The Digital FAO and Agro-informatics (CSI) is responsible for all IT activities within the Organization. CSI performs on behalf of the Organization the following critical roles: defining FAO IT policies and providing strategic advice on IT architecture and standards, governance, policy and operational matters while monitoring organizational compliance; defining the mechanisms for managing FAO’s information and data; protecting FAO’s information assets and ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability; ensuring provision of IT services that are core for the Organization’s global operations and supporting the information and business processes; coordinating organization-wide IT activities to reduce duplication and fragmentation and to increase integration of information data, systems and platforms, mobilizing IT resources from across the Organization.

The Agro-informatics unit combines information technology with agricultural data management, analysis, and application to fight poverty and hunger through better production, better nutrients, a better environment, and better livelihood.

Depending on the role assigned, the incumbent will report to the Information Technology Officer, Competency Centre Lead or Project Lead.

The incumbent will participate in an agile software development team or technical competency centre, building high-quality and effective software products and services that deliver solutions to help FAO accomplish its Mission.

They will contribute to application development with a focus on creating solutions using cutting-edge technologies and mainstreaming their adoption, serving in one of the following roles:

• UX/UI Designer

• Web/Mobile/Frontend Developer

• Backend Developer

• Data Visualisation Specialist

• Data Engineer

• Data Scientist

• Software Engineer

• Cloud DevSecOps Engineer

• Artificial Intelligence Specialist

• GIS Specialist

• Conduct user research to create intuitive and visually appealing interfaces.

• Design wireframes, prototypes, and final UI elements, ensuring a seamless user experience.

• Collaborate with developers for implementation and iterate based on feedback.

• Develop responsive and user-friendly applications using front-end frameworks.

• Collaborate closely with backend developers and designers to ensure web or mobile applications work smoothly across different devices and platforms.

• Database management and API integration to ensure the functionality of applications.

• Ensure efficient and secure data processing.

• Transform complex data sets into clear, actionable visual formats such as charts, graphs, and dashboards utilizing tools like Tableau, or Power BI.

• Design, build, and maintain the data collection, storage, and processing infrastructure.

• Ensure data pipelines are efficient, scalable, and reliable, preparing data for analytical and machine learning purposes.

• Collect, clean, and analyze large datasets from various sources. Develop and implement statistical models and machine learning algorithms.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and solve business problems.

• Develop and maintain software systems to ensure efficient and scalable solutions.

• Write code, collaborate with teams to build new features, and solve technical issues to deliver reliable software.

• Automate cloud infrastructure and integrate security into DevOps processes.

• Manage cloud deployments, monitor performance, and ensure systems are secure by implementing continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and security protocols.

• Design, develop and implement AI models and algorithms to solve complex issues.

• Analyze large datasets, train models, and optimise machine learning processes.

• Use GIS to collect, analyze, and visualize spatial data.

• Create maps and spatial analyses for various applications, ensuring data accuracy and relevance.

For Consultants:

• University degree in Computer Science, IT engineering or Professional Software Engineer or

related fields.

• 2 years of relevant experience as a software developer, project lead or project support in complex software solutions or large development teams.

• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish.  Knowledge of a second FAO Language is an asset

For PSA:

• University Degree or equivalent technical experience in the subject.

• Working knowledge (Level C) of English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian.

• At least 1 year of professional experience working as a software developer, project lead or project support in complex software solutions or large development teams.

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building Effective Relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Candidates will have concrete experience and passion for one or more of the following specialisations and/or technologies

• UX/UI – Design, business models, success KPIs, human-centred design, storyboarding and customer journeys, internationalisation and multi-cultural interfaces, material-design.

• Mobile/Web/Front End AppDev – Flutter & Dart, Angular, React, PWA, Android Native, Tailwind CSS.

• Backend AppDev – Serverless Firebase, Cloud Functions, Cloud APIs, Java/Spring, Python, Flask, Django, NodeJS, RoR, JavaScript (NextJS, Remix).

• Version control, deployment and continuous integration: GitHub, Bitbucket, CI/CD pipelines, Docker.

• Data Visualization – R Shiny, Tableau, PowerBI, Looker Studio.

• Data Engineering – Realtime, Internet of Things, BigData, Geospatial, Talend, Data Flow and Integration, Analytics, Predication Modelling and Machine Learning. Jupyter Notebooks, Python Pandas, Airflow/DataFlow, BigQuery, Cloud Composer, GEE, CKAN, Tableau Prep.

• Cloud DevSecOps Engineer – SDLC, Continuous Integration and Delivery (BitBucket Pipelines) – GCP Infrastructure as a Code, Terraform, SaaS solutions – InfoSec – Monitoring and Analytics of Performance, Stackdriver, Crashlytics, Analytics and Usage.

• Cloud platforms: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Terraform for IaC.

• Artificial Intelligence Specialist – Artificial Intelligence models, cognitive services, Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, Computer Vision. Proficiency with Google AI, Microsoft Azure AI, BigqueryML, Amazon AI Services, LLM frameworks, LLM model registries, LLM APIs, RAG technologies, Vector databases and Geospatial/Remote Sensing AI.

• Data Science: Python, R, SQL, Jupyter Notebook/Google Collab.

• Data Storage Processing: BigQuery, Elastic Search, Neo4j.

• GIS Specialist – Proficiency in GIS software, including ArcGIS, QGIS, GEE and GeoServer. Remote sensing, cartography, spatial programming and visualisation.

• Self-learner and independent

• Ability to work in a team, including agile development.

• Demonstrable ability to implement solutions to complex problems on the front end, back end, and mobile platforms.

• Experience in the profiles of software developer, project lead or project support.

• Deep knowledge and skill in programming techniques, technologies and frameworks

• Experience in designing mobile & cloud first architectures

• Familiarity with defensive and secure programming techniques

• Knowledge of internet and web protocols and standards.

• Desirable knowledge of software development best practices including version and release management, continuous test, integration and delivery.