Poultry Production and Nutrition Consultant

Job Posting Organization:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security. Established in 1945, FAO has a mission to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition, and to ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. The organization operates in over 130 countries and has a workforce of more than 12,000 employees. The FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (FAOSAP) specifically supports 14 Pacific Member Nations in addressing their national priorities related to food security, nutrition, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods. These nations include Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. FAO's work in the Pacific is crucial as many of these nations face significant challenges in agricultural production, particularly in poultry, due to high dependence on imported feed and climate-related pressures.

Job Overview:
The position of Poultry Production and Nutrition Consultant is focused on enhancing poultry productivity in the Pacific Islands through improved feed quality and nutrition. The consultant will work closely with national counterparts to provide technical assistance aimed at strengthening local poultry production systems. This role involves assessing local feed ingredients, developing practical feed formulation options, and delivering training workshops for farmers. The consultant will also contribute to applied research and pilot feed trials, ensuring that the solutions provided are tailored to the local context and needs. The overarching goal is to improve food security and nutrition for vulnerable communities in the region by building local capacity and optimizing poultry production practices.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will be responsible for a variety of tasks including: assessing and identifying local available feed ingredients and potential regional sourcing options; developing at least three practical feed formulation options suitable for training and field trials; delivering poultry production and nutrition training workshops, which will include hands-on demonstrations of feed mixing; reviewing proposed feed trial plans and recommending refinements to ensure technical soundness; preparing Back to Office Reports and training reports with clear follow-up action plans; providing technical inputs to the FAO’s Virtual Learning Centre course on poultry production and nutrition; assisting with the Pacific SIDS Solution Forum in poultry nutrition and feed formulation; and performing any other technical tasks related to the project as required by the project team.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must meet the following minimum requirements: For Consultants, an advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in animal nutrition, animal production, or a closely related field is required. Those with a bachelor's degree must have two additional years of relevant professional experience. For Personal Services Agreements (PSAs), a university degree in the same fields is required. Additionally, candidates should have at least 5 years of relevant experience in research and feed development for livestock, particularly poultry, and must possess a working knowledge of English.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree in animal nutrition, animal production, or a closely related field from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO. For those applying as PSAs, a university degree in the same fields is sufficient, but candidates must have relevant experience to compensate for the lack of an advanced degree.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in research and feed development specifically for livestock, with a strong emphasis on poultry. This experience should demonstrate a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities in poultry production and nutrition, particularly in the context of the Pacific Islands.

Languages:
A working knowledge of English is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages relevant to the Pacific region may be considered an asset but is not explicitly required.

Additional Notes:
This position is likely to be a consultancy role, which may involve a contract of limited duration. The seniority level is expected to be that of a consultant with specialized knowledge in poultry production and nutrition. The role may require international travel to various Pacific Island nations to conduct training and assessments. Compensation and benefits will be determined based on FAO's policies and the consultant's qualifications and experience.