Nutrition Officer

**Organizational Setting**

FAO's Food and Nutrition Division (ESN) assists Member Nations to improve diets and raise levels of nutrition, as well as provides support with appropriate policies, strategies and methodologies to improve the efficiency and inclusiveness of their agriculture and food systems. As a knowledge leader, areas addressed include dietary assessment, support on nutrition-sensitive food and agriculture policies and programmes, effective nutrition promotion programmes, food value chains, market linkages, post-harvest handling, food loss and waste reduction and nutrition-sensitive agro-processing. FAO is committed to supporting Member Nations in their efforts to improve nutritional outcomes as stated in the Rome Declaration on Nutrition (November 2014) and to mainstream nutrition across all the work of the Organization.

The position is located in the Food and Nutrition Division, (ESN) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

**Reporting Lines**
The Nutrition Officer (Nutritional Sciences) reports directly to the Senior Nutrition and Food Systems Officer under the overall guidance of the Director, ESN.

**Technical Focus**
Nutritional sciences, biological basis of nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, nutrition research.

**Key Results**
Comprehensive technical, statistical, analytical and/or policy analysis services and the development of specialized tools, methodologies, systems and/or databases to support the planning, implementation/delivery and monitoring of the programme of work and related products, projects, publications and services.

**Key Functions**
• Plans and leads components of multidisciplinary teams and short-term work groups; leads and/or participates in divisional teams; participates in Organization-wide committees, project teams and working groups and provides specialized expertise on international technical networks and/or technical policy and standard setting bodies.
• Develops technical, statistical, analytical, monitoring and reporting frameworks and related tools, methodologies, systems and databases, etc. to support the planning, implementation/delivery and monitoring of the programmes of work, products, projects and services.
• Designs and conducts research, data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting activities to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovative tools and methodologies, flagship publications/technical reports and/or policy proposals as well as the provision of technical specialist and/or policy advice and expertise.
• Responds to requests and provides technical/policy advice, assistance and solutions to Regional, Subregional and Country Offices and provides technical backstopping to field projects; promotes international cooperation and collaboration, advocates best practices and increased policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international meetings and conferences.
• Collaborates in capacity development activities involving knowledge sharing, the organization of training workshops, seminars and meetings, as well as the development of related materials, on-line tools and information kits.
• Participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate Strategy and divisional plans.

**Specific Functions**
• Provides specialized expertise in nutritional sciences across a wide variety of topics, drawing on deep understanding of the biological basis of nutrition outcomes and the evidence for relationships between diet and nutrition outcomes throughout the life cycle.
• Leads support for and oversees quality assurance of the design, conduct, analysis and publication of nutrition research, using a wide variety of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
• Conducts evidence reviews using standardized approaches (scoping, systematic, narrative, etc. as appropriate) across emerging and relevant areas of nutritional sciences and critically assesses the policy and programming implications of the results.
• Provides technical expertise and guidance to FAO Country Offices to embed implementation research into projects and programmes.
• Develops and reviews a wide variety of documents related to diets and nutrition, drawing on deep and up-to-date knowledge of the relevant scientific literature.
• Leads and supports publications of FAO's work in peer-reviewed literature.
• Leads and provides technical expertise in nutritional sciences for peer-reviewed and other technical publications on emerging and relevant areas of research within the mandate of ESN.
• Provides technical expertise in nutritional sciences to ensure publications, talking points, speeches and other communication materials are based on the most up-to-date rigorous scientific findings.
• Serves as the divisional focal point for FAO's initiatives that require advanced understanding of nutritional sciences and the latest developments in the field.
• Contributes to the formulation of conclusions and policy as well as programmatically relevant recommendations for FAO's areas of work, drawing on the latest scientific evidence.
• Enhances the nutrition knowledge of FAO colleagues by identifying and sharing the latest scientific developments in nutritional science and linking them to the relevance for FAO's work in nutrition, among others, as needed.
• Performs other duties as required.

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**CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING**

**Minimum Requirements**
• Advanced university degree in nutritional sciences, nutritional epidemiology, or directly related.
• Seven years of relevant experience in a position related to nutritional sciences.
• Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - 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.
• Doctoral degree in nutritional sciences, nutritional epidemiology, or directly related field is desirable.
• Ability to lead and oversee all stages of nutrition research and have experience in using diverse field and desk research methodologies.
• Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the latest development in nutritional sciences.
• Ability to distill policy and programmatically relevant conclusions from scientific research studies.
• Extent and relevance of direct experience in the design and conduct of nutrition research, particularly implementation research, including experience in conducting research in low- or middle-income countries.
• Direct experience in evidence synthesis, including policy and programming implications of research evidence.
• Proven track record of leading and contributing to publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals.
• Ability to manage a multidisciplinary team, including home-based and office-based colleagues.
• Ability to mobilize resources for nutrition research.