IT Specialist on Animal Identification Registration and Traceability Systems

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 IT Specialist on Animal Identification Registration and Traceability Systems shall operate under the overall guidance and responsibility of the FAO Representative for Georgia, the technical guidance of the Senior Animal Production and Health Officer (REU) and the direct supervision of the Technical Advisor and in close collaboration with the National IT Specialist and the competent authority.

Technical Focus

Provide technical expertise for the appropriate planning, development and implementation of the FAO project and timely delivery of the project outputs.

Tasks and responsibilities

The project supports the establishment of a European Union compliant Farm Management System (FMS) in Georgia for cattle, small ruminants, pigs and aquaculture. The outcomes of the project include: “FMS in Georgia is established, fully operational and sustainable and stakeholders use and comply with the new electronic system”.

The assignment shall include the following tasks and responsibilities:

•     With support from FAO Georgia acquire access to the FMS software and the relevant technical and policy documentation and further liaise with the relevant stakeholders in Georgia and collect relevant information for execution of the assignment.

•     Review of FMS software in terms of ISO/IEC 25010:2011 Software Quality Model minimum including:
o    Performance/Efficiency of the application (Load testing, Stress testing, Soak testing), source code, architecture and components (databases, web servers);
o    Functionality, completeness and usability (user interface and customer’s satisfaction);
o    Maintainability (Lines of code, Static code analysis, complexity),
o    Development potential such as scalability (up and down), adaptability to other purposes, portability between environments and teams, and extensibility (adding features).
o    Technical documentation; 
o    Security setup, potential access to sensitive information and number of vulnerabilities, system stability, code safety, historic concept of data (non-deletion) ability to retrieve views, changes and data by system users;
o    Current and future capacity (hardware / software component needs);
o    Document management and reporting (standard and customized reports).

•     Provide recommendations for the FMS software for:
o    Improvements and fixes (software and hardware), categorized as critical and non-critical and including system design, code reviews and database structure);
o    Content enhancement including modularity and additional features needed in support to the continuous development roadmap (what is needed as a next step);
o    Enhancing transferability including Installation instructions, licenses, optimal system requirements, capacity needs for users and administrators and troubleshooting documentation.

•     Assess the FMS software and provide comparison analysis in terms of standard IT requirements for Animal Information Systems typically used by EU member countries, competitor solutions and overall fitness for purpose.

•     In cooperation with the team leader, elaborate technical specifications for development of the recommended improvements and software modules.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•     Advanced university degree in Information technology or related subject
•     At least five (5) years of relevant experience in Livestock Information Systems
•     Working knowledge of English language (level C)

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     At least five years’ experience in data management, analysis and reporting
•     At least 3 years’ experience in Python, Microsoft SQL, PostgreSQL or Oracle and implementation of enterprise grade web applications 
•     Extensive knowledge of information technology, application software and operating systems.
•     Strong diagnosis and trouble-shooting skills.

Selection Criteria

•     Extent and diversity of experience related to the above requirements.