CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2302378

Epidemiology Specialist ( 1 available vacancy )

Job advertisement : Sep 12, 2023

Publication cancellation date : Sep 19/2023, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: FLDOM

Job type : Temporary work

Requirement Type: Consultants

Grade Level: N / A

Main location : Dominican Republic-Santo Domingo

Duration: 11 months ( with possibility of extension )

Position Number: N / A

FAO seeks to ensure gender, geographic and linguistic diversity among its staff and its international consultants, in order to serve the Member States of the Organization in the best possible way in all regions.

•  FAO is committed to achieving diversity in its workforce in terms of sex, nationality, origin and culture.
•  Women, nationals of under-represented or under-represented Member States and persons with disabilities with the necessary qualifications are encouraged to submit their applications.
•  All persons working for FAO must comply with the highest standards of professional integrity and conduct and uphold FAO’s values.
•  FAO, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, applies a zero tolerance policy for conduct incompatible with its statute, objectives and mandate, in particular sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.
•  All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
•  All requests will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

Organizational framework

African swine fever ( PPP ) is a transboundary animal disease ( TADs ), without vaccine or effective treatment; its control is complex and requires efforts and coordination from all actors ( Official Veterinary Services- SVO, neighboring countries, national and international organizations, among others ). The PPA was confirmed in the Dominican Republic ( RD ) and notified to the World Organization for Animal Health ( OMSA ) on July 29, 2021, causing economic losses in the country’s economy and in national pig farming.

Swine production and its value chain are diverse and important in the DR; for the country’s economy and as a social and cultural activity, it generates more than 50,000 jobs and represents 70% of the demand for pork in the country, being the second most consumed meat, after chicken.

DVOs in DR face some challenges to control and eradicate PPP, such as adequate epidemiological surveillance systems for zoosanitary diseases, low levels of biosecurity and technical assistance to producers on good production practices ( FAO, 2017 ). This situation has been addressed by several ongoing projects of FAO, the International Regional Agency for Animal and Plant Health ( OIRSA ), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture ( IICA ) and the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) and USDA / APHIS. In this regard, FAO was asked to support the improvement of biosecurity throughout the pig value chain,carrying out periodic evaluations and situational risk analyzes to prevent possible dissemination to the rest of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The current epidemiological situation of PPP in DR has shown that there are still active cases of PPP in the country, with the highest number of outbreaks concentrated in areas densely populated by pigs. Biosecurity practices are limited in the pig production chain, especially in small producers. This deficiency contributes to the viral circulation of PPP in the different production systems. The accumulation of PPP foci that remain open / active for long periods does not allow effective eradication. Therefore, it is essential to focus efforts on supporting the generation of a national biosecurity program.

In this sense, it is essential to have professionals who provide advice and support to the GCP / DOM / 026 / project/USA “ Accelerating the control and eradication of African Swine Fever ( ASF ) through a national biosecurity program for the pig value chain in the Dominican Republic ( DR ) ” <TAG1>

The Epidemiology Specialist will provide professional and strategic support to the project developed by FAO and aims to mitigate the effects of the PPP in the Dominican Republic, with special emphasis on the implementation of the National Swine Biosecurity Program, executing epidemiological analysis activities, risk maps, statistical analyzes and active surveillance of the PPP in small ( pig farmers, medium and large ) and the rest of the pig value chain.

Hierarchical dependency

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Representative of the FAO office in the Dominican Republic, The Regional Livestock and Animal Health Officer ( LTO of the project ) and the coordinator of the biosecurity project in the Dominican Republic, and will act in close collaboration with the technical teams of the project at the national and regional levels, with DIGEGA and with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Field of specialization

Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry and / or animal husbandry, Animal Production Engineer.

