Livestock Specialist: Catholic Relief Services

Deadline: 19 April 2022

Department: Programs

Band: 8

Reports To: Food Security & Livelihoods Manager

Country / Location: Zimbabwe, Harare

Travel Required: Willingness to travel 40% or more to field locations

Supervisory: Project Officer,

Internal: Food Security & Livelihoods Manager, HoP, Project Managers, Operations Staff, Regional Technical Advisor for Agricultural livelihoods, MEAL Officer, MEAL Technical Advisor,

External: CRS implementing partners, other NGOs, government departments, research institutions, universities, donors, relevant technical working groups

About

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners, people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Country background

CRS has been supporting program activities in Zimbabwe since 1989 and has long-standing relationships with Church and non-Church partners and communities throughout the country. Zimbabwe program implements projects through 14 partner organizations in 30 districts in the areas of health, OVC, education, food security and agricultural livelihoods, and peacebuilding.

Job summary

You will provide technical support to all livestock related activities and provide technical leadership to the CP and manage activities aimed at improving communities’ resilience to shocks and stresses (disasters / hazards) without resorting to unsustainable practices that cannot be maintained beyond the life of the funding.

Job responsibilities

Lead evidence collection for best and promising approaches and identify opportunities for growing the livestock portfolio for the Country Program; In emergency situations or where recovery is required, the Livestock Specialist is responsible for activities that can improve people’s livelihood situation and strengthen their ability to withstand crises; Over the long term, promote more resilient livestock interventions to increase people’s autonomy, enabling them to generate income that meets their basic needs, even in times of crisis; Leading or conceptualization of climate initiatives related to livestock interventions, such as rangelands restoration, for the CP, among other emerging initiatives; Promote climate smart fodder production and animal husbandry technologies; Lead interventions where smallholder farmers and their communities adopt improved practices to restore and protect grazing land, soils and water for viable livestock interventions and future generations; Ensure smallholder livestock farming families access information, training, services, and opportunities that increase livestock productivity, income, and assets; Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle; Engage and strengthen partnerships relevant to livestock interventions applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools, and approaches; Work with the livelihoods team to design and implement interventions appropriate to the Zimbabwe context in both agricultural and agro pastoralist systems and in particular those which look at improving opportunities and decision making within households’ overuse of resources (land, inputs and credit); Share project findings and materials developed on livestock-related technologies with other donor projects, public-sector organizations, trainers, para-vets, extension agents, and other key stakeholders; Contribute to public presentations and the drafting of success stories on livestock-related technologies to support program and sector-wide learning; Oversee livestock private sector engagement activities.

Education and experience

Bachelor's Degree in Animal / Veterinary Science, Livestock Development, or any relevant field. Master’s Degree in Animal / Veterinary Sciences or any relevant field would be a plus; Minimum of 5 years of work experience in project management, ideally in the field of agriculture and for an NGO; The ideal candidate must demonstrate experience in managing livestock initiatives in the past, and experience in designing and implementing programs in Zimbabwe will be a significant advantage; The ideal candidate will have worked on (or demonstrate a solid understanding of) feed formulation, small livestock breeding, herd improvement, and similar themes; Technical skills and experience in the areas of agriculture (climate change adaptation and mitigation, crop science, among others) agribusiness and / or economic growth; Experience working with stakeholders at various levels and strengthening community partnerships; Ability to contribute to the development of technical proposals, a plus; Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Agency-wide competencies (for all CRS staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

Strategic Mindset; Integrity; Accountability & Stewardship; Builds Relationships; Develops Talent; Continuous Improvement & Innovation. Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position.