REGIONAL PROJECT COORDINATOR

Organizational Setting

The position is located within FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD) based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Reporting Lines

Within the framework of the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD), the incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the ECTAD Regional Manager for Eastern Africa region, the functional and administrative supervision of the FAO Representative in Kenya. He/she will also work in close collaboration with the ECTAD Country Team Leaders (CTLs) in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda and other FAO country offices, as it may be necessary; and ECTAD Regional team.

Technical Focus

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) -funded project titled ‘Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs)’ one of the main focus is to reduce threats posed by African Swine Fever (ASF) in East and Central African countries.

Tasks and responsibilities

Scope of work – project agreements between FAO and DTRA determine the nature and the primary scope of work of the Regional Project Coordinator (RPC) which include;

1. Provide technical guidance to the project countries and their partners, identifying and addressing key issues, harmonizing technical objectives and approaches, formulating guidelines for a sustainable ASF management practices in and across the region;
2. Prepare and monitor the annual work plans and budget of the overall project, based on the agreed statement of work (SOW), and budgets, and adhere to approval processes (this will include liaising with National Project Coordinators (NPCs) for timely preparation and implementation of terms of references (TORs), procurement, monitoring, participation and training plans);
3. Develop TORs for the recruitment of the National Project Coordinators (NPC)/contract institutions as required to undertake country and/regional specific tasks in accordance with annual workplan/SOW;
4. Provide overall technical guidance to the NPCs in the execution of the project in the participating countries to ensure quality and timeliness of project work;
5. Ensure accurate and timely submission of quarterly and annual activity/SOW progress reports, and financial reports to DTRA;
6. Review all deliverables and reports to be submitted to FAO/DTRA prior to submission and liaise with NPCs and consultants to ensure that the quality of the deliverables and reports submitted to FAO/DTRA are according to relevant guidelines, TORs and hold the expected standard of quality;
7. Maintain records, with support of the Operation Assistant, and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, on technical and financial aspects of project operation, including monitoring of project activities and their outcomes; as well as minutes, decisions and recommendations of meetings and workshops for support and guidance of project countries and FAO;
8. Organize regional workshops and other inter-country activities, including regular coordination calls for sharing experiences in thematic areas and exchange visits among stakeholders and project sites, in accordance with the annual work plan/SOW;
9. Participate in advocacy and policy dialogues with national, and regional counterparts on issues included in the portfolio of the project, mainly pertaining to the implementation of the national and regional ASF control strategy;

10. Provide suggestions on harmonising strategies, policies and regulatory measures with a view to mainstreaming sustainable ASF control and TADs management among national and regional stakeholders and policy makers;

11. Disseminate relevant documentation and experiences to the project countries and partners, building from experiences in other programmes in the region;

12. Support national and regional resource mobilization efforts, by ensure effective liaison and maintain good communication with international, regional and national partners and other stakeholders including NGOs, and private sector;
13. Lead the implementation and monitoring of the remaining activities under the DTRA-funded projects
14. Perform any other duty as required

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced University degree in in veterinary science/medicine with advanced training in veterinary epidemiology
• Minimum five years of increasingly responsible professional experience in rural development work preferably in programme management in animal health;
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work
• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in Transboundary Animal Diseases, particularly ASF, in terms of population, management, and gender programming;
• Good understanding of the Government systems, particularly in the veterinary / animal health service areas;
• Good multi-cultural and interpersonal skills will experience in networking with partners at all levels (ministry, donors, private sector, NGOs and local community-based organizations);
• Good analytical and strategic thinking and sound judgment; team building and advocacy skills;
• Experience in programme/project planning, design, follow-up, monitoring and evaluation;
• Strong verbal and written communications skills are a strong asset;