Poultry Production and Feed Specialist

The Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger and assist member countries in the sustainable development of agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry. The FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (FAOSAP) supports 14 Pacific Member Nations to address national priorities relating to food security, nutrition, climate resilience and rural livelihoods. These countries are Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.   

The Pacific member nations including Kiribati, Niue, Tuvalu, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and others face significant constraints in poultry production. High dependence on imported feed, rising input costs, limited land availability, and climate-related pressures continue to affect the viability and expansion of local poultry production systems. Strengthening domestic poultry production is critical to improving food security, nutrition, and income opportunities for these vulnerable communities.

FAO is supporting these countries to enhance poultry productivity through improved feed systems, better farm management practices, and strengthened local capacity.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will operate under the overall guidance of the FAO Subregional Coordinator and the direct supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (Livestock and Animal Health Officer – FAOSAP). In close collaboration with the International Animal Production and Health Specialist, and other project teams at FAO SAP, the incumbent will provide technical assistance to national counterparts.  

Technical Focus

Strengthen poultry productivity through improved feed quality, nutrition, supported by farmer capacity building and data driven extension services. Contribute to poultry feed formulation and ration optimisation; practical feed calculation systems; delivery of farmer-focused technical training; applied research and pilot feed trials; technical review of local feed mill formulations; and development of scalable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for smallholder and feed mill operators.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Assess and identify local available feed ingredients including potential regional sourcing options where appropriate
•    Based on information gathered by the project team and relevant counterparts, develop at least three practical feed formulation options suitable for training purposes and field feed trials
•    In coordination with the project team, deliver poultry production and nutrition training workshops, including feed formulation calculations and hands-on feed mixing demonstrations
•    Review the proposed feed trial plans and recommend refinements where necessary to ensure technical soundness and practical feasibility in the local context
•    In collaboration with the FAO Lead technical officer, prepare a Back to Office Report, training report, and clear follow up action plan outlining recommendations for each participating country 
•    Provide technical inputs to the FAO’s Virtual Learning Centre (VLC) course on poultry production and nutrition
•    Provide technical assistance for the Pacific SIDS Solution Forum in poultry nutrition and feed formulation
•    Perform any other technical tasks related to the project as required by the project team

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    For Consultants:
Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in animal nutrition, animal production, or close equivalent. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
For PSAs:
University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in animal nutrition, animal production, or close equivalent.
•    At least 5 years of relevant experience in research and feed development for livestock, particularly poultry
•    Working knowledge of English

FAO Core Competencies

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

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO [link removed] 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

• 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/ [link removed]. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings [link removed]. 

• 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 [link removed]

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