This position is open to Ghana nationals only.

A local NGO is currently recruiting for the position of Livestock Specialist for a new project in northern Ghana. The incumbent will work out of the project’s head office in Tamale, Northern Region.

Project Overview:
The ultimate outcome of this 6-year project is to enhance food security and resilience for poor male and female smallholder farmers (35% male/65% female) and their households in the three northern regions. This ultimate outcome is to be achieved through increased, diversified and more equitable agricultural production; and increased, diversified and more equitable incomes and assets.

Position Summary:
The Livestock Specialist is directly answerable to the project’s Deputy Director. He/she is responsible for leading and coordinating the livestock/poultry strategy and related activities within the project and to provide timely and relevant information and support to project stakeholders. This includes working in close collaboration with other project specialists (including climate change adaptation/environment, monitoring and evaluation, gender equality, crops, marketing and income generating activities specialists) based at the Tamale office to ensure a holistic approach is used within the project.

Essential duties and responsibilities include:

Scope of work

• Review existing production and market activity data on livestock and poultry being raised in the northern regions, and that could potentially be raised. Identify gaps in knowledge. Identify high income earning market opportunities;
• Develop and maintain good working relationship with relevant Ministries/Departments and livestock/poultry research organizations in the northern regions;
• Together with the project’s climate change adaptation/environment specialist and marketing/IGA specialist, assess the sustainability and marketability of increasing livestock and poultry production in the targeted areas and advise project staff on suitable livestock and poultry to be supported by the project;
• Working closely with the Marketing and IGA Specialist, as needed, assess and identify capacities and needs of project staff and implementing organizations on various aspects of livestock/poultry production, post-harvest management techniques, and deliver appropriate training courses;
• Coordinate with the project’s gender specialist to ensure women are benefiting appropriately and to discuss specific strategies and best practices to promote their engagement with livestock initiatives;
• Assess and identify the capacities and needs of the targeted communities in various aspects of livestock/poultry production; design and facilitate appropriate training;
• Provide support and guidance to regional (field based) livestock officers;
• In collaboration with the project’s monitoring and evaluation specialist, support baseline data collection for the project and regular monitoring of indicators;
• Support the development of annual work plans and budgets, including annual milestones;
• Support field based livestock officers in preparing progress reports to ensure timely, high quality reporting to the donor and other project stakeholders;
• Ensure efficient use of project resources;
• Document, in collaboration with the organization’s Documentation and Publication Unit, information on livestock/poultry raised by the project beneficiaries, results and lessons learned.

Qualification Required & Experience

• Master’s Degree in Agriculture or related field.
• Minimum of 8 years work experience in livestock/poultry production, preferably with experience in both livestock and poultry in northern Ghana.
• Experience in building capacity of staff and project beneficiaries (both men and women) in livestock/poultry production, in both formal and informal settings.
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Experience in developing and implementing environmental projects is considered to be an asset.

Requisite Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong leadership skills, facilitation skills, interpersonal skills with colleagues and project beneficiaries.
• Demonstrated capacity to work in teams with colleagues and collaborators from different organizations/government ministries.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of gender equality.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; knowledge of other languages spoken in the northern regions an asset.
• Basic computer skills (word-processing, presentations, spread-sheets).
• Willingness to travel in northern regions.

Location: Tamale

How To Apply For The Job

Suitably qualified persons are invited to submit their cover letter detailing how their work experience and academic/professional qualifications meet the requirements described above, CV, and 3 professional references no later than February 8th, 2013 via e-mail to:

jobsapplications@yahoo.com

Closing Date: 08 February 2013

Please indicate in the subject line of the email which position is being applied for.

The principles of employment equity are adhered to. Suitably qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. While all applicants are thanked for their interest, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.