Innovation Officer (Science, Technology And Innovation)

Organizational Setting

The Office of Innovation (OIN) is an important instrument within FAO to provide strategic direction and help drive and coordinate innovation across the work of the Organization, i.e. to consolidate and strengthen FAO's innovative spirit, including the innovation of approaches and cooperation models. OIN supports the Programme Priority Areas, ensuring that FAO mainstreams innovation in its programmes, facilitates cross-collaboration between the various FAO units, and aids in forging and reinforcing transformative partnerships.

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

Reporting Lines

The Innovation Officer (Science, Technology and Innovation) reports to the Senior Innovation Officer, who leads the Digital Agriculture Unit and Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) portal development team and works closely with other staff across OIN.

Technical Focus

Apply science, technology and innovation (STI) concepts and tools, including digital platforms and AI-enabled knowledge systems, to support the development and enhancement of the FAO STI portal and its integration within the global innovation ecosystem for sustainable agrifood systems, including user-centred design, knowledge integration, and data-driven insights.

Key Results

Implementation of coherent, integrated and effective innovation-related work, combining research with practical application within FAO projects and developing/maintaining networks of external organizations with expertise in the field for engagement with the Office's initiatives.

Key Functions

• Participates in specialized or multidisciplinary teams in support of FAO's innovative spirit, including the innovation of approaches and cooperation models.

• Supports with analytical work and collaboration with concerned stakeholders the adoption and implementation of cross-sectoral policies and strategies concerning innovation-related activities.

• Participates in specialized or multidisciplinary teams as well as partnership activities and promotes best practices and policy dialogue in support of innovation of approaches and cooperation models.

• Supports the analysis of organizational level innovation-related issues.

• Organizes and participates in capacity development activities and develop related materials, on-line tools and information kits.

• Identifies and assesses opportunities for technical Divisions/Offices/Centres including Decentralized Offices to engage in projects related to OIN.

• Performs any other duties as required.

Specific Functions

• Serves as project manager for the STI portal project.

• Aligns with FAO IT and communication procedures and guidance.

• Continuously monitors and enhances AI integration within the portal.

• Proactively identifies, relates, and incorporates similar initiatives from both within and outside FAO.

• Ensures the portal's relevance to a wide variety of stakeholders including from the private sector.

• Guides the STI portal development based on key user personas needs, innovation of approaches and new cooperation models.

• Organizes and participates in capacity development activities and develop related materials, on-line tools and information kits to be federated in the STI portal.

• Identifies and assesses opportunities for technical Centres/Offices/Divisions including Decentralized Offices to engage in the STI portal.

• Ensures the federation of the ATIO Knowledge Base in the STI Portal

• Promotes the use of digital public goods within the portal ecosystem.

• Encourages the adoption of open-source large language models and explore the use of small language models.

• Maintains active engagement with FAO members and key FAO partners.

• Defines a clear role for the portal in relation to the ATIO and Agrifood Innovation Systems (AIS) initiatives.

• Supports the work carried out by OIN actively monitoring global science, technology and innovation trends relevant to OIN's mission, to be integrated into the STI portal.

• Participates in FAO and inter-agency missions, working groups, and meetings focused on science, technology and innovation, assessing situations and making recommendations to enhance the STI portal.

• Collaborates with other technical Centres/Offices/Divisions at FAO headquarters and regional offices to develop technical and financial partnerships with international organizations on STI in agriculture.

• Reviews and analyses project proposals and technical documents related to STI, as per FAO Strategic Framework.

• Develops publications on STI, synthesizing research findings and field experiences.

• Performs any other duties as required.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in information management, computer science and engineering, knowledge management, innovation, business administration, data science and analytics, agriculture or related studies.

• Five years of relevant experience with public or private sector institutions, international organizations, with an emphasis on content management, artificial intelligence, community development, preferably with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

• 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

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable.

• Agile approaches and Lean Startup principles.

• Data management and data governance.

• AI management and AI governance.

• AI prompt engineering, AI agents, vibe coding.

• Enterprise Architecture, IT architecture and federated architecture.

• Taxonomies, vocabularies and data standards (e.g. FAIR, Digital Impact Exchange (DIAL), International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) and Agrovoc.

• Relevance and extent of experience in supporting policy analysis and advice relating to STI.

• Relevance and extent of experience supporting stakeholders and partners, including inter-organizational project collaboration.

• Relevance and extent of experience supporting communication strategies to promote the adoption of STI.

• Relevance and extent of experience in the latest STI developments, including applications and trends related to agrifood systems.

• Ability to keep up to date with future STI trends.