Soil Information and Data Specialist

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.

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 Soil Information and Data Area of Work of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP-SID) and SoilFER-VACS Project.

Tasks And Responsibilities

• Assist in the development of relevant tools and soil information systems within the GloSIS and SoilFER-VACS frameworks.
• Support the ongoing work on the development of the National and Regional Soil Information Systems, as well as the Global Soil Information System (GloSIS) and its components (Discovery Hub and Map Service).
• Assist in the development of software bundles for the National Soil Information Systems within GloSIS and SoilFER-VACS Framework.
• Contribute to the development of capacity-building activities within the GloSIS framework.
• Work closely with relevant experts at the Soil Information and Data (SID) Team, FAO’s Digitalization and Informatics Division (CSI), and within FAO's Hand in Hand Initiative (HiH) to make existing soil data and information available via GloSIS services.
• Harmonize existing soil data and metadata (Global, Regional, and National).
• Support the Global Soil Partnership activities in integrating national soil information systems into the GloSIS Federation.
• Optimize existing soil data and information for GloSIS web services.
• Support the adaptation and refinement of the GLOSIS data model to ensure it meets GloSIS requirements.
• Assist in organizing relevant events and training.
  
  

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Remote Sensing, GIS, Cartography, soil science, agronomy or related fields
• 5 years of relevant experience in managing, analyzing, and interpreting soil, environmental, or geospatial data, including hands-on work with soil information systems.
• 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
• Proven expertise in projects involving soil data collection, analysis, and system development.
• Familiarity with soil data management protocols, including QA/QC processes
  
  

Selection Criteria

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

Call For Expressions Of Interest - Vacancy Announcement

Job Posting

03/Apr/2025

Closure Date

18/Apr/2025, 8:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit

NSL - Land and Water

Job Type

Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition

Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level

N/A

Primary Location

Home-Based

Duration

11 Months

Post Number

N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• 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 person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, 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’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.