National Veterinary Consultant

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

• 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 member nations, 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 our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• 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

Organizational Setting

FAO mandate in Georgia is to support national efforts to promote food security and sustainable development of agricultural sector. FAO priorities in Georgia reflect the objectives and priorities of the Government set in the strategy papers related to agricultural development. In essence, FAO assists the Government in creating and implementing an institutional, legal and regulatory environment. At the same time, FAO supports individuals working in agriculture – farmers, cooperatives, companies etc. by providing technical and financial assistance.

Reporting Lines

The National Veterinary Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Georgia, general guidance of the FAO Programme Coordinator, and the direct supervision of the International Project Manager and National Dairy Specialist in Georgia. The National Veterinary Consultant will receive technical support from FAO Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer and FAO Officer for Animal Production and Health and be supported by the National dairy specialist and Project assistant based in Zugdidi.

Technical Focus

The FAO/ UN Women project “Fostering economic empowerment of women farmers by supporting homemade dairy production in Georgia through the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) approach” will demonstrate along the production cycle upgraded technical practices in terms of improved food safety for dairy produced by women in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. The Veterinary Consultant will be responsible for the elaboration of teaching materials on the following topics: reproduction, deworming, vaccination, artificial insemination, care of lactating animal.

This technical material will be used for training of 20 Dairy Farmer Field Schools over 40 in-farm trainings in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Each training gathers from 15 to 20 farmers.

Tasks and responsibilities

Elaboration of teaching materials/brochures in veterinary (animal health and care)
Conduct training on reproduction, deworming, vaccination, artificial insemination, care of lactating animal in 20 Dairy FFS
Any other responsibility assigned by the International Project Manager and National Dairy Specialist
Liaise closely with the project team during elaboration of teaching material and training process
Compete additional tasks as requested.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Advanced degree in Agriculture, Veterinary, Livestock Production, Food Safety or related disciplines;
Minimum two years of relevant experience in working with farmers in animal husbandry, health and welfare;
Practical experience of Artificial Insemination would be considered an asset;
Understanding of Georgian regulations about animal health and welfare issues;
Fluency in the Georgian language; working knowledge of English would be an advantage;
National of Georgia and 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

Demonstrated understanding of veterinary topics, animal health, welfare, husbandry (feeding and nutrition).
Proven capacity to establish working relationships with smallholder farmers and build their technical capacities.
Proven experience in the preparation of technical documents on veterinary and standard guideline development.
Excellent communication skills, proven ability to convey complex ideas through clear and effective oral presentations.
Good skills in community mobilization as well as inter-personal relations.
Computer literacy

Selection Criteria

Extent and diversity of experience
Applicability of the skills and experience in the Georgian context

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