FAO in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (MAFAR) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is implementing a Government Cooperative Programme funded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project, Development of Sustainable Fishery Value Chains in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, aims to sustain and improve productivity and resilience of aquaculture/fisheries enterprises in the Bangsamoro region in Mindanao. Specifically, this project will focus on improving efficiency and sustainability of local aquatic food value chains and market linkages, increase capacity of small-scale producers to augment their income through entrepreneurship using alternative species and processing for value-addition, empower them and their organizations on improved and resilient aquaculture/fisheries technologies and appropriate postharvest processing, and enhance the knowledge and skills of MAFAR and LGU fishery personnel on monitoring and managing fish stock.
The position is located in Cotabato City, Philippines.
The National Food Technology Specialist will report to the Project Team Leader.
The National Food Technology Specialist provides technical expertise especially during project conception and implementation.
Responsibilities:
• Conduct a thorough review and identification of aquatic food product development and value addition best practices in the country.
• Analyse existing data, reports, and literature relevant to aquatic food product development and value addition in the target area.
• Develop a tailored set of best practices and recommendations for aquatic food product development and value addition.
• Assist in coordinating with relevant counterparts, including fishers, boat operators, processors, traders, local authorities, and other pertinent parties, to disseminate and implement the recommended practices.
• Assist in providing training and capacity-building sessions to stakeholders on the aquatic food product development and value addition.
• Assist in providing training and capacity-building sessions to stakeholders on food safety.
• Assist in providing training and capacity-building sessions to stakeholders on the entrepreneurship.
• Develop business/marketing plans including participation in Trade Fairs, study trip and online visibility.
• Assist in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the recommended practices and make necessary adjustments based on feedback and results.
• Assist in promoting high-level dialogue amongst the Ministries of Fisheries, Ministries of Trade, and/or other relevant Ministries;
• Develop best-practices and lessons learned report at the end of the project.
• Prepare IEC materials and collaborate with the communications consultant to provide content for the communication strategy.
• Prepare and submit end of assignment report including lessons learned and best practices in accordance with FAO guidelines.
Minimum Requirements:
• University degree in food science/technology/engineer, agriculture, chemistry or other fields relevant to food product development and value addition.
• At least 5 years of working experience in the field of aquatic value chains development.
• Working knowledge of English and Filipino.
• National of the Philippines or resident of the country with valid work permit.
Technical/Functional Skills:
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to an evolving and complex humanitarian context and within multidisciplinary and different cultural background teams
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Tagalog
• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
