Feed & Inputs Specialist

Feed & Inputs Specialist

Corus International leads an ensemble of social impact organizations working together in the world’s most fragile settings to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to overcome the interconnected challenges of poverty, health care access and climate change. Corus is a new model in the international space, creating a consortium of specialized non-profit and for-profit entities for greater impact.

Corus combines over 150 years of experience of our non-profit and for-profit subsidiary organizations – Lutheran World Relief (LWR), IMA World Health, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and LWR Farmers Market.

In Nepal CORUS works through one of the subsidiary organizations LWR. Further details can be found at https://corusinternational.org

Job Brief:

This position will identify, design, and implement projects/programs and provide effective support for Aquaculture Programs within and outside the organization, in accordance with the requirements and needs and conformity of project management guidelines, to achieve LWR Nepal project targets – The goal of transforming practices towards responsible aquaculture responsibility and other programs related to fish production and productivity related activities.

Position Summary:

This position will play a key role in developing and overseeing fish feed and input (e.g fish seed) supplies activities in the program area that will align with the overall project work plan. Specifically, s/he will work with key market actors to improve the productivity of aquaculture systems based on the interests and capacity of smallholder fish farmers to adopt sound practices that result in financial, social, and environmental benefits. The Feed and Input Specialist will oversee activities that increase household and aquaculture system resilience including the promotion of appropriate fish types, management practices that are climate smart, and approaches that encourage sustainable use of water and help fish farmers to better manage risk.

The USDA project aims to address food security through improvements in the aquaculture value chain by (1) incorporating climate smart technologies, (2) improving end market linkages and incomes for farmers, (3) increasing access to finance for farmers to expand trade of agricultural products, and (4) strengthening the public and private sector.

The position will be based at the project office in Simara, Bara District Nepal.

Responsibilities:

•  Explore the potential of using local materials to produce quality fish feed and seed.
• Pilot small-scale feed production at the community level, such as cooperatives, in combination with other processing industries (e.g., rice mills, oil mills).
• Conduct economic analyses of various fish feeds, seeds, and inputs at different levels, including a comparison between factory-produced feeds and locally produced feed, as well as an evaluation of integrated fish farming practices.
•  Evaluate the composition and quality of fish feed, seed, and inputs obtained from various sources, considering associated costs. This assessment aims to furnish data for analyzing the financial viability of aquaculture businesses within the project’s geographical region.
•  Analyze patterns of overfeeding and underfeeding of fish in the program area, categorized by clusters. Based on this analysis, design a training program on the responsible and sustainable use of feed and inputs in fish farming practices.
•  Guide the team to improve carp, tilapia, trout, and catfish hatcheries by leveraging resources from the GoN Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP) to enhance access to quality seed.
• Provide training to frontline workers and lead farmers on the economic use of fish feed, feeding behavior, seed production, and nursing.
•  Prepare diverse feed formulations and conduct economic analyses to enable farmers to optimize resource use in conjunction with nearby processing industries.
•  Conduct water quality analysis and offer feed formulation recommendations by cluster.
•  Collaborate closely with the Productivity and Climate-Smart Aquaculture Lead, Aquaculture Specialist, and Training Manager to develop and execute project workplans while maintaining technical oversight of aquaculture-related activities.
•  Provide leadership and direction for field-level activities related to fish production, productivity, and input supply.
•  Provide technical support and contribute to project reporting requirements, including quarterly and annual reports, project-level analyses, and other deliverables.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aquaculture, Fisheries, or Agriculture.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.
• Prior experience in fish feed industries is an added advantage.
•  Ability to train farmers and stakeholders on fish feed and other inputs.
• Demonstrated ability to perform economic analyses of the relationship between feed production and fish productivity.
• Strong commitment to LWR’s core values and the ability to model these values in relationships with colleagues and partners.
• Fluency in English and Nepali is required. Knowledge of Awadhi and Maithili is desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong understanding of fish nutrition, hatchery management, feed formulations, and water quality parameters.
• Ability to assess feed conversion ratios, growth performance, and input efficiency in aquaculture systems.
• Skills in community engagement, farmer capacity building, and participatory training approaches.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, especially in economic evaluation and technical decision-making.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a cross-functional team.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to produce technical reports and training materials.
• Willingness to travel extensively to field locations within Nepal.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The requirements that are essential to satisfactorily executing the responsibilities outlined in this job description include, but not limited to: learning new tasks, comprehending, and retaining information, completing tasks independently, effectively communicating verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in using computer software to perform assigned tasks.
Corus International prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability status, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by U.S. or International law.