Livestock/Halal Specialist

Organizational Setting

FAO’s approach to development assistance in Mindanao focuses on supporting the rehabilitation of agriculture and fisheries-based livelihoods, accelerating agriculture-based enterprises and increasing access to sustainable energy, and resilience to risk in municipalities affected by natural disasters and conflict. FAO interventions will include, among others:

• Introduction of various productivity enhancing technologies to improve household incomes and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

• Technical assistance to government in reviewing existing policies that promote equitable agribusiness venture arrangements between farmers and agribusiness firms and capacity building activities for farmers that are anchored on the value chain approach.

• Capacity building on enterprise development and agribusiness that will allow farmers, fisherfolk and local government units to maximize potential market opportunities.

• Restoring and increasing the productivity of agriculture and fisheries-based livelihoods of smallholder farmers and marginalized fishers, decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their families

Enhancing the competitiveness of farm households, particularly women, to establish and manage microenterprises

• Facilitating the establishment of agribusiness enterprises with production-market contract agreements or similar arrangements

Reporting Lines

The Livestock/Halal Specialist will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in the Philippines ad interim, general supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), the direct supervision of the Project Team Leader, and guidance from the Mindanao and Emergency Response and Preparedness Group (MERG), and with close collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and other relevant partners.

Technical Focus

FAO is implementing a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) on the development of Halal Livestock Production Systems in Mindanao, Philippines that ultimately help increase incomes of stakeholders in the Halal food supply chain thus contributing to the improvement of food security and nutrition. This is through capacity building of agricultural technicians and farmers on the use of developed Halal protocol and standards in the production of feeds/forage for small and large ruminants, good agricultural practices and technologies on Halal livestock production. Similarly, the project aims to promote and disseminate information on Halal livestock production systems in farming communities in Mindanao.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Livestock/Halal Specialist will carry out the following tasks:

1. Coordinate with relevant government agencies, development organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders on the plan and implementation of Halal livestock production developed jointly by FAO, DA and MAFAR-BARMM;
2. Closely liaise with DA, MAFAR-BARMM, BAI, BAFS, ATI and LGUs during the implementation of the project;
3. Assess the technical soundness of Halal livestock production plan;
4. Provide technical advice on issues raised pertaining to livestock taking into consideration impacts on associated human health risks;
5. Development of training materials and implement trainings on Halal livestock production and health management;
6. Prepare and submit an end of assignment report; and
7. Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• The candidate must have a University degree in animal science or related field with complementary knowledge in Halal livestock production;
• Must have at least five (5) years of professional and practical work experience in livestock or animal production projects (including Halal livestock production and meat processing) at the field or regional level;
• A national of Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Must be familiar with the local rural setting in Central Mindanao and Bangsamoro areas
• Proven ability to conceptualize, plan and execute complex processes across a wide range of stakeholders, advance ability to work quickly and under pressure.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team is of importance as is the ability to take leadership when appropriate
• Language requirement: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Tagalog;
• He/she must have intermediate to advance computer skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point).