Food and Agriculture Organization Vacancies 2021

The Regional Office for Africa (FAORAF) is responsible for leading FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO’s priority activities in the region. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the Region and, in collaboration with departments and divisions at Headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO’s strategic response to regional priorities. FAORAF contributes to FAO’s strategic objective on reducing rural poverty primarily through three Regional Initiatives. Its programs and policy guidance focus on addressing and improving the many different factors that contribute to poverty.

The tasks envisaged for this consultancy are to be carried out through the collation and analysis of related data from livestock owners and all stakeholders along the livestock value chain.

Job Description

Job Title: Socio-economist 

Reporting Lines

The socio-economist will be operating under the overall guidance of the Director Animal Production and Health Division (AGA), the functional and administrative supervision of the Assistant Director General (ADG) and FAO Regional Representative for Africa in Ghana, the direct supervision of the Regional Manager (RM) of the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD) in West and Central Africa, and in close collaboration with relevant staff of FAO regional, sub-regional and country offices in West Africa,

Technical Focus

Coordinate and provide backstopping expertise to support regional and national socio-economic impact studies of Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) long the livestock value chain and policy components

Tasks And Responsibilities

• • Identify data collection needs of the DTRA project implementing countries (namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone) in close collaboration with the FAO regional and respective country offices;
  • Undertake desk research following a guideline, survey instrument and questionnaire(s) developed by FAO headquarters and regional experts to collect available information from the literature and grey sources (government ministries, universities) as well as collect primary data through questionnaires and focus group discussions with livestock farmers and other relevant stakeholders in urban and peri-urban areas including transhumant pastoralists;
  • Conduct Socio-economic analysis of data collated
  • Formulate regional and national network for studies of the socio-economic impact of Foot-and-mouth disease in the West Africa region
  • Guide national consultants to conduct socioeconomic in respective DTRA countries
  • Develop a draft regional FMD socio-economic impact report including resource mobilization document for review;
  • Facilitate a 2-day regional validation workshop with all relevant stakeholders;
  • Incorporate feedback and produce final validated national socio-economic report including resource mobilization document;
  • Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• • Advanced university degree in veterinary or agriculture sciences and relevant post-graduate training or experience in livestock or agricultural economics or related fields;
  • At least 5 years of proven experience in the management and implementation of infectious disease control programmes, and socioeconomic impact studies of animal diseases, preferably in developing countries;
  • Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• • Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in area of socioeconomic impact studies of animal disease
  • Extent and relevance of experience at international level.
  • Ability to write briefs and reports
  • Ability to work independently and under pressure and meet deadlines
  • Familiarity with FAO policies and programmes and systems is desirable

Selection Criteria

• Based on required competence and skills