Senior Animal Production Officer

This is a reopening of the Vacancy Announcement. Candidates who have already applied do not need to reapply again.
Organizational Setting
The Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) promotes the sustainable livestock transformation towards greater efficiency, inclusiveness and resilience. NSA integrates scientific and technical expertise and policy advice in the areas of animal production and animal health. It facilitates policy dialogue through intergovernmental bodies and multi-stakeholders partnerships, generates knowledge and provides information, analysis and technical assistance for the sustainable development of the livestock sector and the optimization of its contribution to the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

The position is located in the Sustainable Animal Production, Feed and Genetics Branch (NSAP) of the Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

The work of the Branch is structured around five clusters: intergovernmental fora and outreach, through the celebration of international years and days; sustainable animal production systems; feed and feeding systems; pastoralism; and animal genetic resources management.

Reporting Lines
The Senior Animal Production Officer (Team Leader and Secretary of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) Sub-Committee on Livestock) reports to the Chief, NSAP, and is under the overall supervision of the Director, NSA.

Technical Focus
The Senior Animal Production Officer (Team Leader and Secretary of COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock) will act as a Team Leader of the sustainable animal production systems cluster and as a Secretary of the Sub-Committee on Livestock of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG). She/he will provide technical and policy guidance on related issues.

Key Results
Leadership and technical policy expertise for the planning, development and implementation of divisional/cross-divisional programmes of work, projects, products, services in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.

Key Functions

• Plans, manages, or leads highly specialized or multidisciplinary teams, leads, coordinates, and/or participates on Organization-wide, cross-divisional committees, project teams, and working groups, and/or provides technical leadership/secretariat services on technical networks and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies.
• Ensures the integration of gender equality and women's empowerment in FAO's work, including the disaggregation of data by sex and age where appropriate.
• Analyses global and country specific requirements and relevant technical issues to provide critical input into the FAO Strategic Framework, Programme of Work, work plans and the supporting budgets and/or resourcing strategies.
• Implements and monitors programmes of work involving the development of the approach, evidence-based strategies, and related tools, methodologies and the supporting system/database, monitoring and reporting frameworks for gender programming.
• Conducts, designs and oversees research and analysis activities from a gender perspective to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovation, technical reports, publications and/or on-going programme development as well as the provision of technical and/or policy advisory services.
• Provides technical and policy advice to Members and technical support to Decentralized Offices in the development and implementation of their programmes.
• Leads and/or collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to, and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within Members such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning, on-line tools.
• Represents the Organization at international meetings and conferences, identifies and implements strategic partnerships, advocates best practices and increased policy dialogue and develops and negotiates effective working relationships/consensus and agreements with international and national stakeholders.
• Leads and/or participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Strategic Framework.
• Provides guidance, mentoring and advice to junior staff.

Specific Functions

• Provides strategic thinking and technical leadership for FAO's work on sustainable animal production systems, with particular emphasis on small-scale dairy, poultry and small-ruminant production systems, feed resource management and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
• Acts as Secretary of the COAG Sub-Committee on Livestock (SCL), organizes and ensures effective planning and implementation of biennial sessions and intersessional SCL Bureau meetings and related activities; monitors the implementation of the SCL programme of work.
• Leads the Programme Priority Area of the FAO Strategic Framework on small-scale producers' equitable access to resources.
• Ensures effective integration and linkage of work on sustainable animal production systems with other NSA clusters, units at headquarters and in Decentralized Offices.
• Provides technical and policy support to Member Nations in the development of strategies and investment plans for the sustainable transformation of the livestock sector, taking into account the diversity of livestock production systems and the three dimensions of sustainability.
• Performs other duties as required.

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CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agriculture or animal science/production.
• Ten years of relevant experience in animal production and related policy and strategy development, in intergovernmental processes, in planning, implementing and evaluating projects and programmes with special emphasis on developing and/or transition countries.
• Working knowledge (proficiency - level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency - level B) of another official FAO language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

Competencies

• Results Focus
• Leading, Engaging and Empowering
• Communication
• Partnering and Advocating
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Thinking

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is essential.
• Familiarity with gender issues as needed .
• Extent and relevance of experience in planning and implementation of projects and programmes related to sustainable animal production systems research and innovation.
• Extent and relevance of experience in facilitating collaboration and managing partnerships with international agricultural/livestock research and innovation organizations and networks.
• Demonstrated results-based management capabilities with an ability to manage programmes, budgets and human resources efficiently under shifting priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to mobilize resources and to deliver against deadlines.
• Extent and relevance of experience in organizing international meetings, seminars and training courses.
• Work experience in developing countries is an asset.

Job Posting
08/Dec/2025

Closure Date
30/Dec/2025, 7:59:00 AM

Organizational Unit
NSA

Job Type
Staff position

Type of Requisition
Professional

Grade Level
P-5

Primary Location
Italy-Rome

Duration
Fixed-term: two years with possibility of extension

Post Number
2002353

CCOG Code
1H01

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments.
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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for
better production
,
better nutrition
,
a better environment,
and
a better life
, leaving no one behind.