National Poultry Specialist
Maseru
- Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Location: Maseru
- Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Closing Date: 2025-12-04
IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
- 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’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.
Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 Members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. FAO contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The FAO-Country Office for Lesotho is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed-upon strategies and projects for transforming food, agriculture and rural development.
The Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) assists FAO members to develop sustainable livestock systems. It hosts intergovernmental bodies, multi-stakeholder initiatives and knowledge networks that provide information and technical and policy support to development efforts, including adapting to a changing climate and mitigating the impact of livestock agrifood systems on climate and other environmental targets. The Division has expertise in animal health (One Health), animal production and genetics, and livestock sector analysis (social, economic and environment) and policy.
Reporting Lines
The National Poultry Specialist shall work under the overall supervision of the FAO Country Representative in Lesotho, direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR – Programme, Technical supervision of NSA-Animal Production Officer, working closely with national counterparts and service providers, and other key stakeholders.
Technical Focus
Support programme implementation, monitoring, and capacity development in poultry production and poultry value chain development activities in Lesotho. Undertake situational and technical analysis to lay solid foundation for accelerating the transformation of the poultry sector to be more productive, competitive and resilient, contributing to inclusive growth of agribusiness and achievement sustainable development goals.
Tasks and responsibilities
The National Poultry Specialist will provide comprehensive technical support in the planning and implementation of the livestock component of the special programme with special emphasis on supporting smallholder poultry production and poultry value chain development. The incumbent will be primarily responsible for the following tasks and duties\:
• Provide technical oversight and leadership for all livestock related initiatives
• Profile key players in poultry value chain and design context specific technical capacity development (training plan)
• Provide technical advice and assistance on the implementation of poultry production and poultry value chain development activities
• Collaborate with the service providers to support formal and on-job training activities for poultry farmers and brooding units.
• Provide technical expertise for the development of the poultry value chain and the broader livestock sector
• Promote poultry associations and facilitate their transformation from producer organizations to industry-wide associations
• Facilitate policy dialogue and work with poultry farmers, poultry association and all relevant stakeholders to increase the share of domestic poultry production
• Drawing from own observations and feedback from stakeholders, develop a concept note for a bankable project for industrial development of the poultry value chain
• Perform other tasks requested.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in animal health, production, or related field.
• Seven years of relevant experience in animal health and production, specialized in poultry production and/or value poultry chain development
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and Sesotho
• National of Lesotho.
FAO Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Extent and relevance of experience in animal health and production projects and programmes development, resource mobilization and implementation.
• Ability to work and act under pressure and with discretion in a multicultural environment
• Maturity and confidence in dealing with high-ranking officials of government institutions, international institutions, and non-government institutions approaches.
• Familiar with FAO procedures and possesses strong supervisory, communication, and team building, and computing skills like Ms. word, Excel,
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
- 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/
- For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website\: http\://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
HOW TO APPLY
• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO 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/.These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.
• 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
FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.