DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the operational supervision of the FAO Representative, the overall supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and the technical supervision of the Food Quality and Standards Service (AGNS), Lead Technical Unit, working in close collaboration with members of the Technical Assistance Team (TAT) as well as relevant local authorities and other units in FAO, the incumbent will perform duties related to Output 2 “Improvement of preventive approaches to food quality and safety management along the food chain” of the project “Improving food safety, quality and food control in Bangladesh”. In particular, will:

• perform needs assessment of improved hygiene and manufacturing practices in small and medium sized food enterprises covering training needs, policy issues, regulatory issues, etc;
• work closely with the Technical Officer on Policy and Food Control Management to develop guidance for addressing policy and regulatory constraints facing small and medium scale food operators;
• advise on curriculum upgrading at tertiary institutions on food safety and quality management so as to improve the preparedness of graduates to work effectively on such issues;
• develop appropriate training and other technical support materials targeted at the needs of farmers as well as small and medium sized enterprises involved in food production, processing, handling and distribution;
• develop and implement specific programmes for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point systems ( HACCP) programmes for priority sectors;
• identify, for training of “trainers”, governmental and non-governmental institutions that have a mandate to provide technical support to small and medium sized food businesses in the area of quality and safety management to further support the sector;
• organize training-of-trainers courses for selected trainers throughout Bangladesh on aspects of implementation of preventive measures including GAP GMP and HACCP;
• lead the review and assessment of existing programmes of public awareness and education on food safety and quality and determine priority issues that should be covered;
• provide technical support in the development and implementation of a communication and education strategy for improving consumer awareness regarding the importance of food safety, quality and hygiene;
• develop educational material for children in primary and secondary schools on issues related to food hygiene, quality and safety;
• advise on the integration of food safety as a subject of teaching in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools;
• provide technical support and guidance on the development and implementation of food safety communication and education strategy for rural areas, as well as Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials in food safety, quality and hygiene, taking into consideration the recommendations of the technical Officer on Food safety Policy and Food Control management concerning the role of Consumer Organizations;
• organize meetings to discuss and obtain feedback from governmental authorities and civil society groups on communication strategies and plans;
• identify equipment required and develop a plan to establish and operate mobile training units to perform the actual training in rural areas;
• in close collaboration with national professional staff conduct trainings and meetings at district (upzila) level to increase awareness about food safety among relevant working groups at grassroots level;
• identify needs for external training/ study tours for senior level national staff (maximum of 15 people) and make all necessary arrangements for the implementation of this training;
• perform other related duties as required.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Candidates should meet the following:

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.

TO APPLY: Carefully read and follow the Guidelines to applicants

Send your application to:

V.A AGP-401-09-PRJ
Director, Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division (AGN)
FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome ITALY
Fax No: +39 06 5705 4593
E-mail: VA-401-09-PRJ-AGN@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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