Animal Health and Nutrition Officer
Remote
Job Title: Animal Health & Nutrition Officer (Field)
Department: Sales & Operations
Reports To: Branch Manager
Provides Day-to-Day Guidance To:
• Animal Health & Nutrition Volunteers
• Agricultural interns attached to field activities.
Duty Station: Assigned Branch, with extensive travel within the branch operational area.
Employment Type: Fixed-Term Contract
Job Grade: To be determined through Job Evaluation
Job Purpose
The Animal Health & Nutrition Officer (Field) is responsible for providing livestock extension services through farm visits, technical advisory, farmer training and demonstrations to improve livestock health, nutrition, and productivity. The role promotes adoption of best livestock management practices while creating demand for Omia's animal health, nutrition and livestock production products and services. The officer also supports farmer registration, disease surveillance, community engagement and documentation of field activities.
Key Result Areas
1. Livestock Extension and Technical Advisory Services (25%) Key Responsibilities
• Conduct regular farm visits to provide technical support to livestock farmers.
• Advise farmers on livestock nutrition, feeding programmes, breeding, housing, welfare, and general husbandry practices.
• Provide guidance on disease prevention, vaccination schedules, parasite control and biosecurity measures.
• Support farmers in identifying common livestock diseases and recommend appropriate preventive and control measures.
• Promote responsible use of veterinary medicines and adherence to withdrawal periods.
• Demonstrate good livestock management practices that improve productivity and profitability.
• Refer complex disease cases and emergency veterinary situations requiring specialized intervention to qualified veterinarians.
• Keep abreast of emerging livestock diseases, technologies, and industry best practices.
Expected Outputs
• Farmers receive quality livestock advisory services.
• Improved livestock health and productivity.
• Increased adoption of recommended livestock management practices.
• Timely referral of complex veterinary cases.
• Improved farmer knowledge on animal health and nutrition.
2. Farmer Mobilization, Training and Capacity Building (20%) Key Responsibilities
• Mobilize livestock farmers to participate in training programs, demonstrations and farmer field days.
• Conduct practical farmer training on livestock production, nutrition, disease prevention and animal welfare.
• Establish and support demonstration farms and practical learning sessions.
• Facilitate farmer group meetings and livestock learning events.
• Develop seasonal livestock extension plans in consultation with the Branch Manager.
• Promote peer learning and knowledge sharing among livestock farmers.
• Support implementation of livestock campaigns and community awareness activities.
Expected Outputs
• Increased farmer participation in livestock training.
• Successful livestock demonstrations and field days.
• Functional demonstration farms.
• Improved farmer capacity in livestock management.
3. Business Development and Livestock Product Promotion (20%) Key Responsibilities
• Promote Omia's animal health, nutrition, and livestock production products during field engagements.
• Generate qualified customer referrals to the retail outlet.
• Promote livestock feeds, veterinary medicines, vaccines, supplements, and production equipment.
• Identify opportunities to expand livestock product sales within assigned communities.
• Promote Omia's livestock-related services including vaccination campaigns, feed solutions and technical support programmes.
• Collect market intelligence on livestock production trends, farmer needs and competitor activities.
• Support implementation of branch livestock sales campaigns and promotional activities.
• Build long-term relationships with livestock farmers to encourage repeat business.
Expected Outputs
• Increased livestock product sales through field Sales.
• Increased adoption of Omia livestock products.
• Improved branch revenue from livestock enterprises.
• Reliable market intelligence.
• Increased customer retention.
4. Farmer Registration, Monitoring and Reporting (15%) Key Responsibilities
• Register livestock farmers using approved organizational systems and tools.
• Capture farmer demographic information, livestock enterprises and production systems.
• Record advisory services provided, products recommended, and referrals made.
• Maintain accurate records of farm visits, trainings and demonstrations conducted.
• Prepare and submit daily, weekly, and monthly livestock extension reports.
• Support Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities through accurate field data collection.
• Ensure confidentiality and proper handling of farmer information.
Expected Outputs
• Accurate livestock farmer database.
• Reliable farmer reach information.
• Complete and timely reports.
• Improved data quality for organizational reporting.
5. Disease Surveillance and Livestock Monitoring (10%) Key Responsibilities
• Monitor livestock health trends and identify emerging disease outbreaks within assigned communities.
• Report unusual disease occurrences, mortalities, or production challenges to the appropriate authorities within the organization.
• Support branch livestock disease surveillance initiatives.
• Monitor vaccination coverage and adoption of disease prevention practices.
• Collect information on livestock production challenges and emerging farmer needs.
• Support implementation of livestock health campaigns where required.
Expected Outputs
• Timely reporting of disease outbreaks.
• Improved livestock disease surveillance.
• Increased farmer preparedness for disease prevention.
• Better understanding of livestock production challenges.
