VSF Suisse One Health Advisor - HEAL Project Jobs in Ethiopia
VSF Suisse One Health Advisor - HEAL Project Jobs in Ethiopia
BackgroundVétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse (VSF-Suisse) is a politically and religiously neutral humanitarian organization with its head office in Berne.
VSF-Suisse fights hunger, poverty, destitution and illness for the benefit of those populations who depend on livestock for their livelihood.
VSF-Suisse works both in humanitarian aid and in long-term development in seven countries of West and East Africa.
Together with its partners, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Comitato Collaborazione Medica (CCM), VSF-Suisse will implement a regional One Health development project known as One Health Units for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods (HEAL) in Oromia and Somali Regions of Ethiopia, Gedo Region of Somalia and Marsabit County of Kenya.
The goal of the project is to improve the wellbeing of pastoralist communities in arid and semi-arid areas of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya by ensuring healthy people derive their livelihoods from healthy livestock in a sustainably managed environment.
The HEAL project Phase 1 will be implemented for 4 years (November 2020 to October 2024) and will be followed by a subsequent 8-year implementation phase. The project is co-funded by Swiss Development Cooperation.
Job responsibilities and key tasks
VSF-Suisse seeks to hire a One Health (OH) Technical Advisor who will support the Regional Project Manager and the VSF Suisse field staff in the implementation of the one health project activities.
S/he will have the major responsibility of overseeing the overall implementation of the HEAL project and related actions, ensuring the coordination and the compatibility of the project with the HEAL partners and other VSF Suisse related projects.
The OH Technical Advisor will also be responsible for ensuring all relevant national and regional government sectors and partners are continuously solicited, engaged and involved in the project activities to support the operationalization of the One Health approach.
Technical Support
Ensure the HEAL project achieves its objective and all the expected results
Support the established multi-stakeholder platforms active in the project sites
Ensure the established multi-sector platforms will be linked and collaborate with the National One Health Steering Committee and Regional One Health Technical Working Group
Lead in the establishment of the One Health units to ensure they can offer human and veterinary disease prevention and health education to the pastoral communities.
Coordination and organizing training of health workers and veterinarians on One Health, hygiene and zoonosis, in the identification, reporting and containment of outbreaks.
Work on community alert and risk containment system for outbreaks and environmental changes is in place in collaboration with the established One Health Units
Conducting visits to One Health’s mobile units to provide technical backstopping and support in the preventive nutrition and health services offered for people and animals
Organization of community sessions and awareness campaigns on hygiene and zoonosis
In collaboration with the project partners, facilitate the Participatory mapping of the environment, animal and health resources and identification of critical gaps and problems conducted with the project partners
Creation and training of community committees on disaster risk reduction, climate change and alert systems
Provide technical support in the designing and writing project proposals for the upcoming phases of the HEAL project in close collaboration with the HEAL Regional Project Manager, consortium members and key external partners
Programme management and development
Develop and ensure the implementation of annual plans within the framework and budget of the project;
Conduct regular monitoring visits to project implementation sites;
Contribute to the identification of potential sources of co-funding for upcoming phases of the HEAL project.
Provide technical support and overall supervision of the OH Field officers regarding
performances, work plans etc.
Provide monthly reports to the HEAL Regional Project Manager on the implementation of the activities including, at least, monthly report and statistics
Compile and update monitoring reports for the local stakeholders
Advocacy, communication and representation
Lead in the development and production of evidence and documentation of results for publication of the One Health approach
Identify and work with partners engaged in One Health initiatives to ensure programmatic collaboration, joint advocacy, research and fundraising;
Engage in policy dialogue within the animal- and human health and the environment sectors of the regions of implementation to support the development of One Health-related strategies and policies;
Advocate with and influence regional governments and development partners to support the One Health approach as a holistic solution to the needs of pastoralist communities;
Liaise with national and regional academics and training institutions to promote the incorporation of One Health into their curricula;
Represent VSF-Suisse and the consortium members in local, regional and international forums and the media to highlight the needs, rights and capacities of pastoralists as well as the benefits the One Health approach.
Requirements
Essential Criteria
Advanced degree in one or more of the following areas: veterinary medicine, medicine, epidemiology, public health, and/or preventive medicine or related disciplines. Relevant One Health-related training will be an added advantage
A minimum of 3-5 years of progressive work experience implementing projects with International NGOs in the region using the One Health approach in multiple sectors (human health, animal health, environmental protection, early warning, etc)
Experience with mentoring and sustainable capacity building in the One Health concept intervention and development projects
Professional, technical, and/or management skills required for collaborative implementation, including providing and/or identifying technical assistance and subject matter expertise to support coordination agency/mechanism performance.
Practical experience working effectively in an advisory capacity with government health agencies, multilateral health agencies, and national and international nongovernmental organizations.
Excellent relationship management skills with the ability to liaise, consult, and interact professionally with technical and managerial staff, mid- and senior-level government officials, direct supervisors, external agencies, service providers, donors, technical and operations staff.
Skills and Abilities
Proficient knowledge of English and ideally knowledge of any of the languages spoken in the intervention regions;
Ability to employ critical thinking skills and work independently to solve problems and contribute to the achievement of deliverables.
Ability to work with tact and diplomacy with various stakeholders;
Willing and able to travel extensively in the region;
Ability to work independently and make rational strategic and routine decisions
Excellent ability in analysis, negotiation skills and teamwork
Excellent IT skills
Knowledge of Amharic and English languages
How to Apply
What we offer
A qualified, dynamic and highly motivated team of colleagues;
A unique and relevant project for pastoral communities in the Greater Horn of Africa;
The opportunity to actively contribute to the future design of the project implementation;
A job with responsibilities in a demanding and challenging environment;
A competitive salary as well as a medical and social insurance scheme.
Entry date and contract length
1 November 2020 start date, with a fixed-term contract of four-years.
Application procedure and deadline
We look forward to receiving your application in English. Please add:
A motivation letter (maximum 1 page) stating why you are the right person for this position; (For more information on the job description please visit https://www.vsf-suisse.org/category/jobs/?lang=en)
A recent CV of 2 pages maximum;
Scanned copies of your work certificates and relevant university diplomas;
Contact details of three referees. Send your application by e-mail with the position being applied for as the email subject to heal@vsf-suisse.org by 23rd October 2020 (midnight).
Click here to post comments
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to NGO Jobs in Africa.
