Job Description - Investment Operations Specialist (2600179)

Job Description

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
2600179

Investment Operations Specialist

Job Posting
20/Apr/2026

Closure Date
28/Sep/2026, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : CFI

Job Type
Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition : Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Primary Location
Various Locations

Duration : Assignments from two to six weeks, or up to 11 months when applicable

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.

Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The FAO Investment Centre (CFI) provides investment and finance solutions that lead to more efficient, sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems. Working in over 120 countries, the Centre provides a full suite of investment and finance support to FAO Members. It partners with governments, international and national financing institutions, the private sector and farmers, research institutions and academia to improve the quality and quantity of agrifood investment. The Centre's four main areas of work include support to strategic investment planning and policy, public investment, private investment, and innovative finance. These are complemented by the knowledge for investment and capacity development for investment programmes that serve to share knowledge, learn and build capacities at country level. For additional information on the FAO Investment Centre, its activities, partners and the organizational structure please visit the following link.

The purpose of this call is to provide FAO’s Investment Centre (CFI) with a list of qualified candidates for a number of profiles with different specializations as indicated below. The contract can be home based with required travel for field missions.

Requested Profiles (or Job Titles)

Agribusiness, Agri-processing and Value Chain Specialist

Agriculture Specialist

Animal Husbandry, Health, Feed, and Processing Specialist

Capacity Development and Extension Specialist

Climate Change and Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist

Climate Finance Specialist

Credit and Rural Finance Specialist

Digital Agriculture Specialist

Economist – Agricultural Economist

Expenditure Review Specialist

Fisheries and Aquaculture Specialist

Food Safety Specialist

Food Security and Nutrition Specialist

Forestry Specialist

Gender,



Youth and Social Inclusion Specialist

Impact Assessment Specialist

Information and Communication Technology and MIS Specialist

Institutional Development Specialist

Irrigation Engineer

Knowledge Development Specialist

Land Tenure and Land Tenure Information Management Specialist

Livestock Specialist

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Natural Resources and Environmental Management Specialist

On-farm Water Management Specialist

Project Management Specialist

Quality Label Specialist

Remote Sensing and GIS Specialist

Resilience and Emergency Specialist

Rural Area Water Supply Specialist

Rural Infrastructure Specialist / Cold-storage Specialist

Rural Sociologist and Community-Driven Development

Veterinarian / One Health Specialist / Zoonotic disease

Reporting Lines
The Investment Operations Specialist will work under the overall technical supervision of the Service Chief and the direct supervision of a CFI Officer, in close collaboration with the FAO Representation in the relevant country of assignment.

Technical Focus
Provision of technical advice or expertise and capacity development for (i) provision of policy advice to member countries in collaboration with IFI partners; (ii) the design of investment operations, in collaboration with country stakeholders and cooperating partners, to mobilize resources for food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation; and (ii) implementation support and evaluation of investment operations, in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Tasks and responsibilities

Lead, or participate in, multidisciplinary teams to assist governments in the identification, assessment and preparation of investment operations in the fields of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation and participate in pre-appraisal and appraisal missions.

Lead, or participates in, multidisciplinary teams for the implementation support and the preparation of final evaluation of investment operations.

Advise governments, or provide technical expertise, in the preparation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation studies and strategies, and in the formulation of national sector and/or sub-sector investment plans and programmes. (only for Consultants)

Advise on developing, or support the development, of inclusive and sustainable food systems, involving producers, their organizations, other private sector actors, civil society organizations and government.

Lead the formulation, or formulate, and delivers monitoring and evaluation, communication and capacity development strategies and activities in the areas of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation, investment support to government staff, and non-state actors and private sector organizations.

Prepare reports in accordance with government and financing partners’ requirements.

Promote international cooperation and collaboration leading to new investment opportunities and cooperative agreements,



advocates best practices and effective policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international meetings.

Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in economics, agricultural economics, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, agribusiness management, natural resource management, irrigation and drainage engineering, rural infrastructure engineering, communication, social sciences, international relations or a related field as appropriate for the specific profile, or relevant educational background including specific academic or technical qualifications within the required field of expertise. .

At least one year of professional experience in conducting agricultural/rural sector/subsector analytical studies, and/or in planning, design, supervision of agricultural and rural investment operations, including elaboration of feasibility studies and implementation of agricultural and rural investment operations in developing countries and/or countries in transition

Working knowledge (level C) of English, French or Spanish. Limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian would be an asset.

FAO Core Competencies
Technical/Functional Skills

Extent and relevance of experience in leading, or participating in, multidisciplinary teams for the preparation of strategies and sector studies as well as formulation, implementation support or evaluation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investment operations

Extent and relevance of experience in food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation analytical studies and programme evaluation

Extent and relevance of experience in investment design, implementation support and evaluation procedures of FAO’s main development partners, in particular the World Bank, the International Funds for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Extent and relevance of experience in capacity development for the design and implementation of food security, nutrition, agriculture, rural development, natural resource management and climate change adaptation and/or mitigation investments

Demonstrated experience in dealing with government officials, development partners and other country level stakeholders.

Relevance of experience in different geographical areas.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list

Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

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

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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📌 Investment Operations Specialist, Various Locations (Roma)
🏢 Economia agraria
📍 Roma