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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 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

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

Organizational Setting

The Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP) coordinates FAO’s work on various social dimensions of rural development and livelihood including on the role of rural institutions, services, social protection, gender equality, decent rural employment, tenure rights and the right to food. The division works with member countries and other partners through a rights-based approach, to empower people by enhancing social protection systems and extending their coverage to rural areas, diversifying rural employment opportunities, reducing gender gaps and other social inequalities, strengthening producers’ organizations and improving governance of tenure and the rural poor’s access to natural and productive resources and financial services.

The Socio-Economic Research and Analysis (SERA) Team of ESP supports Member States to identify policies and programmes to foster resilient and inclusive agri-food system transformations through the generation, coordination, and dissemination of rigorous evidence. The hallmark of the SERA team's strategic research agenda is an explicit focus on identifying policy options to address the socio-economic barriers and constraints faced by rural populations living in poverty or subject to other forms of structural vulnerability. The team draws on a variety of methodological approaches and datasets, and leverages a range of strategic partnerships, to inform global and national policy debates on the importance of prioritizing inclusive approaches to rural development in the context of an increasingly uncertain world challenged by population pressure with a changing diet, climate change and shocks, conflicts and pandemics.

Reporting Lines

The selected candidate will report directly to the Economist and work under the overall supervision of the Senior Economist and team leader of the SERA team in the ESP Division.

Technical Focus

The position supports the implementation of the strategic research and policy support agenda of the SERA team, which is embedded within the broader strategic framework of FAO. The research agenda is structured around key thematic areas of economic inclusion, climate change, and gender equality, which are fundamental elements of inclusive rural transformation processes. Underlying these thematic areas, the SERA team focuses on four primary policy domains\: social protection, rural labour markets, land administration, and rural institutions. In this context, the position provides intellectual leadership and methodological guidance to identify and implement effective policies and programmes to support inclusive rural transformation based on rigorous evidence and analysis. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following methodological approaches\: applied econometric analysis of survey data, experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluation methods, value chain analysis, geospatial analysis, microsimulation modelling and/or artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Tasks and responsibilities

The assigned tasks and responsibilities related to this area of work may include one or more of the following\:
• Support the design and implementation of experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluations of projects and programs, including sample and questionnaire design, enumerator training, supervision of data collection, data quality checks during fieldwork, and post-survey data cleaning, curation, and preparation for analysis.
• Assist with the preparation and analysis of secondary survey data, such as Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) household surveys, World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES), and other similar datasets.
• Support the processes of extracting and summarizing geospatial data to link with georeferenced survey data from both primary and secondary sources.
• Conduct quantitative analyses, including econometric and spatial approaches, and other relevant methods, with a focus on smallholder farmers in developing countries.
• Contribute to policy analysis on social inclusion, climate change, sustainable agricultural growth, and rural development.
• Contribute to research outputs, including reports, working papers, and articles for peer-reviewed journals.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant technical degree or certificate (for Subscribers) or advanced university degree from an institution recognized on the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO list (for Consultants) in economics, development economics, agricultural economics, resource economics, geography, or related fields.
• At least one year’s relevant experience (Category C), at least five years’ relevant experience (Category B) and at least ten years' relevant experience (Category A) in empirical analysis.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English. Knowledge of a second FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is considered an asset.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in quantitative data analysis using statistical tools (i.e. STATA, R, etc.)
• Work experience in developing country settings
• Experience in social inclusion and rural development policies
• Experience in economic analysis of climate change adaptation
• Experience in the management of large datasets
• Knowledge of geospatial analysis
• Track record of published quantitative research papers

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

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

• 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

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