Sustainable Trade and Value Chains Specialists

• 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 member nations, 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 our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting The Fisheries Division promotes policies and strategies aiming at the sustainable and responsible development of fisheries and aquaculture in inland and marine waters. For this purpose, the Division provides discussion fora, information, legal and policy frameworks, codes and guidelines, options for strategies, scientific advice, and training material. The Sustainable Trade and Value Chains Thematic Area (NFIMD), consisting of three Teams (namely: trade and markets; value chains; food safety, nutrition, and health), promotes the improvement of the efficiency of all operations which take place between fish harvesting (captured or farmed fish) and consumption, ensuring an efficient, inclusive and sustainable utilization of fisheries and aquaculture resources. The Area acts as the Secretariat for the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade. It assists Members in optimizing the utilization of captured and cultured fish to extract maximum economic and nutritional value from fisheries and aquaculture resources, including small-scale operators. It also monitors and provides analyses and reports on development and trends in post-harvest activities, markets, and international trade to support the transparent and equitable distribution of the derived benefits among Members and stakeholders. It also addresses issues related to food safety and biosecurity challenges affecting aquatic food systems, including risk assessments, emergencies (i.e., disease outbreaks and mass mortality events in aquatic populations), disease burden, antimicrobial resistance and One Health goals. Through GLOBEFISH, a specific unit responsible for information and analysis on international trade and markets of fisheries and aquaculture products, NFIMD collects, assesses, analyses and disseminates up-to-date fish marketing and trade information worldwide, which is shared through key publications and on the GLOBEFISH website. International consultants and PSAs represent an important source of expertise for FAO, making their specialist contributions across the globe towards the achievement of the Organization’s strategic objectives. For FAO to be able to attract and employ the best possible experts in the wide range of technical areas of its mandate, a competitive selection process has been introduced. This process is intended to create a pool of candidates which can be called upon when their expertise is required, ensuring a transparent and rigorous selection process. Reporting Lines The Consultant/PSA will work under the overall supervision of relevant NFIMD Team Leaders and the direct supervision of a relevant Officer. Technical Focus The Consultant or PSA will work as part of a closely collaborating team to conduct activities, research, and analysis on issues applicable to trade in fisheries and aquaculture products, including aspects to strengthen the capabilities of the poor to benefit from trade. Investigate market access issues of fisheries and aquaculture products, including tariffs, sanitary and technical requirements, certification, ecolabelling, import requirements, value chain aspects (including the addition of value) and non-tariff measures (including barriers to trade) will also be conducted. In addition, research on emerging issues and their impacts on global and domestic fish markets and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security and the regulatory framework applicable to fish trade will also be a focus area. The overall UN architecture involving economic elements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to fisheries and aquaculture products and the economic associated benefits to countries will also constitute a research area. The Consultant or PSA will produce reports and analysis on such themes related to fish, markets, value chains, fish economy, food safety, nutrition, health, and trade to facilitate the understanding of, and dialogue on, the impacts of those issues and policy decisions by governments and other interested stakeholders. Tasks and responsibilities The tasks and responsibilities of each selected Consultant or PSA will be defined in the Terms of Reference for the specific assignment. In general, depending on the specific assignment, designated tasks and responsibilities will typically include a number of the following elements:

• Contribute to the organization and participation in external events (including field missions) in support of the delivery of NFIMD’s programme of work, including consultation, training, capacity building and technical assistance.
• Contribute to the provision of substantive technical inputs to relevant studies, publications and analyses, knowledge products and dissemination materials related to NFIMD’s areas of work, including GLOBEFISH, such as guidelines, manuals, research papers, capacity building, market analysis of selected fish and aquaculture species and training materials.
• Contribute to the provision of substantive technical inputs to relevant studies, publications and analyses, knowledge products and dissemination materials in different thematic areas of fisheries and aquaculture products covered by NFIMD, particularly food safety, biosecurity and health, value chains, international trade and markets.
• Collect, manage and analyse data to be used to inform and guide the Teams’ technical and policy work.
• Compile, create and maintain local databases to monitor relevant data.
• Provide support to the preparation and organization of consultations and technical meetings.
• Establish and manage relations with relevant institutions, networks and platforms that could help FAO leverage its messages and advance the global dialogue on various issues related to trade in fisheries and aquaculture products, helping the Organization promote enhanced global food security and nutrition.
• Any other duties related to NFIMD’s areas of work.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum RequirementsUniversity Degree in economics, statistics, fisheries or aquaculture, law, business administration, international relations, food science/technology, animal health, or other fields related to trade, marketing, value chains or food technology and quality.

• Relevant experience in fisheries or aquaculture in the field of aquatic food technology, quality, and related policies, food value chains, international trade policy, trade development, market analysis, including experience with fish marketing and trade projects and reports, or related fields, preferably in NFIMD’s areas of work:
  • For PSA or base-level consultants (C level): one to four years of relevant experience
  • For middle-level consultants (B level): at least five years of relevant experience
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other languages of the Organization (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian) for Consultants. For PSAs working knowledge of English is sufficient.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Additional Selection Criteria

• One to five years of relevant experience in the sector of products, trade and marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products, comprising, if possible, both technical research, writing of policy reports and support to multilateral or regional processes.

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