UA 51,439.88/USD 81,161.85

ROLE OVERVIEW

Under the supervision of the Principal Program Officer, Veterinary Regulations, the Program Officer will ensure the formulation and implementation of regional and international regulations for good veterinary governance to improve animal health, animal welfare and public health. The Program Officer will support the effective regulations to improve disease reporting, animal welfare, and food safety to ensure food security and nutrition, livelihoods, wealth creation and poverty reduction through the efficient management of animal health in the ECOWAS region in line with the goal of the ECOWAP/CAADP.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

·       Support the formulation and implementation of regional and international veterinary regulations and guidelines such as Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Pharmacy, Veterinary Devices, Food Safety, Animal Welfare, Sanitary Standards, etc.

·       Support the formulation and implementation regional and international regulatory frameworks and guidelines on veterinary information management and risk communication to populations.

·       Support the facilitation of networking with relevant regional and international veterinary regulatory agencies, academic and scientific communities, and partners.

·       Support the facilitation of regular regional publications on veterinary regulation issues.

·       Support the establishment and/or strengthening of regional socio-economic and risk communication networks.

·       Support the strengthening of regional animal producer/professional networks.

·       Ensure the alignment of activities with the implementation of ECOWAP/CAADP and related projects.

·       Perform any other duty assigned by the supervisors.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

·       PhD’s degree in veterinary medicine or an advanced university degree in veterinary public health, epidemiology, pharmacology and regulatory medicine, or related field from a recognized university.

·       5 years of relevant experience in the field of prevention and control of animal diseases.

·       knowledge of principles pertaining to livestock disease and treatment, livestock by-laws and regulations, land policy, public health, and related topics.

·       proven expertise in animal production science, policy formulation and advocacy related to animal production and sustainable development.

·       Demonstrated in-depth technical knowledge and proven analytical skills on issues related to animal production and sustainable development.

AGE LIMIT

Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

·       Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices.

·       Ability to lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities.

·       Ability to respect the chain of command in an appropriate manner.

·       Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval.

·       Ability to utilize the Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information, and resources.

·       Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues, and subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.

·       Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.

·       Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to the timeline, quality, and quantity.

·       Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions.

·       Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their needs, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs.

·       Ability to counsel, advise, consult, and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established client service standards.

·       Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness, and ability to relate well with People from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race, and religion.

·       understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy.

·       Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply judgement, tact, and diplomacy.

·       Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths.

·       Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

·       Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbiased and transparent manner.

·       Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies.

·       Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services, and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals.

·       Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others.

·       Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities.

·       Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges, and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.

·       Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations.

·       Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance, and performance targets.

·       Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals.

·       Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.

·       Demonstrate operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools.

·       Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.

·       Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means,

·       Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions, and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner.

·       Proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT).

·       Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.

·       Ability to develop and implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals.

·       identify, organize, and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution.

·       Ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others to set and meet deadlines.

·       Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators, and risks.

·     Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.