FAO recruits 01 National Antimicrobial Resistant micro-organisms Specialist
FAO
Monrovia, Liberia
Humanitaire (ONG, Associations, …), Projet/programme de développement
Job Description – National Antimicrobial Resistant micro-organisms Specialist (2200413)
Job Description: 2200413 National Antimicrobial Resistant micro-organisms Specialist
Closure Date: 01/Mar/2022, 11:59:00 PMOrganizational Unit: FRLIRJob Type: Non-staff opportunitiesType of Requisition: PSA (Personal Services Agreement)Grade Level: N/APrimary Location: Liberia-MonroviaDuration: 16 Working days (within a period of 1 Month)Post Number: N/A
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and cultureQualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to applyEveryone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO’s valuesFAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checksAll applications will be treated with the strictest confidentialityFAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization. Organizational SettingThe main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
BackgroundAntimicrobial Resistance (AMR) activities were first initiated in Liberia in 2017. Among these were the establishment of the AMR Technical Working Group (AMR-TWG) within the One Health platform and the development of the AMR National Action Plan (AMR-NAP 2017), which is currently undergoing implementation. The NAP provides a common framework for action by stakeholders from different sectors, including human health, animal health, agriculture, aquaculture and environmental sectors among others. In April 2020, FAO under the USAID funded Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) facilitated a situational analysis study on AMR in Liberia and in March 2021 within the same project, supported a workshop on AMR awareness creation among relevant stakeholders in the implementation of the NAP.
One of the 5 strategic objectives within the NAP is to strengthen knowledge and evidence through surveillance and monitoring of AMR. Currently, there are some institutions in the country such as the Ministry of Health (National Reference Laboratory-NRL) and the Ministry of Commerce (National Standards Laboratory-NSL) that are undertaking some of these surveillance activities within the human health and other common sectors. However, the animal health sector is lagging behind and has never been able to submit any data on AMR in this sector for national or global reporting.
It is against this backdrop and need for data and information that FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (FAO-ECTAD) in collaboration with the AMR-TWG, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and other partners within the One health platform has embarked on “building laboratory capacity to conduct AMR surveillance and test for AMR residues in foods” as stipulated in the AMR-NAP. Specifically, FAO has supported the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) within the MOA with renovations, training, procurement of equipment, kits, reagents and consumables and are in the process of procuring more reagents for bacteriology and AMR testing within CVL. In addition, the CVL has an upcoming project to operationalize the food safety section of the laboratory.
Hence the need for a surveillance strategy as the country awaits to develop a multi-sectoral surveillance plan for AMR.
Reporting LinesUnder the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Liberia, the direct technical guidance of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Food Safety Officers of the FAO Regional Office for Africa (FAO RAF), with the direct supervision of ECTAD country team lead and in close collaboration with the ECTAD team, the AMR Technical Working Group (TWG) and One Health Platform (OHP) of Liberia, the incumbent will undertake the tasks outlined below:
Technical FocusFocus on the development of a surveillance strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) organisms in foods of animal origin and animal feeds In Liberia.
Study and refer to existing documents, systems, instruments and structures such as the Animal Diseases Surveillance and Response strategy (ADSR), Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response strategy (IDSR), the WHO Joint External assessment (JEE) and AMR National Action Plan (AMR-NAP), plus findings from the 2020 AMR situational analysis among others. Tasks and Responsibilities
The incumbent will undertake the following duties and responsibilities:
Develop a National surveillance strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) organisms in foods of animal origin and animal feeds Prepare for a 3-day national consultative workshop to validate the document. Conduct the stakeholder consultative workshop to (i) present and discuss the proposed strategy (ii) Validate the document Propose a road map including; required modifications for existing structures at the CVL for AMR testing; organizational structure, managementstructure; human resource; needed equipment – hardware, software and supporting tools, reagents, kits and consumables; parameters to be tested and scope of testing etc.
Perform other duties, as required.
Duration and Deliverables (Total of 16 working days)Present a consultancy work plan and background report on AMR surveillance activities in Liberia within the first week of the consultancy
Produce a draft document namely: “The National surveillance strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) organisms in foods of animal origin and animal feeds in Liberia” within the first 10 days of the consultancyConduct a 1-day technical pre-validation meeting of the draft strategy with Animal Health and AMR stakeholdersConduct a 3-day national consultative workshop for Animal health and AMR stakeholders to validate the strategySubmit the validated strategy, workshop report and end of assignment reports to FAO CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum RequirementsAt least a degree in Animal health or related field, or Master‘s degree in microbiology, food safety, Public Health, surveillance, epidemiology or any other relevant field,
At least 5 years of working experience in the field of food safety studies, Microbiology and Antimicrobial Resistance surveillance and testing activities in LiberiaMust have proven record of knowledge of the Animal health systems, food safety and AMR value chains in LiberiaGood Working knowledge in both spoken and written English;A Ph.D. degree in the same fields listed above will be an added advantage. Candidates should be national of Liberia or resident in the country with a regular work permit. FAO Core Competencies
Results Focus
TeamworkCommunicationBuilding Effective RelationshipsKnowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement Technical/Functional Skills
Relevance and extent of experience field of food safety studies, Microbiology and Antimicrobial Resistance surveillance and testing activities in Liberia
Knowledge in AMR value chains in LiberiaOrganizational & communication skills, computer literacy, fluency in written and spoken English, teamwork skills;Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;Past experience working in the UN and other international systems preferred;Very high skills/knowledge of background related to the ToR’s Requirements 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 a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
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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• 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/ • 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. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
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