Senior Partnerships Officer (Private Sector)

About the opportunity

The Senior Partnerships Officer (Private Sector) is located in the Private Sector Unit (PSUS) of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. Reporting to the Director PSU, the successful candidate will lead the implementation of the Organization’s strategy on partnering with private sector stakeholders (renewed 2026) to accomplish FAO’s mandate. This includes generating, maintaining, monitoring, and communicating private sector engagement, supporting the evaluation and formalization of corporate-level partnerships, and building capacity globally. The role aims to drive FAO toward substantially increased, meaningful, and robustly monitored collaborations with the private sector to support agrifood systems transformation.

Salary and benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits package based on UN salaries and allowances
• Dependency allowances
• Rental subsidy
• Education grant for children
• Home leave travel
• 30 working days of annual leave per year
• Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund
• International health insurance and optional life insurance
• Disability protection
• Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies

Who can apply?

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in rural development, political science, international cooperation, development, business, economics, or a related field
• Ten years of relevant experience in international cooperation and/or business (focusing on sustainability practices and public sector partnerships), donor programs, government institutions, UN agencies, private sector functions, civil society, or NGOs
• Working knowledge (Level C proficiency) of English
• Intermediate knowledge (Level B proficiency) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish)
• Essential work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions

Required documents

• Completed online profile on the FAO recruitment portal
• Letter of motivation attached to the online profile
• Accredited higher educational qualifications (recognized in the World Higher Education Database – WHED)
• Performance assessments (upon request)
• Authorization to conduct verification checks of past/present work, character, education, military, and police records (upon request)

When to apply

• Applications open: September 2, 2026
• Application deadline: September 23, 2026, at 9:59:00 PM (based on the candidate's personal device settings)

How to apply

• Visit the FAO recruitment website and complete your online profile, ensuring employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills are accurate.
• Attach a letter of motivation to your online profile.
• Submit your completed application through the FAO recruitment portal before the deadline.
• Provide consent for personal information sharing for pre-screening, assessment tests, and background checks during submission.

Additional information

• The appointment is a fixed-term staff position for two years with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding availability.
• FAO is a non-smoking environment and has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct incompatible with its status, including sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, and discrimination.
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
• For technical assistance or queries, candidates can register with FAO's client support team at https://fao.service-now.com/csp.