Livestock and GHG emissions assessment specialist

FAO’s Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) supports member countries to strengthen the contribution of the livestock sector towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One area of work is the assessment of interactions of livestock systems with the environment. The division has developed the Global Livestock Assessment Model (GLEAM) to quantify environmental impacts of livestock systems and uses a lifecycle assessment (LCA) to calculate greenhouse gas emissions.

To increase the relevance of the model for designing mitigation policies, the division plans to expand the scope of the model calculations, update underlying data and methods and develop a new generation of the model (GLEAM-X) as a web application.

Reporting Lines

Livestock and GHG emissions assessment specialist reports to the Livestock Policy Officer (Systems Analysis).

Technical Focus

The incumbent will support the team in expanding and updating the approaches that are used to quantify emission baselines and the impact of mitigation interventions for livestock systems and recommend and implement new state-of-the art approaches for additional species and emission sources, a systematic collection and harmonization of relevant data sets globally, and adequate documentation following international standards.

Tasks And Responsibilities

• Review the current implementation of GHG assessments and recommend updates, considering international guideline and the scientific literature;
• Develop methods to include post-farm emissions and emissions related to trade for animals products;
• Develop and implement methods to calculate emissions for species that are not currently considered in GLEAM;
• Develop and implement methods to quantify the impact of selected mitigation strategies on GHG emissions;
• Collect, harmonize, and check related data sets from a variety of data sources;
• Document methods and prepare guidelines and application manuals;
• Prepare guidance documents, webinars, and support the project help desk;
• Support the preparation of scientific publications and reports to validate the methods in the application;
• Attend meetings and conferences (external and internal) to present the approaches, and
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Biology, or related fields
• Minimum one year of relevant experience in assessing environmental impacts through production chains, in particular for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and preferably for livestock agrifood systems.
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian. Working knowledge of English for PSA.SBS is sufficient.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Extent and relevance of experience in greenhouse gas assessments and life cycle approaches
• Extent and relevance of experience in managing large data sets from heterogeneous sources
• Excellent communication skills

Selection Criteria

• Experience with quantitative GHG baseline and mitigation assessments
• Experience with livestock systems
• Experience with managing large data sets from different sources
• Familiarity with one or more programming languages
• Demonstrated ability to write concise reports and scientific publication on the topic
• Knowledge of ongoing debates and initiatives to mitigate emissions from the sector
• Demonstrated ability to communicate to various audiences

Call For Expressions Of Interest – Vacancy Announcement

Job Posting

01/Dec/2023

Closure Date

23/Dec/2023, 12:59:00 AM

Organizational Unit

NSAL – Livestock Innovation, Climate and Post-harvesting Solutions Branch

Job Type

Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition

Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level

N/A

Primary Location

Italy-Rome

Duration

11 months

Post Number

N/A

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

• 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 person 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