6. Community Engagement and Stakeholder Collaboration (5%) Key Responsibilities
• Build relationships with livestock farmer groups, community leaders and local stakeholders.
• Collaborate with District Veterinary Officers, Animal Production Officers, and other relevant government agencies.
• Represent Omia during livestock exhibitions, farmer meetings and agricultural events.
• Support implementation of partner programmes related to livestock development.
• Promote Omia's reputation as a trusted provider of livestock solutions.
Expected Outputs
• Strong stakeholder relationships.
• Improved community engagement.
• Increased organizational visibility.
• Enhanced collaboration with government and development partners.
7. Volunteer and Intern Support (5%) Key Responsibilities
• Provide day-to-day guidance to Animal Health & Nutrition volunteers and interns assigned to field activities.
• Orient volunteers and interns on livestock extension methodologies and organizational procedures.
• Monitor field activities conducted by volunteers and provide coaching where necessary.
• Report volunteer and intern performance concerns to the Branch Manager or Extension Supervisor.
• Promote compliance with organizational policies and technical standards.
Expected Outputs
• Well-supported volunteers and interns.
• Improved quality of field extension services.
• Increased volunteer competence.
• Timely identification of performance concerns.
Decision-Making Authority May Independently
• Plan and conduct routine farm visits.
• Provide routine livestock advisory services within professional competence.
• Organize farmer meetings and training sessions.
• Register livestock farmers.
• Conduct demonstrations and awareness activities.
• Refer complex veterinary cases.
• Guide volunteers and interns during field activities.
• Escalate disease outbreaks and technical concerns.
Requires Branch Manager Approval
• Large-scale livestock campaigns outside approved work plans.
• Distribution of promotional materials beyond approved allocations.
• Commitments made on behalf of the organization to farmer groups or external stakeholders.
• Requests requiring financial commitments or resource allocation.
• Formal partnerships with external organizations.
• Disciplinary action against volunteers or interns.
Internal Working Relationships
• Branch Manager.
• Extension Supervisor.
• Animal Health & Nutrition Officer (Retail).
• Agricultural Extension Officers.
• Sales Agronomists.
• Agricultural Engineering Team.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Team.
• Communications Team.
• Digital Farmer Access Officer.
• Procurement and Logistics Officer.
External Working Relationships
• Livestock farmers and farmer groups.
• District Veterinary Officers.
• Production Officers.
• Community leaders.
• Veterinary product suppliers.
• Development partners.
• Community-based organizations.
• Institutional livestock producers.
Minimum Qualifications
• Diploma in Animal Science, Animal Production, Animal Health, Animal Nutrition, or another relevant livestock-related discipline.
Professional registration or certification in veterinary or animal production (UVB/C) is required.
Experience
• Minimum of two years' relevant experience in livestock extension, animal health, animal production or livestock advisory services.
• Experience working directly with livestock farmers in rural communities.
• Experience conducting livestock farmer training and demonstrations.
• Experience using digital data collection tools is an added advantage.
Knowledge Requirements
• Livestock production systems.
• Animal nutrition and feed management.
• Livestock disease prevention and control.
• Biosecurity and animal welfare.
• Veterinary medicines and vaccines.
• Livestock extension methodologies.
• Farmer mobilization and adult learning.
• Community engagement.
• Climate-smart livestock production.
• Basic livestock marketing and value chains.
Technical Skills
• Livestock advisory and extension services.
• Farm assessment and livestock production analysis.
• Farmer training and facilitation.
• Livestock demonstration management.
• Disease surveillance and reporting.
• Farmer registration and digital data collection.
• Report writing.
• Microsoft Office applications.
• Communication in relevant local languages.
Behavioral Competencies
• Farmer-centeredness.
• Integrity.
• Accountability.
• Technical competence.
• Communication and interpersonal skills.
• Initiative.
• Teamwork.
• Problem-solving.
• Adaptability.
• Results orientation.
• Respect for farmers and communities.
Working Conditions
• Primarily field-based with extensive travel to farms and rural communities.
• Frequent travel by motorcycle or other available means of transport.
• Regular exposure to livestock production environments and varying weather conditions.
• Regular interaction with livestock farmers, community leaders and government extension personnel.
Physical and Mental Demands
• Frequent travel over long distances in rural areas.
• Walking through farms and livestock production facilities.
• Standing for prolonged periods during demonstrations and farmer training sessions.
• Ability to work under varying weather conditions.
• High concentration when assessing livestock health challenges and providing technical recommendations.
• Ability to manage multiple field assignments and reporting deadlines.
Key Resources Accountable For
• Farmer registration and livestock advisory records.
• Livestock extension reports.
• Demonstration materials and training aids.
• Assigned field equipment and protective gear.
• Organizational communication and promotional materials.
• Demonstration farms and learning sites (where assigned).
• Volunteers and interns assigned for field guidance.