance frameworks;
• Relevant experience in providing advice on policy, strategy or programmes for development of statistics at global, regional and country levels;
• Demonstrated skills and experience in managing for results, in providing budgetary oversight for programme delivery, in managing staff and in working effectively with diverse teams of people of different national and cultural backgrounds in an international setting;
• Analytical skills and ability to express and synthesize ideas clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and demonstrated communication skills; experience in managing, preparing and editing publications and reports;
• Experience in resource mobilization, including coordinating project proposals for funding and interacting with donors and funding agencies;
• A relevant publication record;
• Working knowledge of English (proficient – level C) and a limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Leadership Competencies