Job Opportunity: Regional One Health Officer – Africa – OIE SRR Nairobi, Kenya
Salary: between 4000-4500 € net/month (depending on the profile)
Duration: OIE Staff – 12 months renewable
Positioning and reporting
Under the Authority of the OIE Director General and the direct supervision of the OIE Sub-Regional Representative for Eastern Africa and in close collaboration with the OIE Regional Representation for Africa in Mali, the OIE Headquarters and its international partners at regional level.
Context
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is an intergovernmental organization recognized by the World Trade Organization as the reference Organization for intergovernmental standards concerning the sanitary safety of international trade of animals and products of animal origin and zoonoses, and is in charge of improving animal health, veterinary public health and animal welfare worldwide, as well as transparency of the global animal disease situation. The OIE maintains permanent relations with nearly 75 international and regional Organizations and has 13 regional offices around the globe. With support from various resource partners, the OIE has jointly engaged with WHO and FAO in facilitating countries’ multisectoral (‘One Health’) collaborative reviews of their national capacity to meet international health standards as evaluated by tools respectively in human health (WHO IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework) and in animal health (OIE Performance of Veterinary Services ‘PVS’ Pathway). Through the joint assessment of these results, the “IHR-PVS National Bridging Workshop” (NBW) has enabled countries to identify existing gaps in their management of zoonotic diseases and to develop a joint national roadmap to improve intersectoral collaboration and national capacity. Further to this, the OIE, WHO and FAO have identified a series of activities to build upon NBW momentum and to support countries in the implementation of their NBW roadmaps. The OIE Regional One Health Officer will undertake specific responsibilities to ensure the timely and successful coordination and operational execution of activities to facilitate Member Countries’ national roadmap implementation. The Tripartite Zoonoses Guide (TZG) has been jointly developed by the FAO, OIE, and WHO to support countries in taking a multisectoral, One Health approach to address zoonotic diseases. It provides principles, best practices and options to assist countries in achieving sustainable and functional collaboration at the human-animal-environment interface. By using the TZG and its associated Operational Tools (OT), countries can build or strengthen their national capacities in One Health approach for prevention, detection, and response to zoonotic diseases. The operational tools are intended to support countries in operationalizing these concepts. These tools include so far the Joint Risk Assessment (JRA), the Multisectoral Coordination (MCM) and the Surveillance and Information Sharing (SIS). The OIE Regional One Health Officer will undertake specific responsibilities to oversee the execution of national workshops and training using these tools.
Job description
The Regional One Health Officer contributes to the OIE’s work to improve multisectoral collaboration and coordination and national capacity by participating in the implementation of related OIE regional activities in Africa. He/she is responsible for providing technical support to the countries of the region and contributing to the management of activities including those related to the implementation of joint national roadmaps and the zoonotic guide operational tools. The Regional One Health Officer also supports other OIE initiatives pertaining to regional Tripartite and UNEP, African Union entities including the Africa CDC and AU-IBAR. He/she supports One Health coordination in the region, including on, but not limited to, zoonotic disease such as rabies, Rift valley fever, zoonotic influenzas, Ebola, as well as activities related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This also includes coordinating regional activities related to wildlife health, climate change, biodiversity and biological threat reduction. In addition, he/she contributes to the promotion of these activities in the region and ensures stakeholder outreach and engagement.
