Organizational Setting
The FAO Sub-Regional office for West Africa (SFW) responsible for developing, promoting and implementing FAO agreed strategies to help countries and sub-regional organizations address food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development priorities in West Africa. The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Africa (RAF).
The Office has a multidisciplinary team of technical experts, in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, land and water, livestock and pastoralism, who provide technical support to the 15 member countries of ECOWAS in their fight against poverty and the promotion of food and nutritional security.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is committed to promoting environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, and economically viable best practices in livestock production.
The post is in the Animal Health and Production Unit of FAO SFW. The unit focuses on supporting member countries to strengthen the contribution of the livestock sector to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and works in the following areas of work: sustainable livestock production systems, One Health approach and interaction with the environment: natural resources, climate, environment and biodiversity.

Reporting Lines
The Animal Health Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for West Africa and FAO Representative for Senegal, under the supervision of the Senior Policy Officer at SFW and the direct technical supervision of the Animal Health and Production Officer at the FAO Sub-Regional Office for West Africa and in close collaboration with other FAO staff, FAO Representations in the Sahel and West African countries, technical divisions at headquarters and partners

Technical Focus
Animal health systems with particular focus on transboundary animal and zoonotic diseases prevention and control, Epidemiology, disease intelligence, planning and evaluation of epidemiological surveillance and risk assessments, epidemiology capacity development activities, public health, AMR, One Health, socio-economics, value chains

Tasks and responsibilities
• Contribute to the planning, development and implementation of programmes, projects, products and services in line with the priorities of the Subregional Office for West Africa (SFW) and the FAO Strategic Framework.
• Support the overall implementation and monitoring of the SFW Animal Health and Production programme in West Africa and Sahel, focusing on such areas as transboundary animal diseases, zoonotic diseases, sustainable livestock transformation, One health for Agrifood Systems and Pandemic prevention, livestock value chains, livestock in emergencies, food security and resilience, climate change, and pastoralism
• Assist the Animal Production and Health Officer in responding to requests for technical assistance from countries and decentralised offices, in particular for the drafting and review of technical specifications and procurement documents of livestock inputs and for technical assistance to projects in the field;
• In close collaboration with FAO Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) especially One Health and Disease Control Branch (i.e GLEWS, EMPRES) and EMC technical teams at FAO headquarters, support the implementation and evaluation of FAO tools and frameworks related to disease prevention, preparedness and response such as the Event Mobile Application (EMA-i+), the Early Warning Framework and the Progressive Management Pathway for Terrestrial Animal Biosecurity (PMP-TAB); the Progressive pathway for emergency preparedness (PPEP)
• Serve as focal point in the SFW animal health and production Unit for matters relevant to surveillance capacity building, regional animal health networking, and animal welfare.
• Contribute to enhancing in SFW countries One Health multi-sectoral collaboration including with public health, wildlife, environment, education, etc., sectors with respect to zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance/use (AMR/U) using available/new tools and information technologies/guidelines
• Support the development of Wildlife surveillance frameworks and information sharing platforms for monitoring disease risks in wildlife, to enhance sharing and integration of intelligence for risk assessments and forecasting.
• Contribute to the preparation of work plans, organization of workshops, training programmes.
• Provide technical expertise for the design and delivery of the SFW Virtual Learning Center courses.
• Support the development of policies, strategies, knowledge products and advocacy material to improve biosecurity and prevention practices and national regulatory systems for prevention of pandemic threats through a One Health approach
• Provide support for developing and/or reviewing all documents, manuals, guidelines, and SOPs about animal health, such as surveillance plans and diagnostic SOPs.
• Provide technical assistance to collect, assemble, review data, prepare reports and share findings on zoonotic diseases and AMR/AMU trends per national, regional, and global standards and requirements.
• Provide inputs, guidance and technical guidance on development of national One Health early warning systems and multisectoral disease surveillance at the human-animal-ecosystem interface to support the One Health Joint Plan of Action.
• Support, guide short-term consultants in areas of animal health reviewing their technical reports and suggesting for clearance when the reports meet the required technical standards.
• May undertake when required limited functions of a supervisory nature for affiliate workforce and be part of recruitment panel
• Performs other related duties, as requested.
Candidates will be assessed against the following


Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in veterinary medicine, veterinary science, animal health related fields
• At least 1 year (Category C), 5 years (Category B) or 10 years (Category A) of relevant experience in animal health, infectious disease management, management and implementation of animal health and One Health programmes, transboundary animal or zoonotic disease prevention – control, and/or antimicrobial resistance, early warning systems, surveillance, assessment of health systems, risk assessment modelling
• Working knowledge of French and limited knowledge of English is required for this assignment


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


Technical/Functional Skills
• Extent and relevance of knowledge or experience in disease prevention and management, and animal health policy development.
• Experience of development work related to animal health in West Africa will be an added advantage.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills,
• Computer literacy
• Good technical report writing skills.
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Extent and relevance of experience in animal health
• Familiarity with West Africa and Sahel Region
Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

Additional information
FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
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 more information, visit the FAO employment website
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

How to apply
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. 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.