Organizational Setting

The position is located at the FAO Representation in Georgia, based in Tbilisi. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by the 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.

Reporting Lines

The National Beekeeping and Extension Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Georgia, the supervision of the ENPARD Programme Manager, and the technical guidance of the National Food Safety Expert in Georgia and in close coordination with the ENPARD IV Veterinary and Food Safety Extension Specialists.

Technical Focus

The National Beekeeping and Extension Specialist will be responsible for the elaboration of training materials on the following topics: production of safe honey, food safety and legislation, labelling, record keeping, good beekeeping practices and bee diseases management, product diversification, supplementation and yield increase, site selection and hive placements, etc. The technical material will be used to train beekeepers in different regions. Each training is expected to gather 15 to 20 farmers.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Draft training materials on production of safe honey, food safety and legislation, labelling, record keeping, good beekeeping practices and bee diseases management, product diversification, supplementation and yield increase, site selection and hive placements.
• Support the delivery of practical and theoretical training on production of safe honey, food safety and legislation, labelling, record keeping, good beekeeping practices and bee diseases management, product diversification, supplementation and yield increase, site selection and hive placements, amongst other topics.
• Engage with FAO beekeeping beneficiaries to analyse their need and find solutions to improve both production and food safety aspects.
• Review the sanitary status of beehives in FAO target regions and provide support to beneficiaries for the control of Tropilaelaps and Varroa mites.
• Draft technical specification for the procurement of beekeeping related equipment for their submission for clearance to the FAO Technical Officer.
• Liaise closely with the project team during elaboration of teaching material and training process.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in veterinary science, livestock production, food safety or related disciplines
• 1 year of relevant experience in veterinary science, beekeeping, food safety and/or disease management
• Working knowledge of Georgian; knowledge of English will be considered as advantage
• National of Georgia or resident of the country with valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Solid understanding of Georgian regulations on animal health and welfare issues
• Demonstrated understanding of veterinary topics, beekeeping, food safety and legislation, disease management.
• Proven capacity to establish working relationships with smallholder farmers and build their technical capacities.
• Proven experience in the preparation of technical documents on veterinary and standard guideline development
• Excellent communication skills, proven ability to convey complex ideas through clear and effective oral presentations.
• Good skills in community mobilization as well as inter-personal relations.
• Computer literacy