Data Scientist

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• 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 FAOs 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

FAOs commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

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

Organizational Setting

The Statistics Division (ESS) develops and advocates for the implementation of methodologies and standards for data collection validation processing and analysis of food and agriculture these statistical domains it also plays a vital role in the compilation processing and dissemination of internationally comparable data and provides essential capacity building support to member addition the Division disseminates many publications working papers and statistical yearbooks which cover agricultural and food security relevant statistics (including prices production trade and agri-environmental statistical data). The Statistics Division is involved in the management of a number of large-scale projects (50x2030 Global Strategy FIES) aimed at improving statistical methodologies and establish best practices for the collection collation processing dissemination and use of data relevant to food security agriculture and rural areas.

Reporting Lines

Consultants and PSA subscribers will work under the immediate supervision of one or more Team Leaders of ESS and the general oversight of Office of the Chief Statistician Director and Deputy Director of ESS. They may be called upon to collaborate with other FAO Divisions and teams.

Technical Focus

We are seeking consultants and PSA subscribers with expertise in one or more of the following areas with a focus on data science techniques particularly in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) including Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) as well as Python programming and major cloud computing platforms (e.g. GCP AWS Azure):
Agricultural Data Science and Predictive Analytics: Utilizing AI methods such as machine learning models LLMs and data fusion techniques to agricultural and food security statistics including production analysis trade-related insights and the integration of AI methods within conventional statistical workflows.
Food Security and Nutrition Analytics: Employing NLP and LLMs to extract and analyze information from unstructured data sources including documents and web-based content using AI for early warning systems trend analysis and policy evaluation in food security and nutrition.
Advanced AI-Driven Data Processing and Visualization: Leveraging Python R and other tools for AI-based data processing predictive modeling and dynamic visualization; integrating AI technologies to improve data insights.
Automated Data Collection and Text Mining Techniques: Utilizing AI and machine learning for enhanced data processing including NLP for text mining legal and policy documents analysis data and content extraction from web and social media sources automatic classification and building of data-driven taxonomies and improving data quality through automated methods.
Integration of AI in Statistical Projects: Developing statistical projects that merge conventional statistical methods with cutting-edge AI techniques such as LLMs and deep learning to innovate data collection processing portfolio analysis synthesis and management and analysis practices.
The work requires addressing complex analytical questions involving heterogeneous data sources varying data quality and evolving analytical requirements. Particular attention is required to methodological rigor transparency of assumptions and careful interpretation of results.

Tasks and responsibilities

In one or more of the above-mentioned statistical domains Consultants and PSA subscribers will contribute to and/or take responsibility for one or more of the following tasks:

Contribute to methodological development in statistics and data science methods including the integration of AI and NLP techniques for innovative analyses.
Design and implement advanced methods data collection processes and analytical frameworks utilizing a robust set of tools including R Python SQL and NoSQL databases and related technologies and paradigms (e.g. machine learning NLP text mining web data extraction).
Drive the analysis validation and dissemination of complex datasets with traditional statistical/data-engineering methods or employing AI and machine learning to enhance data interpretation and decision-making.
Utilize technologies for text mining and/or LLMs to extract insights and semantics from vast unstructured data sets of documents.
Translate analytical and policy-relevant questions into appropriate statistical and data science approaches ensuring methodological soundness and transparency.
Critically assess analytical results and model outputs including limitations assumptions and potential sources of bias.
Prepare clear analytical narratives to communicate findings uncertainties and methodological choices to non-technical audiences.
Experience in assessing model performance robustness and risks including validation of outputs and appropriate use of AI-generated content in analytical contexts.
Ensure reproducibility documentation and quality control of analytical workflows and outputs.
Collaborate with subject-matter experts to ensure that analytical approaches are grounded in domain knowledge and fit for purpose.
Engage in statistical capacity development providing technical assistance and training that covers both foundational statistical skills and modern data science and AI techniques.

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 data science statistics economics computer science or any other discipline relevant to the work of the Organization. Consultants with bachelors degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
At least 1 year of relevant experience in the field of data science machine learning natural language processing artificial intelligence or any other of the above-mentioned areas of work and/or fields of application.
Working knowledge of English (level C).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Demonstrated proficiency and extensive experience in performing the above-mentioned tasks and responsibilities in relevant statistical or data science fields.
Experience in data exploration preprocessing and transformation techniques for handling diverse data types including structured and unstructured formats like text images and time-series data. Proficient in statistical analysis and feature engineering to create informative predictors and enhance model performance. Experienced in a variety of machine learning classification models and clustering algorithms. Competent in evaluating and optimizing models using metrics. Knowledgeable in ETL processes and data engineering.
Strong foundation in deploying fine-tuning and customizing Large Language Models (LLM) for NLP tasks. Experienced with models such as GPT BERT and T5 applying them to tasks like text generation summarization translation classification and sentiment analysis. Skilled in fine-tuning LLMs on domain-specific data using frameworks like Hugging Face Transformers and TensorFlow or PyTorch. Proficient in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models.
Proficient in Python (with extensive use of libraries such as Pandas NumPy Scikit-learn TensorFlow) and R for data manipulation model development and deployment. Skilled in data collection methods including web scraping API integration and working with distributed data processing tools like Spark Hadoop and Dask. Knowledgeable in SQL and NoSQL databases for data storage and querying. Experienced in creating and optimizing ETL pipelines and understanding big data principles for handling and processing large-scale datasets. Skilled in cloud computing platforms like GCP (preferably) AWS or Azure for scalable data science solutions.
Knowledge of a second FAO language will be considered an asset.
Ability to draft quickly clearly and concisely and to communicate effectively in English.
Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy in complex analytical assignments while coordinating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Previous working experience with FAO and its partners in the above-mentioned domains and tasks would be an asset.
Experience in the provision of technical assistance to countries and/or professional experience in national statistical services.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate complete and includes your employment records academic qualifications and language skills
Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
Once your profile is completed please apply and submit your application

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 These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.

Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work character education military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
Incomplete applications will not be considered
Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAOs behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications assessment tests background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time by withdrawing your application in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries please create a one-time registration with FAOs client support team for further assistance: IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT