DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the general guidance of the Assistant Director-General, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department (AG), and in close coordination with Division Directors and Service Chiefs and heads of the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) units, the incumbent will:

• Coordinate, provide leadership and directly supervise technical experts assigned to the Crisis Management Centre (CMC) – Intelligence and Coordination Unit;
• Identify areas within the food-chain that require improved and multidisciplinary understanding of potential instabilities that, if left unattended, could become emergencies or crises that affect public health, plant production, livestock, food safety and quality, and food security;
• Develop and coordinate studies to undertake cross-disciplined approaches to understanding of risks in food-chain production in terms of animal and plant diseases and pests, and spill over in commodity or food safety;
• Interact with EMPRES units to coordinate, strengthen and monitor delivery of Departmental technical emergency prevention work to prevent and mitigate crises across the food-chain;
• Be responsible for the CMC – Intelligence and Coordination Unit’s internal and external communication and advocacy activities, liaising with FAO departments and partner organizations in this regard, and collaborate with the Knowledge and Communications Division (KCI) concerning external communication to the media;
• Collaborate with media focal points in KCI for the preparation of risk communication messages;
• Interact with research institutes and review studies being undertaken by such institutions through established letters of agreement;
• Supervise the integration of relevant databases to allow identification of food-chain emergencies by incorporating  climate change, environment, trade and socio-economic factors in the risk analysis;
• Serve as a focal point for reference centres and other research institutes in the realm of disease and pest epidemiological surveillance and food safety along the food chain;
• Prepare early warning documents for high level officials to highlight agriculture/food-chain instabilities or dangers, including presentations at conferences or meetings;
• Consult and interact with donor communities to advocate for the EMPRES programme with a view to obtaining support and funding for improving the quality and extension of activities on transboundary plant pests (other than Desert Locust), animal diseases and on food safety concerns;
• Perform other related duties as required.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Candidates should meet the following:

• Advanced University Degree in Agriculture, Veterinary or Economics Sciences or other related field
• Ten years of relevant experience in coordinating scientific and technical activities related to transboundary threats to the food chain
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two

SELECTION CRITERIA
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
* The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.

REMUNERATION

TO APPLY: Carefully read and follow the Guidelines to applicants

Send your application to:

V.A 2006-AGD
Ms. A. Glinni, AGDM, D.636
FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome ITALY
Fax No: +39 06 57055609
E-mail: VA-2006-AGD@fao.org

This vacancy is open to male and female candidates. Applications from qualified women candidates and applications from qualified candidates from non/under-represented member states are encouraged. Please note that FAO staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the Director-General and may be assigned to any activities or office of the organization.

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