Food Standards Officer - Posting No. 1574

Date Posted

July 21, 2009

Employer

Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Location

Rome, Itlay

Job Description

Fixed Term: 3 years

N: 2193-AGN

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the Secretary, Codex Alimentarius Commission, the incumbent will be responsible for the administration and execution of scientific and technical aspects of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program, within the Secretariat, Codex Alimentarius Commission (AGNC). In particular, will:

·         Act as Secretary of various technical and regional subsidiary bodies of the Codex Alimentarius Commission concerned with the development of international food standards and related texts for the protection of consumers’ health and the assurance of fair practices in the food trade, including the preparation of agendas, technical and other working documents and reports of the sessions;

·         Prepare the final standard drafted by these bodies for publication following their adoption by the Commission;

·         Prepare technical papers and reports for the Commission and its Executive Committee;

·         Represent the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programs at meetings of other bodies or organizations engages in food standards and related work;

·         Participate in the work of international expert bodies convened to provide scientific or technical advice to the Commission;

·         Provide, of request by governments or other interested parties, information concerning food standards and related matters;

·         Develop and maintain Codex databases; and

·         Perform other related duties as required.

 

Job Qualifications

 

Minimum Requirements

Candidate should meet the following:

·         Advanced university degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology or Veterinary or Public Health or related subjects

·         Seven years of relevant experience in the development and application of food standards and food control programs at national and international levels

·         Working knowledge level of English, French, or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two

Selection Criteria

Candidate will be assessed on the following:

·         Scope and depth of experience in the development and application of food standards and food control programs in relation to food safety and quality at national and international level

·         Extent of overall understanding of the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

·         Demonstrated ability to analyze technical information and to communicate clearly both orally and in writing in English

·         Demonstrated ability to organize and coordinate intergovernmental meetings and to write clear and concise reports

·         Relevance of experience in database development and management

·         Extent of language skills

 

Please note that all candidates should possess computer/word processing skills and should be capable of working with people of different national and cultural backgrounds

How to Apply:

Please provide a completed FAO Personal History Form, found on the internet site.

• You application should be typewritten (where possible),     signed and dated.
• Clearly indicate in the appropriate box on the personal     History Form and on the front of your application, the title of the post     and the Vacancy Number.
• Submit a separate application for each position for     which you are applying. 
• Send your application to the address indicated on the     Vacancy Announcement.
• Internal candidates should provide 10 copies of their     application.

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview.

Filling in the FAO Personal History Form:

Language Skills:    Please list the languages with which you are familiar, beginning with your mother tongue, indicating the extent of your knowledge as:

• Excellent/Good= Working Knowledge: You will be expected to work independently using the     language required, to prepare a variety of written communications (correspondence,     reports, working papers ect...) to participate actively in meetings and in     work-related discussions, ect.
• Fair= Limited Knowledge: You will be expected to follow work related     discussions or meetings, even though you may wish to intervene in another     official language. You will be expected to participate in simple     conversations, to use the telephone, to read and understand work related     texts and to write simple communication ect.
• Slight

Computer Skills

• Indicate you word processing skills and knowledge of     database/spreadsheet (e.g. Excel, Access) or any other office automation     software known and used
• If applicable, specify your work experience in data     entry/retrieval and programming skills. Indicate knowledge of programming     languages and operating systems

Academic Qualifications:

Starting with the present and going back in time, please give details of:

• Period of study with name and location of academic     institution,
• Title of study obtained, both in the original language     and in English, indicating the subject(s) of specialization and year     degree* was/is to be awarded,
• List any other relevant training or formal education     that may be relevant to your application.

If selected for an interview, you will be expected to provide FAO with certified copies of your academic records

*A university degree is a title of study sustained by at least 3 years of full time study from a bona fide institution. An advanced university degree is equivalent to a Masters degree. 

Experience:

• Relevant professional experience is counted from the     time of attainment of the first relevant degree
• Endeavour to demonstrate how your experience meets the     requirements of the post
• If applicable, give the number of publications and     provide a list and the dates of the most relevant publications
• Provide samples of written work only upon request

 

Salary

Level P4 carries a net salary per year form US$ 105,738 to US$132,577 (without dependents) and from US$113,548 to US$ 143,191 (with dependents)

Contact Information

Secretary, COdex Alimentarius Commission (AGNC)

V.A 2193-AGN

FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome Italy

Phone - Not Available

Fax - +39 06 57054593

Cell Phone - Not Available

Email - VA-2193-AGN@fao.org

Website - Not Available