Project Officer Expert - Livestock Markets (AU-IBAR) at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Officer Expert - Livestock Markets (AU-IBAR)

Req Id: 2769
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Job Grade: P2
Reports to: Project Coordinator / Officer
Division: AU-IBAR
Contract Type: Fixed Term

Purpose of Job

• The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized technical office of the Department Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) of the African Union Commission (AUC).
• The vision of AU-IBAR is: “An Africa in which animal resources contribute significantly to integration, prosperity and peace”.
• Its Mission is: to provide leadership and integrated support services for the development of animal resources in Africa. 
• AU-IBAR’s mandate is to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources (livestock, fisheries and wildlife) to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the Member States of the AU. 
• AU-IBAR is the main vehicle for the AU to develop appropriate and independent expertise to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources to enhance food and nutrition security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the AU Member States. 
• Under this mandate, AU-IBAR is implementing the Africa Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform, a pan-African initiative for market-enabled, adaptive transformation for pastoralism. 
• AU-IBAR recognizes that pastoralists are critical for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa: 
  • Pastoralists account for 2 – 7% of national GDP and contribute 60 - 80% of meat across Africa (up to 50% of meat exports in many geographies).
  • Demand for meat and milk in SSA expected to increase by more than 250% by 2050.
  • Pastoralists provide valuable ecosystem services, using indigenous climate adaptive practices on marginal lands, sequestering carbon, and managing water in ASAL regions.
  • Despite potential benefits, pastoral programs have focused on humanitarian activities instead of integrating pastoralists with livestock markets.
• However, pastoralists are severely marginalized and disproportionately impacted by climate change.
• Historic investments, though significant, have had limited impact. Given the increasing demand for livestock products, pressure on natural resources, and climate shocks, AU-IBAR is committed to promoting the adoption of a long-term systems lens and coordinated actions within and across countries and sectors/stakeholders to tailor approaches to pastoral communities and archetypes.
• AU-IBAR will host the APMD Platform, which will build on prior programs and strengthen the pastoral sector enabling environment to:
  • Integrate pastoralists with livestock markets, create positive cycles for investment in the value chain, strengthen business continuity, and provide more affordable livestock-sourced products for more consumers. 
  • Unlock the full potential of planned pastoral investments over the next 3-5 years across up to 20 geographies in Sub-Saharan Africa and committed funding for drought relief.
  • Progress pastoralist learning agenda and;
  • Identify potential areas to shift long-term funding and investments.
• The APMD, Platform will strategically influence, coordinate, and provide visibility across key investments and stakeholders, so that market-focused interventions can scale and succeed.
• It will do so by focusing on convening and coordinating actions of the Africa’s premier multi-stakeholder forum to advance the pastoral agenda, as well as three critical pillars of action: 
  • Policy strengthening and strategic implementation,
  • Strengthening private sector engagement, and 
  • Strengthening and diffusing functional data ecosystems
• For the implementation of this project, AU-IBAR seeks the services of a Pastoral Sector Market Expert (Project Expert - Grade P2), for a four-year period, to lead the implementation of APMD Platform activities focused on “Strengthening Private Sector Integration into Livestock Markets” across Africa and beyond.

Main Functions
Under the direct supervision of the APMD Platform Coordinator at AU-IBAR, and the overall oversight of the Director of AU-IBAR. The Project Expert for “Strengthening Private Sector Integration into Livestock Markets” will lead the design and implementation of activities aimed at fostering partnerships and collaborations with private sector entities across the pastoral and livestock sector. He/she shall perform the following tasks:

• Support strategic planning and project implementation.
• Support planning, implementation and reporting on monthly, quarterly and annual project progress.
• Lead market research, analysis, and reporting in target geographies.
• Promote investment in pastoral livestock marketing chain.
• Assist project coordinator to Prepare Annual work plans, and budgets.
• Assist the project coordinator to collect, collate and disseminate information on all aspects of pastoral livestock marketing in Africa.
• Promote Pan-Africa pastoral livestock stakeholders’ engagement and coordination.
• Support Monitoring and Evaluation, resource management and reporting on status of project implementation.
• Assist in preparation of AU-IBAR APMD Annual project/Programme action plans, budget and implementation progress reports.
• Assist in co-ordination and liaison with Member States National authorities, Regional Economic Communities, Inter-Governmental and International Organizations/partners on matters of pastoral livestock marketing.
• Assist in strengthening the networking and management of pastoral livestock stakeholders.
• Perform any other relevant duties that may be assigned by the project coordinator and AU-IBAR Director.

