International Soil Laboratory Consultants, Baku, Azerbaijan

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Country: Azerbaijan

City: Baku

Office: FAO in Baku, Azerbaijan

Closing date: Friday, 20 January 2023

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2203343

International Soil Laboratory Consultants

Job Posting: 06/Jan/2023

Closure Date: 20/Jan/2023, 10:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : FEAZE

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition : Consultant

Grade Level : N/A

Primary Location: Azerbaijan-Baku

Duration : 70 days of desk work and 45 days for mission within 11 months period

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

Organizational Setting

FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan is currently implementing "Improvement of Seed and Agro-Chemical Laboratory and Certification Services under the Agrarian Services Agency" and "Support for Structural Reform and Strategic Development of Agrarian Services Agency" projects under FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme (FAPP, 2016-2021).

Reporting Lines

Assistant FAO Representative in Azerbaijan (AFAOR)

Technical Focus

The projects aims to support structural reform and strategic development of Agrarian Services Agency by enabling strengthening the delivery and effectiveness of the veterinary, crop protection, seed management and technical control services in the country. In addition the projects aimed to support and improve the activities of the laboratories mentioned in the projects and operating under ASA through development of effective management and oversight system, technical capacity building, provision of necessary equipment, adoption of new and state of the art methodologies/methods, international certification and ensuring the delivery of these services to farmers via online platform.

Tasks and responsibilities

Wet chemistry

Identify equipment and consumables to purchase, maintenance requirements and authorized staff needed to operate the equipment (technical expertise) based on international standards

Provide trainings for trainers to the managers of the Central Laboratory and the Soil Regional Laboratories on: - Planning and executing the procurement of equipment and consumables; - The implementation of the revised FAO Bulletin 74; - Quality assurance and internal quality control, including the collection and preparation of reference soil samples, the implementation of standard operating procedures, the use of quality control charts, etc. - External quality control: collection and preparation of soil samples, organization of national proficiency testing exercises (PT), statistical analysis of PT results, identification of source of errors in the analysis and actions to take to increase the performance of soil laboratories - Health and safety in soil laboratories - Use and maintenance of laboratory equipment for wet chemistry - Interpretation of soil laboratory results for the provision of recommendations to farmers

Support the national specialists and project partners in interpreting agrochemical analyses results and developing recommendations for farmers based on soil parameters

Soil spectroscopy

Support with the procurement of the soil spectrometer for the Central Laboratory

Train the manager and technicians appointed to soil spectroscopy of the Central Laboratory on the use, calibration and maintenance of the soil spectrometer. Training should include modelling

Lead the establishment of the National Soil Spectral Library and Estimation Service of Azerbaijan and provide the trainings for the Central Laboratory staff on their maintenance and management

Support connecting the national soil spectral services to the Azerbaijani Soil Information System (AzSIS)

Network management

Support the Central Laboratory to establish the National Soil Laboratory Network of Azerbaijan (includes governance, communication strategy, work plan and monitoring system) and to coordinate the implementation of national activities in soil analysis

Provide a special training on soil laboratory network management to the Central Laboratory

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Advanced University degree/master’s degree in soil science, agriculture, environmental sciences, chemistry or a related field with some specialization in soil science, or relevant experience in agricultural extension with a focus on soil analysis and soil laboratory management;
Minimum one year of relevant experience (for category C), minimum five years of relevant experience (for category B), minimum twelve years of relevant experience (for COF category A) in soil laboratory analyses;
Working knowledge (level C) of Turkish and English and limited knowledge (level B) of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, or Russian.

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, particularly in field positions is desirable;
Familiarity with FAO policies and programmes and UN policy agendas;
Extent and relevance of experience in issues related to soil laboratory functioning and soil sample analyses in particular in relation to climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable agriculture and forestry;
Extent and relevance of experience in organizing medium to large scale national and international technical meetings and trainings;
Extent and relevance of experience in the development of teaching materials is an asset;
Extent and relevance of experience in the establishment and facilitation of technical networks.

Demonstrated ability to deliver results within deadlines.

Demonstrated experience of working in Azerbaijan in terms of normative and technical work on soils is an asset.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list

Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

For more information, visit the FAO employment website

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile

Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications

Incomplete applications will not be considered

Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application

Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered

Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile

We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

Link to the organization’s job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1673033007396