INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST

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 Members 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 FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

Organizational Setting

For more than four decades, FAO has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines

The IT Specialist directly reports to the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme).

Technical Focus

The registration and licensing of all livestock and its by-products including accreditation of livestock transport vehicles in the Philippines is required by the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Animal Industry to ensure safe, clean and orderly handling of commodities through various stages of marketing or distribution channels and to maintain freedom from high impact animal diseases. The current paper-based application does not allow systematic storage and immediate extraction of verifiable information which is a major hindrance in the validation of relevant documents at the checkpoints. In the absence of such system, misuse and by some traders/shippers are increasing and thus far has pose significant biosecurity issues. The project aims to enhance the present application procedure by migrating it to the electronic system for an efficient, transparent and reliable delivery of frontline services.

Tasks and responsibilities

The IT Specialist, with day to day guidance of the National Animal Health Specialist, will carry out the following tasks:

• Review the existing management information system (MIS) of the Bureau of Animal Industry and other DA agencies related to the livestock and poultry traders and transport licensing.
• Conduct consultations with relevant government agencies and stakeholders in coordination with the National Animal Health Expert
• Design and develop the livestock and poultry traders and transport registry system (backend and frontend) that is interoperable with the existing information system of BAI and DA agencies.
• Develop manuals for the operationalization, maintenance, troubleshooting, and updating of the registry system;
• Lead the pilot testing of the system in the selected province;
• Conduct capacity building on the use, management, and maintenance of the registry system;
• Support the preparation of project reports, relevant briefers, highlights of meetings, and other project-related documents;
• Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO;

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Academic degree in Information Technology/ Computer Science and other related fields

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in systems analysis, development, and testing
• Proficient in database systems using MS SQL Server 2017 or the latest version and programming languages using .Net Framework for Visual Studio 2017 or higher, devexpress, C#, CSS, jquery and Java Script
• National or resident of the Philippines
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and Filipino

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong analytical skills and excellent command of database and programming or other methods related to field of expertise
• He/she must have intermediate to advanced computer skills in the use of office productivity software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point) and related software applications and development.
• Familiarity with FAO operational procedures is an advantage
• In line with FAO policy, commitment to placing accountability to people affected by disaster framework at the core of FAO’s emergency policy and practice, from preparedness up to the onset of an emergency in all phases of the programme cycle

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