Plankton Expert

Organizational Setting

The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) – Fisheries Department/Aquaculture Department, is prioritizing the development of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp aquaculture. A key constraint is the limited capacity of the national hatchery to consistently produce healthy post-larvae (PL) in line with biosecurity and sanitary standards.
FAO, through TCP/GUY/4101, will provide technical assistance to strengthen hatchery operational performance, staff competencies, SOPs and protocols, and a medium-term sustainability and expansion roadmap. Successful implementation requires the coordinated and timely contributions of several technical specialists, whose activities must be carefully sequenced to support the integrated operation of the shrimp hatchery. The International Lead Consultant will provide overall technical coordination, ensure consistency across specialist inputs, and oversee the integration of recommendations into practical hatchery operations. In addition, the Consultant will provide specialized expertise in plankton and live-feed production, a critical component of shrimp larval nutrition, health, survival, and overall hatchery performance.

Reporting Lines

The Plankton Expert will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Guyana, and under the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) responsible for aquaculture and Blue Transformation-related activities. The incumbent will also work closely with the Assistant, FAOR (Programme towards project implementation.

Technical Focus

The Expert will provide expertise in plankton and live-feed production to strengthen shrimp larval nutrition, health, survival, and hatchery performance. Working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and hatchery personnel towards the implementation of practical, operationally feasible improvements and facilitate capacity development through training, mentoring, and hands-on technical support to strengthen national hatchery management and operational capacities.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Expert will coordinate, provide technical oversight and in collaboration with the designated technical specialist (s) as necessary:

Technical Leadership/Inception, assessment and operational planning

• Assess current hatchery operations, including broodstock management, spawning, hatching, larval rearing, and postlarval quality.
• Recommend improvements for hatchery throughput, survival rates, and larval quality.
• In collaboration with relevant technical specialist, as relevant, develop and validate best-practice SOPs across all hatchery stages, including broodstock handling, spawning, incubation, larval rearing, sanitation, water quality management, and feed management.
• In collaboration with relevant technical specialist, as relevant, specify a standardized structure for all SOPs, including a clear objective, defined scope of application, detailed step-by-step procedures, assigned roles and responsibilities, and relevant monitoring indicators to ensure consistent implementation and performance tracking.
• Deliver hands-on training and on-site coaching to hatchery staff on microalgae culture techniques, contamination control, culture monitoring, and integration into daily hatchery routines, including practical learning through at least one full live-feed culture cycle, aligned with mission timing and the hatchery’s larval-rearing schedule.
• Document lessons learned and provide recommendations for sustainable operation (staffing, consumables planning, maintenance routines, cost drivers and efficiencies).
• Participate in interview sessions for the project.
• Develop and maintain an integrated technical implementation plan identifying the responsibilities, sequencing, dependencies, milestones, and expected contributions of each technical specialist, with particular attention to the operational requirements of broodstock management, larval rearing, water quality, biosecurity, nutrition, and live-feed production
• Identify operational bottlenecks and critical dependencies affecting hatchery production, prioritize corrective actions according to their technical importance, feasibility, cost, and implementation timeframe, and regularly review progress with FAO and designated national counterparts.

Biosecurity and Health Management

• Develop biosecurity protocols to prevent disease introduction and spread, and support their implementation by hatchery personnel.
• Establish a biosecurity risk classification system (low, medium, high risk) for hatchery operations, including defined control points, monitoring frequency, and response protocols.
• Advise on health management plans, including quarantine, diagnostic sampling, and contingency planning for disease outbreaks.
• Assess relevant preventive health management measures and recommend evidence-based interventions, where appropriate, consistent with applicable national regulations, established biosecurity protocols, and the advice of the designated aquatic animal health specialist

Water Quality and System Design

• Assess water sourcing, treatment processes, and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
• Optimize water quality parameters, including temperature, salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and alkalinity, for shrimp broodstock and larval stages.
• Provide advice on filtration, aeration, and biofilter systems and strategies.
• Assess and optimize the production, quality control, and management of microalgae and Artemia required for shrimp larval rearing, including culture initiation, scaling-up, hygiene, contamination prevention, nutritional quality, and production scheduling. Establish practical protocols and measurable indicators for culture performance, reliability, and corrective actions. Integrate live-feed production planning with larval-stage requirements to ensure adequate and timely feed availability throughout the production cycle
• Define culture performance indicators (cell density, growth rates, contamination thresholds) and establish corrective action protocols.
• Integrate live-feed production planning with larval stage demand forecasting to ensure continuous supply.

Breeding

•     Review broodstock management practices and identify operational improvements relevant to reproductive performance, nauplii production, larval quality, and biosecurity. Ensure that recommendations are integrated into the hatchery's overall production and operational planning

Equipment, Infrastructure, and Technology Adoption

• Identify required hatchery equipment and pathways for modernization.
• Evaluate the feasibility of technologies such as automatic lighting, climate control, photoperiod management, and larval monitoring sensors.

Training, mentoring and performance improvement

• Develop structured training plans, curricula, and locally adapted training materials.
• Define competency-based learning outcomes for each training module, including technical, operational, and decision-making skills required for hatchery staff roles.
• Align training modules with measurable competencies and certification criteria.
• Deliver practical, hands-on training workshops for hatchery staff and management.
• Establish mentoring arrangements and on-site coaching schedules to reinforce learning.
• Define a minimum number of trainees and ensure inclusive participation.
• Implement a sustainable knowledge transfer plan to ensure continuity beyond the assignment.
• Develop and implement practical competency assessments, including baseline and post-training evaluations, to measure improvements in staff knowledge and operational skills. Training targets, minimum participation requirements and competency assessment criteria shall be agreed with FAO and national counterparts during the inception phase, taking into account staff availability, participants' initial competencies and the duration of training.
• Introduce certification or competency validation mechanisms to confirm skills acquisition.
• Contribute to the design of the structured training and mentoring plan (with practical competencies and assessment approach).
• Provide technical oversight and quality assurance for training content consistency across themes (broodstock, larviculture, microbiology/biosecurity, water quality/RAS, nutrition, live feed).

Coordination, reporting, and compliance

• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for hatchery performance, including larval survival, postlarval yield, contamination rates, and production costs.
• Introduce digital data management systems (e.g., Excel-based dashboards or hatchery management software) for real-time tracking of production, water quality, and biosecurity indicators.
• Ensure data standardization, traceability, and version control across all hatchery operations.
• Develop data collection templates, dashboards, and reporting schedules.
• Prepare progress reports, technical notes, and final project reports.
• Establish a consolidated monitoring framework covering technical activities, specialist contributions, operational performance, identified risks, corrective actions, and progress against agreed milestones. The framework should rely, where possible, on simple and sustainable data collection tools that can be maintained by national hatchery staff after completion of the assignment

Knowledge Management and Documentation

•     Compile manuals, SOPs, standard formats, and best-practice guides.

Stakeholder Engagement and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with local regulations, animal welfare, and environmental guidelines.
• Ensure gender-responsive and inclusive participation in training and capacity-building activities, including targeted efforts to engage women and underrepresented groups in technical roles.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING:

Minimum requirements

•     Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in aquaculture, fisheries, veterinary science, marine biology, or related field. Consultants with bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.

• At least 10 years in shrimp hatchery operations or commercial aquaculture hatcheries (hands-on experience with Litopenaeus vannamei strongly preferred)
  o    Experience working with government hatcheries and capacity development programmes in the Caribbean/Latin America or similar contexts.
• Working knowledge of English

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement