National AMR Specialist 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: National AMR Specialist 

Job ID: 2303781
Location: Abuja
Organizational Unit: FRNIR - FAO Representation in Nigeria
Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)
Duration: 6 months

Organizational Setting

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and malnutrition. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD), plans and delivers veterinary assistance to FAO member countries responding to threat of transboundary animal health crises.
• ECTAD plays a leading role over animal health activities at country level in support of the FAO country office. Through ECTAD, FAO builds animal health capacity to prevent, detect and respond to zoonotic and non-zoonotic disease outbreaks at source. 
• FAO-ECTAD is implementing the project “Supporting the Global Health Security Program (GHSP) to address Zoonotic Disease and Animal Health in Africa” with funding from the United States Government USAID.  
• The programme primarily supports the Government of Nigeria, especially the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), to enhance capacities to deal with endemic, emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, including antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is a global threat that requires a coordinated and collaborative ”One Health” approach across the human-animal-environment interface.
• The support is based on the guidelines as provided by the Country Programming Framework (CPF, 2023-2027). The current Nigeria CPF has four priority areas:
  • Sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems for improved productivity;
  • Increasing resilience of food and agriculture based livelihood systems;
  • Healthy and nutritious diets;
  • Sustainable natural resource management and climate action.
• The project is aligned to the FAO Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021–2025 as well as the newly launched Nigeria National Action Plan for AMR.
• The incumbent’s tasks will mainly contribute to the first priority area of the CPF. The position is in the FAO Representation in Abuja, Nigeria.

Reporting Lines

• Under the overall supervision of the Senior Animal Health Officer/ ECTAD Global Programme Coordinator (NSAH), the functional and administrative supervision of the FAO Representative in Nigeria, the direct supervision of the ECTAD Country Team Leader in Nigeria, and technical backstopping of the ECTAD regional team for West & Central Africa, the National AMR Specialist will undertake the following tasks.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Coordinate implementation of the AMR component of the GHS Programme 
• Facilitate implementation of the national action plan (NAP) on AMR to reduce the threat of AMR in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors;
• Collaborate with relevant national authorities to support implementation of existing surveillance systems and capacity building of existing laboratories for the diagnosis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), based on identified gaps;
• Facilitate the operationalization of One Health coordination platforms such as the National and sub-national AMR Committees by supporting routine meetings and other technical matters of importance to AMR Coordination Committees (AMRCC);
• Support generation of evidence to support AMR National policies;
• Support implementation of good practices to reduce AMR;
• Support development of legal frameworks, guidelines, and manuals to support antimicrobial prudent use, farm biosecurity, and good animal source food processing practices that reduce AMR;
• Adapt existing advocacy tools to the country’s situation and support AMR awareness campaigns through the One Health approach;
• Support resource mobilization efforts on OH, food safety and Anti-Microbial Resistance/Antimicrobial Use;
• Support the implementation of the FAO AMR action plan (2021-2025) including FAO tools (FAO Progressive Management Pathway, FAO Assessment Tool for Laboratories and Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Systems) and flagship initiatives (FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring (InFARM) System and the Reduce the Need Initiative (RENOFARM).
• Engage and collaborate with relevant national authorities, institutions, organizations and stakeholders including the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and UNEP to promote Quadripartite collaboration in support of the implementation of the GAP on AMR;
• Produce periodic reports on project implementation status;
• Any other activity requested per the supervisor.

Minimum Requirements   

• Advanced University Degree (Master's or PhD) in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Sciences, Agriculture Sciences, or any other related field; preferably with specialization in microbiology or AMR
• Five (5) years of relevant experience in animal health project implementation, multisectoral coordination and research in Nigeria, with at least one year of AMR/AMU surveillance and awareness experience.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English 
• National of Nigeria

FAO Core Competencies:

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

Technical/Functional Skills :

• Demonstrated understanding of the purpose and functions of the technical programme, operational guidelines and project/programme management procedures, guiding the GHS programme
• Familiarity and proficiency in animal disease management and AMR activities.
• Experience with team or project management.
• Relevant experience with internationally funded projects.
• Experience with standard MS Office software, especially Word and Excel.
• Experience in organizing and facilitating stakeholder consultative meetings and preparation of reports/ proceedings
• Demonstrated skill in writing/ and editing of technical/scientific papers and manuscripts, Systematic reviews and technical reports 
• Good interpersonal skills 
• Relevant experience in all aspects of proposal development and project management 
• Relevant experience in the data collection and policy analysis relating to AMR & AMU in food & agriculture systems
• Experience in stakeholder engagements in One Health approach for combatting AMR is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience in a veterinary laboratory would be an asset.
• Relevant experience with UN agencies, especially FAO.

Application Closing Date
26th December, 2023; 11:59:00 PM

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Application Instruction

• Click on the link above to apply. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services.
• You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

Important Information

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/  
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/ 
•  Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. 
• FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions. 
• Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device
• If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp