FAO recruits 01 Predictive Livestock Early Warning System (PLEWs) Specialist
Job Description
CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: 1901495
Predictive Livestock Early Warning System (PLEWs) Specialist
Closure Date: 08/Jul/2019, 9:59:00 PM
Organizational Unit: FRSSD
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)
Grade Level: N/A
Primary Location: South Sudan-Juba
Duration: 6 Months
Post Number: N/A
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality
People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization
Organizational Setting
The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist Governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
The FAO Representation in South Sudan is organized around three main units: Programme, Operations and Administration. The current portfolio of projects in South Sudan includes activities related to agriculture, livestock, fisheries and natural resource management, and is implemented with humanitarian, transitional and development funding. The incumbent will contribute to the country’s programme and portfolio as foreseen in the projects.
Reporting Lines
The Predictive Livestock Early Warning System (PLEWs) Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative FAO South Sudan and the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager for the European Union funded “Strengthening Livelihoods Resilience of pastoral and agro pastoral communities in cross border areas of Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia”.
Technical Focus
The consultant will lead the implementation of the Predictive Livestock Early Warning System (PLEWs) in the target pastoralist areas. The project has a component, which aims to improve governance and early warning information systems. The consultant will collaborate with the Programme, Operations and Administrative Units and consult with the relevant Technical Units at FAO headquarters, RAF and SFE, and the Lead Technical Officer and close collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, MAFS and the NBS of South Sudan.
Tasks and responsibilities
The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
Lead the process of sensitizing senior policy level staff in the national and state level ministries of Livestock and Fisheries, Agriculture and Food Security, Food Security Livelihoods Cluster partners and other key stakeholders on key components of PLEWs and incorporate localisation recommendations into its conceptual framework.
Develop and implement a capacity development programme for South Sudan senior policy level staff, technical staff and communities on PLEWS as a decision support tool for policy and programmatic interventions.
Identify collect and collate PLEWs related data, shape-files and documents (focusing on project areas).
Undertake Geographic Information System water shed analysis for the delineation of water basins.
Generate ancillary satellite image data on water pans for and forage images used in selection of suitable sentinel sites.
Establish sentinel sites for calibration of the phygrow and water balance models including:
Generate monthly forage bio-physical indicator maps (Forage Condition Index) depicting forage condition 6 months in advance for enhanced herd management, conflict mitigation and risk management in cross border areas integrating indigenous knowledge in predictions.
Incorporate PLEWs outputs as an Early Warning Early Action module within the Crop and Livestock Marketing Information System portal.
Lead the integration of other innovative modules (predictive transhumance, livestock prices and disease outbreaks/use of remote surveillance tools in rangeland surveillance) into PLEWs.
Support the livestock unit with innovative geo-spatial technologies in disease surveillance.
Lead the generation of seasonal livestock bio-mass inventory for South Sudan at payam level resolution for project areas and county level resolution for the whole country.
Contribute to the production of normative materials on the PLEWS including compilation of the “How to implement PLEWs manual”.
Carry out other relevant tasks as requested by management.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
Advanced university degree in Geo-information science, geography or cartography.
Minimum of 5 years relevant experience related to agriculture, food and nutrition security.
Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French or Spanish. For PSAs working knowledge of English.
FAO Core Competencies
Results Focus
Teamwork
Communication
Building Effective Relationships
Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
Good interpersonal, communication and facilitation skills.
Sound knowledge and experience in writing reports.
Strong computer, word processing and statistical skills.
Good knowledge of the UN system, procedures and operational activities would be an advantage.
Extent and depth of knowledge of, and experience in Food Security Information Systems, including the implementation of a variety of methodologies / techniques – e.g. household surveys, market and climate monitoring, emergency/rapid food security assessments etc.
Demonstrated ability to produce maps using tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS etc.;
Demonstrated ability to liaise and develop partnerships with UN, NGO, governmental, and media agencies;
Breadth of experience and demonstrated ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary technical teams and guide the work of others;
Extent of relevant work experience in other African countries and in the region will be an added advantage.
Knowledge and understanding of GIS/Cartographic outputs and ability to collect and organize data.
Ability to present information and data in understandable tables, charts, graphs and maps.
Able to introduce innovative geo – spatial technologies to enhance data representation, reliability, timeliness and quality.
Able to work under pressure and within multidisciplinary and different cultural background teams.
Excellent organizational skills.
Good communication skills, both verbal and written.
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications
Candidates should upload language certificate/s when submitting their application.
For more information, visit the FAO employment website
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.
Vacancies will be removed from the recruitment portal at 23:59 Central European Time (CET) on the deadline for applications date. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline
If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org
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