Young Professional Officer (Plant Production and Protection)

The Young Professional Officer (Plant Production and Protection) supports sustainable plant production and protection initiatives in the Regional Office for Africa. The role involves technical analysis, project support, training development, and collaboration with partners to enhance crop production systems and related innovations.

Responsibilities

• Analyse relevant technical social, economic, environmental, and technology information, data and/or statistics for input in various documents.
• Maintain records and update databases and web pages.
• Provide technical support to various projects.
• Collaborate in the development of training tools and materials and the organization of workshops/seminars.
• Participate in the organization and follow-up of meetings, consultations and conferences, the production of required materials and the provision of information and assistance to partners.
• Provide technical support and sundry backstopping interventions for projects, programmes and initiatives across FAO's RAF region to strengthen institutional and human capacities for diverse cropping systems.
• Support assessments of cropping systems and provide recommendations on validated innovative practices and technologies along value chains to improve farm productivity, nutritional quality and safety of produce, and smallholders' incomes and livelihoods.
• Support the development and review of technical documents related to different areas of crop production and protection and deliver relevant training programmes.
• Assist in project implementation from conceptualization, through implementation and reporting to monitoring and evaluation.
• Develop and review technical specifications for inputs and equipment for crops production systems.
• Collaborate with FAO technical teams, divisions, decentralized offices and other partners on topics related to sustainable crop production systems.
• Provide support for convening meetings with relevant stakeholders and responsible representatives from government, civil society, regional and international bodies, private sector, and academia.
• Perform any other duties as required.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in agriculture, agronomy, soil science, plant breeding and genetics, plant pathology, entomology or other related disciplines
• One year of relevant experience in development projects for sustainable crop production systems, sustainable agriculture, as well as plant genetic resources management, soil management, water/irrigation management, integrated pest and disease management, plant nutrition, protected cultivation, soilless systems, digital agriculture, sustainable agricultural mechanization.
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.
• Knowledge and experience in related fields such as crop improvement, agro-biodiversity, conservation of plant genetic resources as well as digital agriculture.
• Experience in collecting, analysing and summarizing technical information and data.
• Experience in project implementation is an asset.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with UN agencies, NGOs as well as donors and government institutions and agencies.
• Intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) of French is considered an asset.
• Candidates should be 32 years of age or younger as of 31 December of the year of application.

Skills

• Sustainable Crop Production
• Plant genetic resources management
• Soil management
• Water irrigation management
• Integrated pest management
• Disease management
• Plant nutrition
• Protected cultivation
• Soilless systems
• Digital agriculture
• Sustainable agricultural mechanization
• Crop Improvement
• Agro-biodiversity Conservation
• Technical Data Analysis
• Project Implementation
• Partnership Building
• Training Development
• English Language Proficiency
• French Proficiency

Languages

English, French