Tasks and responsibilities

The consultant will have the following responsibilities:

•  Attend the trainings and meetings scheduled by the Coordinator of the national biosecurity program.
•  Support the generation of documents, manuals, protocols of the National Biosafety Program.
•  Consolidate and organize databases of pig censuses in DR.
•  Perform health information analysis and risk maps.
•  Prepare statistical designs to carry out active epidemiological surveillance of PPP and pig diseases.
•  Support the preparation of written reports and presentations.
•  Support the coordinator in the supervision of the project field technicians.
•  Support the General Directorate of Animal Health ( DIGEGA ) and the Incidence Command System ( SCI-RD ) in strengthening its epidemiological surveillance system for PPP in the country; data collection and analysis, reporting.
•  Contribute to the preparation of epidemiological reports on the PPP in the Dominican Republic.
•  Prepare an analysis on pig repopulation in small producers in the project intervention areas.
•  Contribute to the development of the pig biosecurity strategy for small and medium / large producers in the country.
•  Support the planning and execution of training activities for producers and all actors in the biosecurity pig chain, based on the materials, content network and emphasis defined by the project task force.
•  Abide by the biosecurity protocols established by the coordination of the program, as well as respecting the biosecurity standards established by each of the farms that are part of the national biosecurity program.
•  Support the animal health team of the FAO DR representation in developing proposals to support the national campaign for the control and eradication of PPP in the country.
•  Support the preparation of progress consolidations reports of the National Biosafety Program.
•  Support the monitoring and evaluation of the team of professionals who carry out field activities on pig farms that are part of the national biosecurity program.
•  Make a final report of the consultancy that includes the main findings and recommendations of the mission.
•  All those functions related to the consulting mission.

THE CANDIDATES WILL BE EVALUED IN ARRANGE TO THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

Minimum requirements

•  University Degree in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry or related careers. Master in animal health, epidemiology or biosecurity, desirable.
•  At least 5 years of experience in animal disease control and eradication programs and pig production.
•  Practical knowledge of the Spanish language ( Level C ) and limited knowledge of the English language ( Level B ). For PSA, only one level C language can be required.

FAO core competencies

•  Results-based approach
•  Teamwork
•  Communication
•  Building effective relationships
•  Knowledge exchange and continuous improvement

Technical / functional skills

•  Knowledge of animal health and productive management programs in pig farming.
•  Management of statistical packages.
•  Project management experience.
•  Work experience in development projects and with government institutions
•  Demonstrated pig farming experience.
•  Experience demonstrated in official control health programs.
•  Experience demonstrated in statistical programs.
•  Management of Excel and preparation of databases and Power Point presentations.
•  Excellent skills in inter-personal communication, as well as analysis and writing of technical reports.
•  High leadership capacity and management of field personnel.
•  Excellent planning skills and coordination of field extension activities in agricultural issues.
•  Good disposition to work as a team.
•  Ability to work under pressure and against tight deadlines.
•  Desirable work experience in International Organizations or Government institutions.

Selection criteria

•  Only pre-selected applicants who will go to the Panel interview stage will be contacted.
•  Among the applications received, a preselection will be made based on the compatibility of professional profiles and the required competences.
•  The person with the best performance in the interview will be the one who turns out to be selected.
•  Applicants may be considered for other open positions at FAO.

It is noted that all candidates should adhere to the Organization’s values of commitment to FAO, respect for all and integrity and transparency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

•  FAO does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process ( application, interview, processing ).
•  Incomplete applications will not be taken into account. If you need help, contact: Careers@fao.org.
•  Applications received after the expiration of the application deadline will not be accepted.
•  We inform you that FAO will only consider academic degrees or credentials obtained from a teaching institution included in the World Database on Higher Education, which is a list maintained by the International Association of Universities ( IAU ) / UNESCO. The list can be consulted at: www.whed.net/
•  For information about other job opportunities visit the FAO Employment Website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/es/.

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PRESENTATION OF REQUESTMENTS If you want to apply, go to the FAO Recruitment Website ( Employment in FAO ) and complete your online profile. Incomplete applications will not be taken into account. Only applications received through the contracting portal will be considered. We advise candidates to submit their application sufficiently in advance of the expiration of the term. If you need help, contact: Careers@fao.org.

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