Animal Health Officer (Deputy Executive Secretary, EuFMD)

The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) is an Article XIV body responsible to deliver an extensive work programme on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) emergency preparedness, response and control, to its 39 Member Nations, to a further 20 European neighborhood countries, and to other regions through its arrangement with FAO decentralized offices. This programme helps to fulfil the Strategic Plan of the Commission, which is reviewed every two years. In 2019 the revised Strategic Plan ( HOLD-FAST strategy) continues the focus upon FMD risk reduction but extends the scope of the preparedness and risk reduction activities to similar Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) which pose an immediate threat to the Member Nations (hereafter FAST is used for FMD and similar TADs). The programme is arranged in three Pillars with 14 workplan components. Technical input as well as operational delivery is entirely managed by the Commission Secretariat. Full details are available in the EuFMD work programme.It involves considerable number of virtual and face-to-face events for its professional staff and consultants. EuFMD has established a globally respected capacity for efficient delivery of training, in country and virtual support to FMD Progressive Control Programmes and most recently, in modelling of FMD control measures to guide emergency planning.

The EuFMD plays a significant role in the animal health part of FAO's programme to increase resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises (Strategic Objectives - SO5).

The Animal Health Officer reports to the Senior Animal Health Officer (Executive Secretary, EuFMD Commission).

Provides coordination, technical leadership and guidance for the implementation of the work programme of the EuFMD (Phase V).

Comprehensive technical and policy expertise to support the planning, development and implementation of departmental/division programmes, projects, products and services in accordance with Departmental/Division objectives and FAO’s Strategic Objectives.

• Plans and leads components of multidisciplinary teams, leads and/or participates on Organization-wide, cross-departmental committees, project teams, and working groups and/or provides specialized expertise on technical networks and/or international technical policy and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies;

• Develops technical, analytical, monitoring and reporting frameworks, and related methodologies, tools, systems and databases etc. to support the planning, implementation/delivery and monitoring of programmes of work, projects, products and/or services;

• Designs and conducts research, data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting activities to support the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovative approaches and strategies, new tools, technologies, technical reports/publications, and/or policy proposals as well as the provision of technical/policy/ specialist/advice and expertise;

• Responds to country requests for technical and policy assistance, provides technical advice, assistance and solutions to Decentralized Offices and provides technical backstopping to field projects;

• Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge sharing activities within member countries such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, online tools;

• Promotes international cooperation/advocates best practices, increased policy dialogue and provides technical expertise at international/intergovernmental meetings;

• Participates in resource mobilization activities in accordance with the FAO Corporate strategy.

• Represents, as Deputy Secretary, the Secretariat in internal and external committees, project teams, and working groups and/or provides specialized expertise on technical networks and/or international technical policy and/or international technical policy and standard setting bodies;

• Ensures, as Lead Technical Officer (LTO), that the activities and services delivered comply with the approved work plan and have a high relevance at all times to the needs of the official veterinary services of the Member Countries; develops and leads the implementation of the technical, analytical, monitoring and reporting frameworks, and related methodologies, tools, systems and databases etc. to support the planning, implementation/delivery, reporting and monitoring of the EC funded Phase V work programme;

• Coordinates, as LTO and project manager for the extra-budgetary funded surveillance programmes for the European neighborhood, the programmes with international partners (OIE, EC, AOAD, UMA, REMESA). Specifically manages the capacity building for epidemio-surveillance in REMESA countries in co-ordination with the network of reference centers in Italy (Instituti Zooprofilattici), France (CIRAD, ANSES), and with the OIE and FAO World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (TPI);

• Leads, as LTO, the technical support to Exercise Phoenix, managing the international co-ordination of inputs required to deliver the exercise and building international capacity for multicenter, multi-agency and multi-country emergency preparedness in the sphere of bio-threat reduction;

• Develops and leads, as project manager for the Pillar II (Neighbourhood) components of the Phase V work programme, the planning and implementation of activities on risk reduction relating to the 14 countries in South-Eastern Europe, Middle-East and North Africa, designs and manages the inputs to promote risk based surveillance, applied research , data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting activities to support the prevention of FAST disease emergence and the reduction of risks to EuFMD member countries, and leads the development of innovative approaches and strategies, new tools, technologies, technical reports/publications, and/or policy proposals as well as the provision of technical/policy/ specialist/advice and expertise;

• Identifies gaps in areas of tools, policies, indicators and knowledge to improve emergency preparedness and risk reduction for FAST diseases, and supports the work of the Standing Technical Committee (STC) of the Commission to reach decisions and provide guidance on referred technical matters, including funding of applied research proposals;

• Coordinates with other technical units in AGA to include mitigation of, and adaptation to, FAST disease risks associated with climate change, and early warning and response systems, and emergency management;

• Supports and promotes, as LTO for Phase V, the progressive control of FMD and other Transboundary Animal Diseases, representing the EuFMD actions in working with partners under the Global Framework (GF-TADs).

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•Advanced university degree in veterinary science;

•Seven years of relevant experience in animal health, infectious disease management, including regulatory aspects, standard setting, as well as in official veterinary services;

•Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building Effective Relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;

• Extent and relevance of experience in transboundary animal disease prevention and control in North Africa,Middle-East or South-Eastern Europe, in analyzing risks and related drivers for transboundary animal disease introduction, spread and in organizing risk based surveillance and response to disease outbreaks as well as skills in technical fields relevant to management of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD);

• Extent and relevance of experience in implementing European and National legislation on animal health and welfare, food safety and livestock hygiene;

• Extent and relevant experience in project formulation, implementation and project cycle management, as Lead Technical Officer, and in leading programmes for FMD and similar TADs risk reduction in North Africa, Middle East and South-East Europe and leading the advocacy and liaison with GF-TADs partners will be considered as an asset;

• Familiarity with international initiatives, work and programmes in foot-and-mouth disease risk management and management of crisis simulation exercises;

• Demonstrated ability to promote and coordinate within European institutions activities and positions on issues related to emergency preparedness, animal health and Terrestrial and Aquatic animal health standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as well as experience in leading activities related to projects funded by the European Commission will be an asset;

• Extent and relevance of experience in official veterinary services in European country relevant to disease risk management, animal health and welfare, evidenced by post-graduate certificate or qualification is desirable;

• Experience in development of the national veterinary information system for animal health data collection, veterinary epidemiological analysis and risk assessment.