Senior Researcher

Reporting Lines

The Senior Researcher will work under the supervision of an Evaluation Officer.

Technical Focus 

The Senior Researcher will provide guidance to OED personnel in research design and analysis for rigorous evaluations concerning various areas of FAO’s mandate, including, among others, food security, resilience, agrifood systems, climate change, natural resource management, nutrition, in both developmental contexts, fragile settings and protracted crises.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Senior Researcher will contribute to the successful conduct of FAO evaluations. Some specific tasks include:
• Provide intellectual leadership to design impact evaluations, computable general equilibrium models, or other rigorous evaluations seeking to establish causal relationships
• Provide detailed quality assurance of designs, analyses, and intermediate and final deliverables (such as final reports and papers)
• Oversee teams of personnel collecting data, conducting analyses, and drafting reports; for example, oversee micro-econometric analysis of both primary and secondary data for selected impact evaluations
• Serve as a senior advisor to OED personnel to consult with seasoned researchers with expertise as they design evaluations, troubleshoot threats to their design due to (for example) data collection challenges, and so on 
• Present findings at informal seminars within FAO and, as requested, at external meetings (such as conferences) on behalf of OED
• Promote use of evaluation findings
• Other tasks as agreed with the supervisor.

The position may include international travel in support of project activities.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced University Degree in Economics, Econometrics, Agricultural/Development Economics or in any other social science field (such as sociology and public policy) with graduate-level econometrics.
• At least ten years of experience in either the academic sector or research institutions 
• Solid publication record in peer-reviewed journals
• Working knowledge (level C) of English

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in managing household surveys, longitudinal surveys, spatial data
• Extent and relevance of experience evaluating projects funded by international cooperation;
• Knowledge of quantitative impact evaluation methods, computable general equilibrium models, spillovers analysis
• Familiarity with FAO’s technical areas of work is desirable

Selection Criteria

• Excellent knowledge of Stata, R, GAMS or Phyton.
• Working knowledge of any other UN official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an advantage.

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing) Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at For more information, visit the FAO employment website Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

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