Fishery Officer (Information)

Organizational Setting

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) is responsible for all programmes and activities related to fisheries and aquaculture and their sustainable development, with particular emphasis on human well-being, food security and poverty reduction; sustained production systems including through the protection of the environment and preservation of biodiversity and the promotion of responsible fishing practices; post-harvest utilization, marketing and trade with due regard to food security and the well-being of fishing communities; collection, compilation, validation, trend analysis and dissemination of the best available and up-to-date fishery statistics and for the syndication of the FAO information on all aspects of world fisheries and aquaculture. The Information and Knowledge Management Team (NFISI), which provides access to global trends, cross-disciplinary knowledge and analysis on the fishery and aquaculture sector via publication services, internet-based information systems and data services. It also promotes digital innovations, supports the comprehensive knowledge base on fisheries and aquaculture, facilitates partnership arrangements for collation and sharing of information on fisheries and aquaculture e.g. holding Secretariats of Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS) and Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), and assists Members with their data management challenges. The position is located in the Information and Knowledge Management Team (NFISI) of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines The Fishery Officer (Information) reports to the Senior Fishery Officer/Team Leader, NFISI and acts as direct supervisor of other officer(s) and/or consultants.

Technical Focus Support the Secretariat of the Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS) information sharing partnership, including its databases and products, and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 14.4.1 reporting workflow. Direct responsibility in selected programs that include data management and analysis in fisheries data systems, ensuring innovation and mainstreaming along the data value chain with standards, tools and partnerships.

Key Results Research, technical analysis and project related services to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services.

Key Functions • Researches, analyses and provides access to fisheries and aquaculture technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional and technology related data, and information and/or related policy issues to support the delivery of fisheries and aquaculture programme, projects, products, publications and services. • Produces a variety of technical data, statistics, information and reports as well as input for technical documents and web pages. • Provides technical, statistical, and/or analytical services on various studies, projects and initiatives, and/or assessments; provides technical backstopping to field projects. • Participates in the development of improved/updated technical, statistical and/or analytical tools, methodologies, systems, databases and/or key social/economic/environmental/nutritional and/or early warning indicators, etc. • Participates in multidisciplinary teams and/or leads working groups/teams; collaborates with other divisions and agencies on work groups and committees and promotes best practices. • Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development activities within Members, such as organizational development and individual learning events, including preparation of related information, learning materials and on-line tools. • Promotes knowledge sharing and best practices at international meetings and conferences and influences partners in stakeholder consultations. • Supports resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate Strategy.

Specific Functions • Provides core support to the Secretariat of the Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System (FIRMS), including database, website, technical documents and reports, supporting an extension of its working model in the context of SDG Indicator 14.4.1. • Supports data management and analysis of SDG Indicator 14.4.1, including collection, quality assessment, and reporting aspects at national, regional and global scales. • Supports and/or coordinates the development of innovative information systems in fisheries and aquaculture and their application to Members by leveraging information technology platforms and partnerships (e.g. Fisheries Global Information System; iMarine Partnership; Hand-in-hand initiative). • Supports capacity building projects with a focus on streamlining data collection, analysis and reporting workflow through application of best data management practices, standards, methodologies and tools (e.g. Calipseo).

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements • Advanced university degree in biology, fishery/aquatic science, marine ecology, environmental/agronomic science or related discipline. • Five years of relevant experience in statistics, data management and analysis, and in development, operation and/or use of fishery information systems in national and international organizations and/or related projects. • Working knowledge (proficient – level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies • Results Focus • Team Work • 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. • Extent and relevance of experience in different countries and regions, especially in developing countries and countries in transition, including in providing technical/scientific assistance and training curriculum design/development and delivery to national or regional research and management institutions in the field of fisheries and aquaculture. • Extent and relevance of experience in the compilation, processing and analysis of fisheries and aquaculture statistics, data and information, preferably in fisheries/marine resources research or monitoring, and demonstrated use of associated methods, tools and programming languages (e.g. R). • Extent and relevance of experience in the development, maintenance and/or use of databases management systems, web-publishing tools, preferably with demonstrated innovation, and related data/statistics and information technology standards. • Extent and relevance of experience in the project cycle management. • Ability in leading, designing, planning and supervising teamwork, preferably in the above fields. • Demonstrated ability to write reports and prepare documents for executive boards in English.