Livestock and Environment Specialist

Job Posting Organization:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Established in 1945, FAO has over 194 member countries and works in more than 130 countries worldwide. The organization aims to achieve security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO's mission is to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition, make agriculture, forestry, and fisheries more productive and sustainable, reduce rural poverty, and enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. The Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) specifically focuses on enhancing the contribution of the livestock sector to sustainable development goals (SDGs) by assessing the interactions of livestock systems with the environment and developing tools to quantify greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.

Job Overview:
The Livestock and Environment Specialist will play a crucial role in supporting the FAO's Animal Production and Health Division in expanding and updating methodologies used to quantify emission baselines and the impact of mitigation interventions for livestock systems. This position involves recommending and implementing state-of-the-art approaches for additional species and emission sources, as well as systematically collecting and harmonizing relevant datasets globally. The incumbent will also be responsible for ensuring adequate documentation that follows international standards, developing technical guidelines, preparing e-learning courses, and organizing conferences and multistakeholder partnership events focused on sustainable livestock transformation. The role requires a strong understanding of environmental assessments and the ability to communicate complex scientific information effectively to various stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Livestock and Environment Specialist will have a diverse set of responsibilities, including: reviewing current livestock/environment assessments and recommending updates to align with international guidelines and best practices; developing and implementing methods to quantify the impact of selected mitigation strategies on greenhouse gas emissions in various countries; designing and delivering technical capacity development products such as webinars and training workshops; supporting the production of scientific publications and communication materials; contributing to project proposals aimed at reducing environmental impacts of livestock systems; maintaining and ensuring the quality of spatial and non-spatial datasets; developing tools for data analysis and visualization; organizing global conferences and events related to livestock; contributing to multistakeholder partnership activities; attending and presenting at technical meetings and workshops; and performing other duties as required.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree in relevant fields such as Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental or Livestock Engineering, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology, Geospatial Data Management, Data or Computer Science, International Policy or Relations, Management, Economics, or other disciplines related to FAO’s Programme of Work. Those with a bachelor's degree must have two additional years of relevant professional experience. Furthermore, candidates should have at least 1 year (Category C), 5 years (Category B), or 10 years (Category A) of relevant experience in analyzing and visualizing data related to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact assessments of livestock production systems using life cycle assessment (LCA) approaches, as well as experience in livestock social and economic analysis and organizing sustainable livestock transformation conferences and events.

Educational Background:
An advanced university degree is required in fields such as Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental or Livestock Engineering, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology, Geospatial Data Management, Data or Computer Science, International Policy or Relations, Management, Economics, or other relevant disciplines. Candidates with a bachelor's degree must have additional professional experience to qualify for the position.

Experience:
The position requires varying levels of experience based on the category: at least 1 year for Category C, 5 years for Category B, and 10 years for Category A. Relevant experience should include analyzing and visualizing data related to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact assessments of livestock production systems, utilizing life cycle assessment (LCA) approaches, and engaging in livestock social and economic analysis, as well as organizing multistakeholder partnerships and sustainable livestock transformation events.

Languages:
A working knowledge of English (Level C) is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, enhancing communication with diverse stakeholders and facilitating international collaboration.

Additional Notes:
The position is likely to be full-time and may involve international recruitment. Specific details regarding contract duration, seniority level, compensation, and benefits are not provided in the job description but may be discussed during the application process.