Specific Responsibilities
Strategic planning:

• Lead the development of a comprehensive strategy for strengthening private sector integration in the pastoral livestock sector, and marketing
• Provide input and feedback on strategic planning in relation to private sector strengthening and engagement, in the targeted geographies 
• Contribute to high-level Platform strategic planning, governance, and project management as key member of the Platform Management Committee (PMC)

Project implementation and management for private sector engagement:

• Lead implementation of defined Platform strategy for promoted private sector engagement
• Conduct market research and manage database on private sector activities in the pastoral sector (e.g., relevant sector funders, value chain actors in target geographies, pastoral sector investment programs, etc.)
• Guide private sector knowledge sharing activities, including sector research and analysis, case study development, case study dissemination, etc.
• Contribute to pastoral investment promotion and facilitation by identifying and assessing investment opportunities, supporting structuring of potential investments and other funding mechanisms

Stakeholder engagement and coordination:

• Coordinate Private Sector working group, including engagement of expert advisors, facilitation of working group meetings, collation, and dissemination of working group recommendations
• Identify opportunities for stakeholder collaboration and coordinate actors to engage in investment and collaboration
• Engage stakeholders to raise awareness about the benefits of private sector involvement in the pastoral livestock sector

M&E, reporting, resource management:

• Collaborate with AU-IBAR M&E officers to support Platform M&E requirements 
• Contribute to Platform M&E by supporting collection, management, and analysis of data related to private sector pillar activities
• Report on pillar performance against established KPIs regularly 
• Support preparation of M&E reports for internal and external stakeholders (donors, Platform Steering Committee, etc.) 
• Utilize pillar resources in line with defined activities and related budget 
• Monitor pillar budget utilization and provide regular updates on financial status
• Identify potential risks to activity implementation and resource management and develop mitigation strategies 
• Other relevant duties as may be assigned by the Project Coordinator and/or AU-IBAR Director

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in livestock production, livestock agribusiness, or livestock economics.
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressive work experience in the pastoral livestock sector for a Bachelor’s Degree holder or two (2) years for a Master’s Degree holder.
• Demonstrated experience in pastoral/livestock sector, with a strong understanding of sector actors, challenges, and opportunities
• Demonstrated experience in the development and implementing private sector engagement strategies, ideally in the context of livestock and/or pastoral sector 
• Demonstrated experience in multi-stakeholder convenings and coordination activities 
• Demonstrated experience in project management, including budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting
• Proven experience in livestock marketing data collection, management, and analysis
• Professional work experience in supporting project or Programme management livestock resources.
• Certification in project management applications like CIPM, PMP or Prince2 or certification in any other related field, will be an additional advantage.

Required Skills:

• Sound project management skills and ability to multi task
• Effective interpersonal and communication, from project kick offs to stakeholder meetings
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams is required.
• Strong negotiation skills
• Possess leadership skills
• Self-starter with the ability to strategically plan own work and follow-up on implementation;
• Self-motivated, creative, and a reliable team player
• Ability to work in a multicultural setting 
• Possess the ability to use IT tools to enhance any assigned tasks
• Excellent communication, networking, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective partnerships
• Strong ability to maintain positive and constructive dialogue and relationships with key institutions and partners operating in the sector/ targeted geographies.
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages is required, fluency in another AU language and or English in particular is an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Accountability awareness and Compliance
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Job Knowledge and Information Sharing
• Drive for Results
• Continuous Improvement Focus

Languages:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Tenure of Appointment

• The Appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of one (1) year, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period.
• Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables. 

Remuneration

• The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$ 78,600.96 (P2 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$  63,640.03  inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

Application Closing Date
22nd October, 2025.

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

Note

• Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.
• Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor's degrees (Bac+3), Master's degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
• The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates from least represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles. These countries include: Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Somalia
• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.