FAO’s Young Professional Officer in Nutrition and Food Systems vacancy offers a P-1 international career opportunity in Dakar, Senegal. Applications close on 7 October 2026.
What the position involves
Based in the Subregional Office for West Africa, the role supports nutrition-sensitive programmes, technical analysis, policy work, coordination and knowledge-sharing. Relevant travel within the subregion may form part of the assignment.
Who can apply
Applicants need a relevant master’s or equivalent qualification, one year of relevant experience, English at level C and another FAO official language at level B. They must be 32 or younger on 31 December 2026. The YPP mainly targets non- and under-represented nationalities, prioritising specified developing-country groups. French at level C is an asset.
Funding and application
This is a staff vacancy with a UN compensation package, not an internship or open-entry training course. Benefits depend on eligibility. Complete the FAO online profile, attach a motivation letter and submit through the recruitment portal. Check the vacancy’s displayed closing time, which can reflect device settings.
Connect nutrition knowledge with programme experience
Opportunities Feed preparation guidance: Start by identifying an example that shows how you have used evidence to understand a nutrition or food-systems problem. Explain the question, the information available and the conclusion you reached. Be clear about the limits of the evidence and avoid claiming a causal effect that your work did not establish.
A relevant example might involve research, programme support, analysis or practical work with partners. What matters is explaining your contribution accurately. A reader should not have to guess whether you designed the work, collected data, helped with implementation or contributed to reporting.
Explain the connection between sectors
Food-related challenges often involve several organisations and professional perspectives. In your application, describe how you worked with people whose expertise differed from yours. Explain how you clarified a shared objective, handled conflicting information or helped colleagues reach a practical decision.
Do not rely on broad language about collaboration. Identify the task, your role and the result. If progress was limited, explain what you learned and how you adapted. An honest account of a difficult assignment can show maturity without presenting every experience as an unqualified success.
Prepare a concise and relevant motivation letter
Use the letter to connect your background to the specific assignment. Choose a few examples that demonstrate the most relevant strengths rather than trying to describe your entire academic and professional history. Explain why the role fits the contribution you want to make at this stage of your career.
Avoid copying the employer’s language without adding evidence. If you describe yourself as analytical, give an example of analysis. If you emphasise communication, explain the audience and the information you helped them understand. This turns an unsupported label into a statement a reviewer can assess.
Check education, experience and languages first
Before drafting, compare your record with every minimum condition in the official notice. Write down the dates that support your education and experience claims. An early-career programme can still have specific technical requirements, so do not treat “young professional” as a promise that no experience is needed.
Report your language abilities accurately and consistently. If you have worked or studied in more than one language, explain the context where the form allows it. Do not inflate proficiency on the assumption that it will not be assessed later.
Organise the application documents
Create a checklist from the actual portal rather than relying on a general article. Make sure that your online profile and attachments agree on dates, job titles and qualification names. Use clear file names and check that every uploaded document is readable.
Where you discuss research or programme results, protect confidential information. Do not upload participant records, unpublished partner material or internal documents unless you have permission and the application process requests them. A short anonymised description can often explain your contribution without exposing sensitive details.
Submission and follow-up
Leave time for a final review before the deadline. Read each answer against the question it is meant to address, remove repeated material and check that the profile is complete. Confirm that the application has been submitted, not merely saved, and retain the acknowledgement.
Continue monitoring the contact address used in the portal. If you receive a request for more information, verify that it comes through an official recruitment channel. Do not treat an assessment invitation as an appointment, and wait for written terms before making major personal commitments.
Conclusion
This opportunity is relevant to applicants who can demonstrate a clear connection between their qualifications, practical experience and food-systems work. The short remaining window makes preparation important, but accuracy should come before speed. Review the full notice through the official button below before applying.
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Keywords: FAO nutrition vacancy, food systems careers, FAO Young Professionals Programme, Dakar UN jobs, nutrition graduate opportunities
