Organizational Setting

FAO’s Land and Water Division (NSL) foresees a future whereby governments, development partners, civil society, academic institutions as well as the private sector and farmers, all work together to ensure that land, soil and water resources are wisely used, conserved and restored for sustainable and resilient agrifood systems that support food security, nutrition and human wellbeing. NSL provides policy guidance, technical and financial assistance to Member Nations in developing policies, programmes, best practices and management tools for ensuring productive and efficient use of land, soil and water resources to meet present and future demands for agricultural products, while ensuring the long-term sustainability of these resources. It promotes equitable access to and sustainable management of these natural resources with a view to enhancing productivity, livelihoods, equity, health and ecosystem services.
Under the new FAO Conceptual Framework for Integrated Land and Water Resources Management, NSL will work towards a core set of five outcomes that have been elaborated to cut across the thematic areas of land, water, soils and geospatial areas of work of the Division: (1) Good governance; (2) Wise use and restoration; (3) Mitigation and resilience; (4) Integrated solutions; (5) Data, digitalization, technology and innovation.
The post is located in the Land and Water Division (NSL) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Director of the Land and Water Division, the specialist will report and work under the day-to-day supervision of the Soil Information and Data Team Lead.

Technical Focus 

The role focuses on supporting the implementation of the relevant activities within GLOSOLAN (Global Soil Laboratory Network) and SoilFER Projects.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Global Soil laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) of the Global Soil partnership (GSP)
•    Support the implementation of activities in the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) of the Global Soil Partnership
•    Oversee the development of a technical guidelines for interpretation of analysed soil properties related to soil health and Sustainable Soil management (SSM)
•    Oversee the organization of Eurasian Soil Laboratory Network meetings and training workshops
•    Oversee the development of the GLOSOLAN Global Assessment Report 2024
•    Support the implementation of relevant activities within the SoilFER Framework
•    Oversee the processing of soil samples for wet chemistry analysis.
•    Collaborate with project partners and laboratories to ensure accurate and timely soil analysis results.
•    Develop and implement quality assurance and quality control measures for soil analysis processes, including the establishment of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
•    Participate in capacity-building activities, such as workshops and trainings, to enhance national capacities in soil analysis and data management.
•    Support the implementation of laboratory equipment procurement activities of the project.
•    Support the establishment and improvement of national soil laboratories and laboratory information management systems (LIMS).
•    Track progress and assess the quality of soil analysis and harmonization activities.
•    Provide input to project monitoring and reporting frameworks to ensure the effective implementation of soil analysis and harmonization efforts.
•    Contribute to regular progress reports on soil analysis and harmonization activities.
•    Communicate project outcomes and lessons learned related to soil analysis and harmonization to relevant audiences.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree in soil science, agronomy or related fields
•    5 years of relevant experience in soil analysis and laboratory management
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English

FAO Core 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
•    Extent and relevance of experience in leading soil laboratory and soil analysis
•    Extent and relevance of experience in interpreting analysed soil properties for soil health assessment and SSM
•    Familiarity with soil laboratory management and QA/QC

Selection Criteria

•    Limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian) is an asset.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements