Animal Feed Specialist

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• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
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• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

The EU-funded ‘Technical Assistance for Agri-Food Systems (TAAS) provides complementary technical assistance to EU budget support programme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Royal Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan (RGoB). The project aims at sustainable and resilient agrifood systems by promoting climate smart agricultural practices and supporting small holder farmers. A key output of this project is to provide support to the Animal Nutrition Laboratory to conduct studies, recommend safe feed standards and increase disaster resilience. With increasing demand for animal protein, Bhutanese youth are venturing into livestock farming and have resulted in establishment of more livestock farms. Larger percentages of these young people, most of whom are women, are engaged in farming, drawing daily income through sale of livestock products. Compared to cropping, livestock rearing is considered an easy job due to readily available feeds, medicines, and vaccines. With livestock farmers largely transforming into commercial farming, demand for commercial feed is expected to increase further.

The quality of feed, in general, cannot be ascertained due to limited robust testing lab facilities and standards. The Department of Livestock (DoL), RGoB developed the Bhutan Standards for Animal Feeds (BSAF). However, it needs to be peer reviewed by an external expert based on tests conducted widely on samples from feeds available in Bhutan. Doing so would result in coming up with legitimate standards and addressing their gaps which have impacted feed safety and quality. The DoL has recently acquired sophisticated analytical equipment including an AAS, GC-MS and NIIR for feed analysis. To this end, a laboratory expert/consultant is required to commission the equipment and train the staff of the laboratory in validating methods of analysis that meet international standards.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, the incumbent will closely work with FAO’s Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and Country Office (CO) on technical aspects. The incumbent will submit all his technical reports to CO for review and coordinating technical clearances.

Technical Focus

Conducting technical studies in the agricultural sector, with a focus on promoting sustainable agri-food system transformation, specifically through the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)/operation manuals for the Animal Nutrition Laboratory equipment. This includes analysis capabilities for heavy metals, macro- and micro-minerals in feed and feed ingredients.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the analysis of heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins using AAS, GC-MS and HPLC, respectively; and (13 days)
• Capacitate laboratory personnel to operate the recently acquired sophisticated analytical equipment for daily sample analysis. (5 days)
• Review the existing minimum nutrient requirement feed standard and propose appropriate feed standards that will provide optimal feeding of the current gene-lines of livestock in the country. (Total of 7 days for tasks 3-6)
• Propose permissible limits of these contaminants to the Department of Livestock (DoL) as regulatory limits.
• Prepare and submit milestone reports after the completion of every activity under this TOR to FAO and the Department
• Prepare and submit a final report upon completion of all activities to the FAO-CO and the Department.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in animal science, Animal & Veterinary science, Veterinary Science/Medicine, Animal Nutrition, related field
• 5 years of relevant experience in the areas similar projects elsewhere and possess experiences in Animal Science
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of either Arabic, Chinese, or Russian

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work with a high level of independence and minimal technical guidance.
• Work experience in Bhutan and/or other countries in the Region.
• Extent of experience in undertaking communication and visibility activities and tasks.
• Proven ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Depth of knowledge of development issues in Bhutan.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Familiarity with FAO policies and programmes and systems is desirable.

Selection Criteria

• Based on requirements, competencies and skills.

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

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
• 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.

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