Institutional Capacity Building Specialist - Sanitary and Phyto- Sanitary

Organizational Setting

In 2012, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) proposed the project “Capacity building programme in support of the Palestinian National Authority – sanitary and phytosanitary measures responding to the need of national capacity building for sanitary and phytosanitary measures to effectively manage food safety and quality – as a key step to safeguarding the health and well-being of people living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as increasing access to domestic, regional and international markets.

The SPS programme (2014-2019) was implemented by FAO WBGS and funded by the Kingdom of Netherlands, the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Spanish Development Cooperation. The new SPS project OSRO/GAZ/110 SPA “Safeguarding the health and well-being of consumers and producers and increasing market access for Palestinian food products through a sustainable Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) System in the West Bank and Gaza Strip” will capitalize on the achievements of the previous programme. The project is also aligned with the priority component “Improved Safety and Consumer Protection” of the 2020-2022 NIP for Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture. The project will ensure the continuity of technical support in Palestine towards a more enhancing the SPS system through support to the implementation of targeted and periodized activities

Reporting Lines

The specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO WBGS Head of Office, the direct supervision of the FAO WBGS Head of Programme and in close consultation with the Deputy Project Manager.

Technical Focus

The incumbent shall have the professional capacity and technical knowledge to guide and coach the SPS related actors in updating and enhancing the National Food Safety Control Plan while considering the impacts of COVID-19.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Conduct an assessment of the food safety inspection situation in the WBGS and provide recommendations for improvements and updates to the National Food Safety Control Plan (NFSCP), with a particular focus on the inspection section. • Conduct a desk review of the National Food Safety Strategy (NFSS), National Food Safety Control Plan (NFSCP), Country Profile, the Food Safety Legal Framework and other related documents. Conduct tailored consultations with local stakeholders including the Joint Technical Team and public and private sector actors. • Update the NFSCP Inspection section based on consultations with all relevant actors and stakeholders while paying special attention to enhancing risk based food safety inspection, human resources (quantity and quality); required inspection equipment; data collection & analysis; and the current structure, organization and coordination of food safety inspection services. This should include recommendations and advice on the interface between food safety inspection and laboratories in order to establish a more systematic and coordinated risk based food safety programme. This should reflect amongst others on data sharing and the preparation of sample plans. • Draft a monitoring plan for Food safety inspection in the country. This may include a sampling plan and the risk based inspection plan for food businesses

Deliverables:

• Progress report 1: the consultant shall submit the first progress report after one month of signing the contract. The report should include the results of the desk review and recommendations to be encountered in the inspection section. (10 working days) • Final report: the consultant shall submit the final report 10 days before the end of the contract to be cleared and approved by FAO. The final report shall include and is not limited to; the introduction and rationale behind the assessment, methodology, updated Food Safety Inspection Section of the NFSCP, the work plan for Food safety inspection in the country and recommendations (15 working days)

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in relevant disciplines such as Public Health, Food Safety or other related fields. • At least 7 years of proven experience regarding food safety inspection and the interface of food safety inspection with food safety governance, food safety laboratory testing, food-chain surveillance, foodborne disease surveillance and developmental (technical capability and capacity building) work. • Working knowledge of English and Arabic languages.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Computer/word processing and standard office software skills; • Ability to travel to and within the West Bank and Gaza Strip; • Excellent communication skills.