National Livestock Production Specialist
Tbilisi
- Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Location: Tbilisi
- Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Livestock, production and veterinary
- Food Security, Livestock and Livelihoods
- Closing Date: 2024-12-05
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 main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
Reporting Lines
The National Livestock Production Specialist shall operate under the overall guidance and responsibility of the FAO Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia (REU) and the functional and administrative guidance of the Assistant FAO Representative in Georgia, the direct supervision of Technical Advisor, in close collaboration with relevant technical divisions of REU, international/national consultants of FEGEO, staff of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and its agencies.
Technical Focus
Provide technical expertise for the appropriate planning, development and implementation of the FAO project (GCP/GEO/021/MUL) and timely delivery of the project outputs.
Tasks and responsibilities
FAO is supporting the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture (SRCA) in implementing a Livestock Farm Management System (LFMS) to enhance the productivity and efficiency of livestock farming. This system will enable farmers to enter and manage data related to their livestock operations, leading to better decision-making and improved farm outcomes. The objective of this consultancy is to support livestock farmers in benefiting from the use of the LFMS through entering data, performing analysis of the results using the system’s features and functionalities and implementing the improved farm management practices covering animal nutrition, productivity analysis, and animal reproduction.
Farm management extension is concerned with the development of skills among farmers for improved decision-making in the use of resources and markets. Small-scale farmers may be good at producing, but often lack the skills needed to manage their farm as a business. Extension and training support are needed to assist farmers to develop their management skills and competencies. Farm Management is a specialized extension support that provides information suitable for use by farmers / livestock producers. The farm management specialist is expected to play a pivotal role in the use of the LFMS acting as analyst, planner, trainer and facilitator. The National Livestock Production Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks\:
• Identifying development-oriented farmers with sufficient potential for use and benefiting from the LFMS.
• Assisting farmers in entering accurate and comprehensive data in the LFMS, monitoring the data quality, providing feedback to farmers and ensuring regularly updated and maintained records.
• Working with the farmers for capacity development related to the use of the LFMS. These tasks include communicating the findings of farm data analyses to extension workers, facilitating linkages with private sector input dealers and buyers, and supporting workers and farmers with specialized trainings collection and use of data, and in particular on\:
o Animal Nutrition\: Recording and analyzing data related to animal feed and nutrition and advising farmers on best practices for optimizing animal diets to improve health and productivity.
o Productivity Selection\: Analysis of productivity, tracking and selecting high-performing animals based on productivity data and recommendations for breeding and culling decisions to enhance herd performance.
o Reproduction\: Managing reproductive data, including breeding schedules and pregnancy tracking and advice in improving reproductive efficiency and outcomes.
o Technical Support to farmers experiencing issues with the FMS and liaising with the technical team to resolve any system-related problems.
• Documentation of best practices and lessons learned in animal nutrition, productivity selection, and reproduction.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• University degree in Animal Sciences/ Zootechnics
• At least three (5) years of relevant experience in livestock management, production, extension or similar
• Working knowledge of English and Georgian
• National of Georgia or resident in the country with a regular work permit
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Familiarity with farm management
• Capacity to provide advice in animal nutrition, productivity selection, and reproduction
• Ability to communicate effectively with public officials, including high-level staff and international donors
• Computer literacy with spreadsheets, databases and electronic programmes
• Excellent communication (both written and oral) and presentation and reporting skills
Selection Criteria
• Extent and diversity of experience related to the above requirements.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
- 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/
- For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
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
• 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 FAO’s 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 FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.