ECTAD National Project Coordinator at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN) - An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Its employees come from various cultural backgrounds and are experts in the multiple fields of activity FAO engages in. FAO’s staff capacity allows it to support improved governance inter alia, generate, develop and adapt existing tools and guidelines and provide targeted governance support as a resource to country and regional level FAO offices. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: ECTAD National Project Coordinator

Ref No: 2002748
Location: Nigeria-Abuja
Organizational Unit: FRNIR
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)
Grade Level: N/A
Duration: 12 Months

Organizational Setting

• The main aim of the FAO country office, which is headed by an FAO Representative (FAOR), is to assist government in developing policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. In Nigeria, transboundary animal diseases (TADs) such as PPR, FMD and ASF, including zoonoses such as HPAI, EVD, Lassa Fever and other issues including AMR pose serious risk to agriculture and food/nutrition security especially in view of their impact on the livelihoods of smallholder livestock producers.
• They also represent a persistent threat to the national, regional and global health security if not detected early and control on time. FAO had supported Nigeria to carry out several evaluations and develop a number of strategic documents and plans through a multisectoral/multidisciplinary approach with majority of the documents signed jointly by Ministries of Agriculture, Health and Environment: National Action Plan for AMR (2017); Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2017); National Action Plan for Health Security - NAPHS (2018); National One Health Strategic Plan (2018); National Livestock Transformation Plan (2018) and OIE PVS (2019) follow up mission.
• These evaluations and strategic documents have identified the gaps and priority actions needed to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. In the framework of Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Program in Nigeria, FAO Animal Production and Health (NSA)/Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) - Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) aims to support the National Veterinary Services to address these gaps in line with JEE recommendations.

Reporting Lines:

• The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Nigeria in collaboration with Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO)/Chief, Animal Health Service (AGAH), the functional guidance of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programmes) on programmatic issues and country priorities, and the direct supervision and technical backstopping of the ECTAD Country Team Leader (ECTL) (or the Regional Manager of ECTAD for West and Central Africa in absence of the ECTL), and in collaboration with the ECTAD country team and RAF epidemiologist.

Technical Focus:

• Support the implementation of FAO’s Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Program at country level.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Advise the ECTL on technical decision matters and allocation of required resources for efficient implementation of the USAID supported EPT-2/GHSA country programme and other ECTAD projects
• Act as ECTL in his/her absence. This includes planning and management of the ECTAD country team and technical and human resources needs in coordination with the Office of the FAO Representative to Nigeria and the ECTAD Manager for West and Central Africa.
• Under the guidance and with support of the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and the ECTL, liaise with the Government of Nigeria, development partners, multi-lateral agencies and national and international non-governmental organizations, and the private sector in all matters related to high impact emerging and re-emerging zoonotic and non-zoonotic disease (rEIDs) prevention and control programme and related activities.
• Participate in technical intersectoral meetings under the One Health framework with the major partners of the EPT-2/GHSA programme
• In close collaboration with the ECTL and the Manager of ECTAD in West and Central Africa, advise the beneficiary government of country of assignment on any technical and policy matters related to high impact zoonotic and non-zoonotic transboundary animal diseases.
• Contribute in the preparation of appropriate country strategies and programme for the management of rEIDs and other endemic Zoonotic and non-zoonotic disease, in close collaboration with the beneficiary government in line with the national policies, strategies and priorities, the FAO’s Strategic Objectives, and the UNDAP II framework.
• Assist in:
  • The preparation of project work plans, timely provision of inputs, organization of workshops, training programme, and liaison with responsible officers at national and sub-national levels for smooth coordination and delivery of FAO-implemented projects under the EPT-2 programme.
  • The smooth integration of the EPT2 programme activities and programme staff into the programmatic and administrative operations of the FAO Representation in the country of assignment; and contribute towards the development and implementation of the FAO country programme maintaining links with the established national networks on diagnosis and epidemiology to exchange and share technical information particularly related to priority and high impact animal diseases
  • The preparation and review briefs upon request from FAOR, ECTL
• With the advice and support of the Assistant FAOR(Programme) and ECTL assist resource mobilization efforts, leveraging existing funds, to expand animal health related projects that are identified as priorities by the government of the country of assignment.
• Conduct regular field missions in the country to monitor and ensure smooth implementation of the rEIDs related activities.
• Contribute in the preparation of timely reports as required by the government, FAO and donors.
• Contribute in providing regular updates of TADs epidemiology situation in the country as well as immediate notification to GLEWS of any significant epidemiological events
• Submit a final technical report upon completion of the assignment to the FAOR and the ECTL
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Requirements
Candidates will be assessed against the following:

• Advanced university degree (Master's or PhD) in Veterinary Epidemiology, preferably with specialization in zoonoses control, control of infectious diseases in animals or related Emergency Management Disciplines; (candidates with Bachelors’ degree in Veterinary Medicine with at least 5 years of direct experience in linked to GHSA Program at country level will be exceptionally considered)
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in field veterinary epidemiology, surveillance, disease management or coordination programmes/platforms, including at least one-year experience linked to Government (Federal or State), UN System, organised private sector, multilateral institutions or international NGOs;
• Working knowledge of English (level C);
• National of Nigeria

FAO Core Competencies:

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

Technical/Functional Skills:

• Excellent organizational skills and a solid foundation in programme and project formulation, planning, implementation, management and evaluation;
• Familiarity and experience with national animal health interventions linked to GSHA action packages: Zoonotic Diseases (ZDs); Biosecurity and Biosafety (BSS); National Laboratory Systems (NLS); Human Resources/Workforce Development (HR/WFD) and Antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
• National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS); National One Health
• Demonstrated ability to analyse problems, make appropriate recommendations and effective decisions, including in emergency settings;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including the ability to present complex issues to FAO management and senior government representatives, as well as to non-specialist audiences;
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills
• Familiarity with Office tools including virtual/teleworking platforms

Application Closing Date
11th December, 2020.