Innovation Officer (Science, Technology And Innovation)

Job Title Innovation Officer (Science, Technology and Innovation)

Position Details Job Type: Staff position Requisition Type: Professional Project Duration: 11 months (Short‑term)

Location Rome, Italy

Organizational Setting Office of Innovation (OIN) at FAO headquarters. OIN provides strategic direction and coordinates innovation across the organization, consolidating and strengthening FAO’s innovative spirit, including the innovation of approaches and cooperation models.

Reporting Lines Reports to the Senior Innovation Officer, who leads the Digital Agriculture Unit and the 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 agri‑food systems. Tasks include 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 for engagement with the Office’s initiatives.

Key Functions

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

Supports analytical work and collaboration with stakeholders to adopt and implement cross‑sectoral policies and strategies concerning innovation‑related activities.

Promotes best practices and policy dialogue in support of innovation of approaches and cooperation models.

Supports the analysis of organizational‑level innovation‑related issues.

Organises and participates in capacity‑development activities and develops related materials, online tools and information kits.

Identifies and assesses opportunities for technical divisions, offices and centres 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 the private sector.

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

Develops materials, online tools and information kits for federated inclusion in the STI portal.

Identifies and assesses opportunities for technical centres, offices and divisions to engage in the STI portal.

Ensures federation of the ATIO Knowledge Base in the STI portal.

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

Encourages adoption of open‑source large language models and explores the use of small language models.

Maintains active engagement with FAO members and key partners.

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

Supports ongoing monitoring of global science, technology and innovation trends relevant to OIN’s mission and integrates them 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 and 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 the FAO Strategic Framework.

Develops publications on STI, synthesising research findings and field experiences.

Performs any other duties as required.

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

Experience

Five years of relevant experience with public or private sector institutions, international organisations, with an emphasis on content management, artificial intelligence, community development, preferably focusing on low‑ and middle‑income countries.

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

Language Proficiency

Proficient in English (Level C).

Intermediate proficiency in another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) (Level B).

Key Competencies

Results Focus

Teamwork

Communication

Building effective relationships

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

Agile approaches and Lean Startup principles.

Data management and data governance.

AI management and AI governance.

AI prompt engineering, AI agents and 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).

Experience supporting policy analysis and advice relating to STI.

Experience supporting stakeholders and partners, including inter‑organizational project collaboration.

Experience supporting communication strategies to promote the adoption of STI.

Experience with the latest STI developments, including applications and trends related to agri‑food systems.

Ability to keep up to date with future STI trends.

General Information

All candidates should possess computer/word processing skills.

FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements and security clearances.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 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 Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. All FAO staff are required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, upholding FAO values. FAO has a zero‑tolerance policy for conduct incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director‑General who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Contact For assistance, please contact FAO’s client support team: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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