Veterinary Officer

Post: Veterinary Officer

Reports to the: Senior/Principal Veterinary Officer

Position Summary

A Veterinary Officer within the Food Safety and Security Authority (FSSA) are professionals who implements policies related to animal welfare, enforces regulations, and performs veterinary duties such as inspections. Their primary role consists of protecting animal health, preventing cruelty, ensuring compliance with laws governing animal establishments. A Veterinary Officer will be reporting directly to the Senior/Principal Veterinary Officer s/he is assigned to.

Key Responsibility

The role and responsibilities of the Veterinary Officer play a crucial role in food safety by overseeing animal health on farms, which is the first step in the food chain, and by inspecting food-producing establishments like slaughterhouses, processing plants and animal by products plants to ensure hygiene and compliance with standards. They also control the production and use of animal feed to ensure safety and proper nutrition for livestock. Veterinary Officers work in various units such as animal health, food health, enforcement, slaughterhouse inspection, animal welfare, animal identification checks, Intra-Trade and audits.

Main Accountabilities & Responsibilities

The Veterinary Officer shall be responsible of the below roles and responsibilities:

• Assumes responsibilities as delegated to him/her by his/her Senior and carries out tasks with the greatest competence.
• Performs tasks assigned to him/her as long as they do not breach the ethics of the Veterinary Profession and be responsible for the occupational health and safety of his/her support staff. 
• Carries out tasks assigned by his/her superior, tasks which are out of the routine functions and out of the remit of the same Authority in case of shortage of staff.
• Carries out assigned tasks, in case of emergency situations, where s/he would be directed by other officers to carry them out, as long as these activities do not breach the code of ethics produced by the Veterinary Surgeons’ Council and that his/her direct superior is informed in writing on his/her temporary new post.
• Assumes responsibilities conferred to the Veterinary Officer by his/her superior, which shall lie solely within the functions assigned to him/her at a Division level.
• Monitors through compliance checks, regulates and enforces all Maltese and European legislations and international standards in the sector to which s/he is assigned.
• Attends at EU meeting and other meetings as assigned to him/her during the course of the duties.
• Assists with the preparation of dossiers, polices, standards, guidelines and specifications of other documents which are of a technical nature, and which pertain to animal welfare or the veterinary field.
• Collects evidence, carries out veterinary assessments/examination including necropsies, draft reports and present such evidence in court as, when and if necessary.
• Ensures that the relative Health and Safety Regulations are scrupulously adhered to.
• Attends training courses as directed by the Authority.
• Undertakes any clinical consultation/examination, administers treatments and carries out surgical operations which include neutering and general surgery.
• Undertakes any other tasks, which the superior may delegate to him/her, as may be required.
• Performs any other duties as directed by the Chief Executive Officer.

Job Entry Requirements

By the closing time and date of this call for applications, applicants must be:

i. a. citizens of Malta; or

b. citizens of other Member States of the European Union who are entitled to equal treatment to Maltese citizens in matters of employment by virtue of EU legislation and treaty provisions dealing with the free movement of workers; or

c. citizens of any other country who are entitled to equal treatment to Maltese citizens in matters related to employment by virtue of the application to that country of EU legislation and treaty provisions dealing with the free movement of workers; or

d. any other persons who are entitled to equal treatment to Maltese citizens in matters related to employment in terms of the law or the above-mentioned EU legislation and treaty provisions, on account of their family relationship with persons mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c); or

e. third country nationals who have been granted long-term resident status in Malta under regulation 4 of the “Status of Long-Term Residents (Third Country Nationals) Regulations, 2006” or who have been granted a residence permit under regulation 18(3) thereof, together with family members of such third country nationals who have been granted a residence permit under the “Family Reunification Regulations, 2007”; or

f. in possession of a residence document issued in terms of the “Residence Status of United Kingdom Nationals and their Family Members in Malta in accordance with the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community Regulations”.

The advice of the Citizenship Unit within Community Malta Agency and the Expatriates Unit within Identita` should be sought as necessary in the interpretation of the above provisions.

The appointment of candidates referred to at (b), (c), (d) and (e) above would necessitate the issue of an employment licence in so far as this is required by the Immigration Act and subsidiary legislation. Jobsplus should be consulted as necessary on this issue.

ii. able to communicate in the Maltese or English languages in order to sufficiently and adequately carry out the duties applied for.

AND

iii. Warranted graduates in Veterinary Medicine

OR

Students in the final year who are currently reading the Veterinary Medicine Degree

OR

Candidates who have submitted formally the request to obtain their warrant from the Veterinary Surgeons Council.

Terms and Conditions (see attached document)

Key Competencies

• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Leadership
• Adaptability
• Professionalism

Skills Required

• Combination of scientific, practical, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities
• Capacity to remain calm under pressure
• Attention to detail
• Strong customer service skills
• Teamwork
• High level of compassion

Submission of Applications

• The candidates are to provide a completely updated CV, including a true copy of the relevant qualification certificates and employment history with their application.
• The closing date of the receipt of applications is 30/7/26 at 12.00hrs (Central European Time). An email will be sent as an acknowledgement of the application.
• Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered. Applicants who are deemed ineligible in terms of this call will be informed accordingly.
• Applicants are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure the completeness and correct details of their application, as well as the submission of all required documentation strictly within the deadline of this call.
• A copy from the Veterinary Surgeons Council acknowledging that the Candidates have requested the warrant in Veterinary Medicine. Should this documentation is not forthcoming with the application, then the application is considered as ineligible for processing.

OR

• An acknowledgement from the University recognized by the MQRIC that the candidate is curently reading the Veterinary Degree and is attending the final year of the course.

Selection procedure

• Eligible applicants, will be assessed by a selection board based on a set of selection criteria to determine their suitability for the post.
• All applicants will be duly informed of the outcome of the selection process once the position has been filled.