Responsibilities and activities
Ensure the delivery of technical support activities
Monitor and support, as required, the development and operationalization of joint national roadmaps to address priority gaps in capacity identified during NBWs in collaboration with Tripartite partners at regional and national levels, as applicable, Assist in the identification of additional training gaps related to One Health (OH) and NBWs roadmaps in order to better address specific health threats at regional and national levels, Participate in the establishment of the selection criteria and the selection of candidates for capacity training, Assist in the selection of candidates to potentially participate in future sub-national “train the trainer” NBWs, Participate in the advocacy for, and coordination of new NBWs and OH activities in the region including for emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases and AMR, Assist in workshops to foster the development of joint national roadmaps to strengthen legislative and policy frameworks at the human-animal interface, Support the development and implementation of capacity-building training and education modules/programmes to address identified priority gaps, particularly those under the Tripartite Zoonoses Guide (TZG) and using its operational tools. Participate in the development of training programmes to advocate for government support of capacity needs, Contribute to the annual programme review of measurable outcomes, recommendations, and follow-on activities to address ongoing and future capacity needs, Support capacity development of selected OIE Members in the region with focus on rabies and Rift valley fever, including the support to the development and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, of national control programmes. Support capacity development of OIE members on wildlife health framework, climate change, biodiversity and biological threat reduction
Contribute to the coordination of One-Health related activities
Maintain regular communication with the OIE-WHO-FAO project team, including the Regional Representation in Africa and OIE Headquarters project colleagues regarding the implementation and progress of the activities, Assess the implementation of activities and make recommendations to inform decision-making and best practices, Organise, coordinate and/or participate in conferences, technical meetings and workshops related to the projects he/she is involved in, Coordinate specific activities and deliverables in a timely fashion to ensure that the projects deliver outputs on time and within scope. Coordinate and support implementation of the OIE Strategy on AMR at regional level and serve as a liaison person between the OIE Regional Representation for Africa and other agencies working on AMR in the region.
Contribute to communication and stakeholder engagement
Share, collaborate and ensure the involvement of key animal health sector stakeholders in NBWs, national roadmap planning and implementation, and training programmes/modules, as well as other OH training or capacity building activities, including those under the Tripartite Zoonotic Guide Represent the OIE at external meetings as relevant, including regional Africa CDC and AU-IBAR meetings, pertaining to Tripartite topics (animal influenzas, rabies) and zoonotic diseases of high relevance to the region (Rift valley fever, anthrax, rabies),Act as an OIE technical contact point for the Tripartite in the region and ensure liaison with the WHO, FAO and UNEP counterparts, relevant OIE regional and headquarters colleagues, and OIE Collaborating Centres for training and education, Participate in the preparation of background documents and periodic progress reports. Facilitate the delivery and evaluation of OIE communications and advocacy interventions related to OH in the region.
Provide general support to the work of the Sub-Regional Representation
Contribute to the drafting of relevant documents, articles, website content and other technical and communication information materials to promote engagement in, and implementation of NBWs and other relevant activities, Assist the Sub-Regional Representative in managing the day-to-day technical issues in the sub-region, including following up member countries on required information, conducting country visits, among others, Carry out other related activities as assigned by the Director General, the Regional Representative or the Sub-Regional Representative.
Qualifications and experience
Graduate degree in Veterinary Science or Medicine, Veterinary Public Health (VPH), or equivalent. At least 10 years of professional experience, including on One Health, in project coordination at a national or regional level. Work experience in an international context, including on One Health, Experience in English and French-speaking African countries Demonstrated experience of strategic planning, programme management, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation and results reporting.
Requirements
Technical skills Expertise in project coordination and successful implementation. Knowledge of OIE international standards and guidelines, including the PVS as well as the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR 2005)Knowledge of key technical and scientific issues relating to animal and human health, as well as the concept of One Health. Proficiency in the use of the Microsoft Office suite Perfect command of English, written and spoken. Excellent command of French, written and spoken would be an asset. Excellent writing and presentation skills Interpersonal skills Proven ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team and environment, as well as to work effectively and flexibly with counterparts in external organizations. Good organizational understanding, including the ability to set priorities and work on tight deadlines. Ability to identify key information, conduct critical analyses, and synthesize logical proposals or advice. Situational intelligence and excellent communication skills, including advocacy, on sensitive topics. Proactive attitude and information sharing to prevent situations and seize opportunities that may be useful to the OIE. Ability to make presentations, lead groups, and contribute to the facilitation of trainings. Strong work ethic, and ability to motivate enthusiasm and participation from key stakeholders.
Working conditions
Based in Nairobi, this post involves long hours in a seated position working at a computer. Regular regional travel in Africa, as well as some international travel, are to be expected.
General information
The OIE places high value on a multicultural and positive work environment. This is a full-time position at the OIE Sub-Regional Representation for Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa (Nairobi, Kenya). If you are interested in the position, please complete your application online by 4 February 2022 at the latest by clicking on the link below. https://www.oie.int/en/career/
