Livestock Specialist

Organizational Setting

This position is located in FAO Pakistan, based in Quetta. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, help to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The following position is at SB4 SC8 level.

Pakistan has been experiencing frequent natural disasters and non-coherent economic policies which has affected the overall economy specifically the agriculture sector and livelihood of the people. Outbreak of pandemic and locust attack has damaged agriculture crops and affected the food supply chain in Pakistan. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is supporting the Government of Pakistan at national and provincial levels through different analytical policy reports on food supply chain, food forecast livestock, forestry, fisheries and climate change. Similarly, a web-based data management system is under development for agriculture, food security and nutrition statistics in Pakistan. Through this system, support Government of Pakistan in monitoring food prices and supply chain through live dashboards will enable better planning and policy making.

There is currently a team working on different components to strengthen the food supply chain and enhance the food security in Pakistan. FAO Pakistan seeks a qualified professional with a strong analytical and quantitative capacity to contribute in the “Revival of Balochistan Water Resources Program (RBWRP)” funded by EU. This experience will provide wide scope of work as outlined below.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer and in close coordination with concerned FAO colleagues, the Livestock Specialist will perform the following tasks.

Technical Focus

Ensure timely delivery of all activities related to different livestock value chains in the project titled “Revival of Balochistan Water Resources Programs (RBWRP)”.  

Tasks and responsibilities

•     Responsible for the implementation of the activities and interventions for livestock sector under RBWRP;
•     Develop (yearly and quarterly) work plan and procurement plan for livestock sector under RBWRP;
•     Ensure to keep data up-to-date and provide timely inputs for livestock sector when preparing the progress reports;
•     Provide specialized technical assistance in the implementation of the project activities and supervision/monitoring of improving production in the context of rangeland and post-production project activities; 
•     Provide capacity building of the field teams in livestock health and management; 
•     Draft technical specifications for the procurement of livestock inputs to be procured under the project; 
•     Contribute to baseline and end line assessment surveys and analyses of the overall status of the livestock sector in selected project areas; 
•     Contribute to/edit reports, manuals, guidelines, other specialized publications as they relate to animal production, protection, good farming/livestock practices, producer’s organizations;
•     Provide technical inputs in the design and implementation of training need assessment and training programme targeting farmer marketing groups and market stakeholders;
•     Develop linkages of farmer produce marketing groups with markets, individuals, and other groups for sale and purchase of agricultural products and value-added Livestock products;
•     Develop linkages of farmer produce marketing groups with markets, individuals, and other groups for sale and purchase of agricultural products and value-added Livestock products;
•     Responsible for review of the small and large grant applications for livestock farmers and agribusinesses; as well as the implementation of the selected grants. 
•     Provide technical backstopping in planning and implementation of activities focusing on capacity strengthening of farmers in surplus produce marketing, storage, transportation, product safety etc.; 
•     Perform other related duties, as assigned by the supervisor.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advance University Degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Livestock Management or DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
•     Minimum 8 years of relevant work experience in similar positions or with livestock focused projects
•     Working knowledge of English and Urdu
•     National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/ Functional Skills

•     Knowledge of Balochi, Pashtu and other local languages used in province would be an asset;
•     Technical experience in designing and implementation of different value chains related to livestock. 
•     Experience working with monitoring of different value chains 
•     Proficiency in basic computer skills including MS Office
•     Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable. 
•     Ability to operate effectively in a team, contributing positively to team operations and working relationships.
•     Knowledge of United Nations and International Organizations’ administrative policies and procedures.
•     Excellent drafting skills and analytical mind
•     Demonstrated ability to conduct research
•     Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English
•     Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment
•     Willingness to travel
•     Ability to work independently, with initiative and minimal supervision
•     Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards 
•     Display initiative and take responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and closely follow-up until successful outputs are achieved. 
•     Continue to seek new, innovative and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work assigned.
•     Identify and recommend remedial measures to address problems in systems design or implementation
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION