Five Positions with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization

The FAO has asked me to post the following advertisement for five positions with the organization. Three are based at FAO headquarters in Rome; the other two are in Addis and Dakar.

We are currently recruiting for five positions; the announcements are posted here. The posts are in:

Development Law Branch, which undertakes normative work and supports Member States in developing their legislation in all areas of law relating to food and agriculture. We are looking for individuals to work on food, forestry, fisheries, agriculture, nutrition, right to food, etc. Knowledge of climate change and agriculture is of particular interest. Those without qualifications or experience beyond general environmental law or public international law are usually insufficiently specialised for this work.

• P4 Legal Officer – Specialization in Fisheries, to be based in Rome, with a lot of travel. A post for a seasoned professional, with a minimum of 7 years’ relevant experience.
• P3 Legal Officers – Any area of development law. Two posts, one to be based in Addis, and one to be based in Dakar, with travel throughout the Africa region. The posts require experienced professionals, with a minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience, and able to function with some autonomy as they are outposted although remain under the supervision of the Head of Branch in Rome.
• P2 Legal Officer – Any area of development law, to be based in Rome. Minimum of three years’ experience required; this is often an entry-level grade, so the individual is expected to work under the supervision of senior officers.

General Legal Affairs Service, which addresses issues of international organizations law, agreements with donors and other entities, international administrative law and staff appeals, procedures of governing and statutory bodies, IP matters, partnerships, treaty depositary functions, etc.

• P2 Legal Officer – Shortly to be posted online. To be based in Rome. Minimum of three years’ experience required; this is often an entry-level grade, so the individual is expected to work under the supervision of senior officers. Past recruitments suggest that there could be considerable competition for this post.

We adhere to the standard UN grades, salaries and benefits. We generally look for the ability to fully discharge functions in English and a second official language. Some nationalities are over-represented in the FAO secretariat, and this will also be a consideration. Under FAO rules, anyone shortlisted but not selected remains on a roster for two years and can be selected for another relevant fixed-term appointment without going through another full selection process. Shortlisted candidates are also automatically included on the roster for consultancies.

Needless to say, these are great opportunities for suitably qualified candidates.