Senior Partnerships Consultant

Organizational Setting

The Liaison Office with the United Nations in Geneva is responsible for the liaison with the Government of Switzerland, the country’s civil society and the International Organizations based in Geneva, Switzerland. Considering the presence of a large number of international organizations, Member States and Non-Governmental Organizations, which provides a significant platform for engagement and partnership with key stakeholders, the Liaison Office i) ensures that relevant FAO Governing body decisions and the overall work of the organization are brought to the policy dialogues, mechanisms and relevant discussions in Geneva; ii) promote and raise awareness on FAO’s technical work and activities, among Member States and Organizations in Geneva, and the general public; iii) serve as the focal point for Member States that are accredited to FAO from Geneva.

The position is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the Director of the FAO Liaison Office, under the guidance of the LOG Liaison Officer responsible for private sector and partnerships, and in consultation with SFNV management.

Technical Focus

In line with the Organization´s mandate on private sector, support LOG´s sustained dialogue with Swiss federal authorities and development cooperation actors and deepen collaboration with Swiss innovation and private sector ecosystems, dedicating approximately 80% of the incumbent's time to driving and leading the FAO partnership with the Swiss Food and Nutrition Valley (SFNV).

In August 2024, SFNV and the FAO signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to strengthen resilience and sustainability of agrifood systems in targeted low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) tthrough the adoption and scaling of locally relevant innovations, contributing to enhanced food security and nutrition, improved food safety, and enhanced livelihoods. In this context, FAO and SFNV have been jointly exploring the establishment of the Swiss–Global Innovation Scaling Partnership. The Partnership is envisioned as a trusted, neutral, multi stakeholder matchmaking platform to connect Swiss and local capabilities with concrete, actionable, field based needs in LMICs.

Tasks and responsibilities

Act as project lead of the Swiss Global Innovation Scaling Partnership (FAO-SFNV partnership) (Approximately 80%)

• Facilitate linkages and dialogue between SFNV management, SFNV corporate members and FAO (including FAO HQs technical units, FAO LOG, and FAO country and subregional offices).
• Engage with SFNV members and with the Swiss agrifood innovation ecosystem (Swiss academic institutions, research institutes, private sector), in close coordination with SFNV and FOAG, to confirm technical and/or financial support of partners and its individual projects.
• Provide technical support to the implementation of the four main areas of cooperation of the Partnership (i) actionable needs identification, (ii) matchmaking, fund raising, co-creation, and partnership development, (iii) implementing: solutions development and deployment, and (iv) Scaling-up and knowledge management.
• Undertake recurrent national travel and occasional international field missions as needed.
• Develop and apply a monitoring, learning and evaluation framework for systematic improving and scaling of the Partnership model, ensuring consistent and sustained impact and potential for replication across different LMICs settings.
• Ensure overall management of the partnership, incl. coordination and supervision of individual project activities across the portfolio, monitoring progress against timelines and budgets, and supporting timely and effective delivery of results.

Support LOG in strengthening linkages with the Swiss agrifood innovation ecosystem - including companies, research institutions, academia, and innovation actors - in line with FAO’s Private Sector and Science & Innovation Strategies and in close coordination with FOAG (Approximately 20%)

•     Promote Swiss agrifood innovation and related opportunities, raising visibility of Swiss capabilities and fostering linkages with international partners, particularly in support of initiatives in the Global South

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Agriculture, Food Systems, Economics, Public Administration, International Relations, Political Sciences, Business Administration, Innovation Management or other field relevant to FAO's mandate. A bachelor's degree may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant professional experience.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in project design and management, partnership development, innovation ecosystems, private sector engagement, resource mobilization and/or international development cooperation.
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one other FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience in project and partnership management.
• Proven ability to engage and coordinate with governments, international organizations, research institutions, academia, funding institutions/foundations and private sector partners.
• Experience in innovation, agrifood systems and/or international development cooperation.
• Strong analytical, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience in resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder initiatives is an asset.

Selection Criteria

• Demonstrated experience building and managing multi-stakeholder partnerships involving public, private and development actors
• Experience in agrifood innovation, innovation scaling, public-private partnerships and/or multi-stakeholder platforms would be an asset.
• Experience working with FAO, the United Nations system or other international development organizations would be an advantage.
• Deep knowledge and network within the Swiss Agrifood ecosystem
• Working knowledge of an additional FAO official language would be an asset.