International Commodity Specialist (Fish and Aquaculture)

Home Based - May require travel

Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Location: Home Based - May require travel
Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Maritime
- Fisheries
- Water Resource Management
- Sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources
- FID
Closing Date: Closed

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

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Organizational Setting

Within the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, the FishCode program promotes and supports the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and assists in streamlining the Organization’s Blue Growth Initiative (BGI) in actions aimed at food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable management of living aquatic resources into national fisheries policy. FishCode has been supporting the formulation and development of the Fish4ACP project (“Sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture value chains in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries”), which aims at improving the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture value chains through five main components/specific objectives\: i) Robust fisheries and aquaculture improvement strategies are developed and agreed with stakeholders; ii) Economic performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in selected value chains is improved; iii) Inclusiveness and the social sustainability of selected value chains are improved; iv) The environmental sustainability of selected value chains is enhanced; and v) MSMEs in selected value chains have access to additional sources of finance and investment. Fish4ACP is a five-year project funded by the European Union.

The Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA) conducts economic research and policy analysis related to all five of the Organization's strategic objectives (food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, poverty reduction, inclusive food systems and resilient livelihoods). ESA provides evidence-based analytical support to national, regional and global policy processes and initiatives related to food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture; and leads the production of two FAO flagship publications\: The State of Food and Agriculture and The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. ESA also leads large programmes at country level on agricultural and food policy monitoring, climate smart agriculture (CSA), agribusiness and food value chains, rural poverty, and food security information and analysis in support of national policies.

The Sustainable Markets, Agribusinesses and Rural Transformations (SMART) Team in ESA supports member country governments in their efforts to develop and implement sound agricultural, agro-industrial and value chain strategies to fight poverty, hunger and malnutrition, while boosting the competitiveness and efficiency of the agricultural and food sectors in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way. Specifically, this area of work includes FAO’s sustainable food value chain development (SFVC) approach applied to the 10 selected value chains in the ACP Region. These include\: Africa (Cameroon – shrimp; Cote d’Ivoire – tilapia aquaculture; Nigeria – catfish aquaculture; Sao Tome et Principe – pelagics; Senegal – oyster; Tanzania – small pelagics; Zimbabwe – tilapia aquaculture); Caribbean (Dominican Republic – Mahi Mahi tuna and Guyana - Seabob) and the Pacific (Marshall Islands – large pelagics) and the selected value chains.

Reporting Lines

The International Commodity Specialist reports to the Fish4ACP Chief Technical Advisor and will work in one or more country-value chain teams led by an international value chain analysis team leader. When activities are carried out in participating member countries, applicants will be required to work in close collaboration with the FAO Representation in the relevant country of assignment, as well as the relevant FAO regional and/or sub-regional office.

Technical Focus

Sustainable value chain development for fisheries and aquaculture.

Tasks and responsibilities

Contribute commodity-specific analysis to the overall value chain analysis (VCA) and action and investment plan development in one or more of the selected ACP country value chains in liaison with the national value chain teams, and complementing the inputs of the national commodity specialist, and other VCA team members if needed.
Adopt the agreed VCA methodology that will be used for the economic, social and environmental analysis of the value chains and frequently consult with the VCA team leader and members to ensure a common approach is taken. This Fish4ACP methodology combines FAO’s Sustainable Food Value Chain (SFVC) Development approach (http\://www.fao.org/3/a-i3953e.pdf) with elements of the EU’s VCA4D approach (https\://europa.eu/capacity4dev/value-chain-analysis-for-development-vca4d).
Lead the analysis on animal welfare and health, food loss and waste, food safety and quality, traceability and certification issues and product development opportunities.
Contribute to various sections of the report, indicating where harvest and post-harvest technology, improved processes and products may impact on the value chain and identify solutions for an improved value chain.
Support and provide quality control to the data collection and report-writing process throughout, ensuring that commodity-specific information is incorporated into the report.
Conduct field mission(s) to provide additional insights to support the collection in liaison with the national value chain teams.
Support global learning across the ACP regions by exchanging information with related value chains share lessons learned and best practices to improve the VCA methodology, and its application for potential fisheries and aquaculture projects going forward.
Perform other related duties, as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

University degree in agribusiness, fisheries and aquaculture, food science/technology, food industries, international development studies, or a related field (Master’s Degree Preferred).
At least 12 years of relevant experience in fisheries/aquaculture commodity development.
Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French or Spanish.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is essential
Extent and relevance of experience in value chain development
Extent and relevance of experience in capture fisheries and/or aquaculture value chains
Extent and relevance of experience in the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific region is a plus
Ability to plan and organize own work, deliver results and meet deadlines
Ability to write clear and concise technical documents in English and/or French
Ability to effectively lead multi-disciplinary teams
Excellent oral and written communication skills