Veterinary Epidemiologist

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, 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 checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting the Government of Zimbabwe and key national and international partners in implementing the Pandemic Fund project, "From Early Warning to Early Action: Building Zimbabwe's One Health Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (ZIPOH)." The project aims to strengthen national capacities for prevention, preparedness and response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases through a One Health approach integrating animal, human and environmental health systems.

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute directly to Zimbabwe's national health security agenda by strengthening veterinary epidemiology, disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness, and One Health coordination systems. The incumbent will play a key role in building sustainable animal health systems capable of preventing, detecting and responding to zoonotic and transboundary animal disease threats.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Zimbabwe and the functional supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme), with technical guidance from the Lead Technical Officer and relevant technical officers at regional and headquarters levels. The incumbent will collaborate closely with the Department of Veterinary Services, Central Veterinary Laboratory, Ministry of Health and Child Care, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Environmental Management Agency, universities, research institutions and One Health partners.

Technical Focus

• Veterinary epidemiology and disease intelligence
• Animal disease surveillance and early warning systems
• Zoonotic disease prevention and control
• Transboundary animal disease preparedness and response
• Risk assessment and epidemiological analysis
• Veterinary workforce development
• One Health implementation
• Health security and pandemic preparedness
• Veterinary services strengthening

Tasks and responsibilities

Surveillance and Epidemiological Intelligence

• Support strengthening of national animal disease surveillance, reporting and early warning systems.
• Conduct epidemiological investigations, disease trend analyses and risk assessments.
• Generate epidemiological intelligence products, technical briefs and disease situation reports.
• Support development and implementation of surveillance protocols, guidelines and standard operating procedures.
• Strengthen surveillance at livestock-wildlife-human interfaces.

Disease Preparedness and Response

• Support preparedness planning for zoonotic diseases and animal health emergencies.
• Participate in outbreak investigations and emergency response missions.
• Contribute to contingency planning, simulation exercises and after-action reviews.
• Support strengthening of rapid response and incident management capacities.

Capacity Development and Veterinary Services Strengthening

• Facilitate epidemiology, surveillance and One Health training programmes.
• Support implementation of ISAVET and related field epidemiology initiatives.
• Promote application of WOAH standards and best practices.
• Strengthen linkages between veterinary field services and laboratory networks.

One Health Coordination and Partnerships

• Promote integrated surveillance and information-sharing across animal, human, wildlife and environmental sectors.
• Support implementation of One Health approaches for zoonotic disease prevention and AMR containment.
• Contribute to project planning, monitoring, reporting and stakeholder engagement activities.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree) in Veterinary Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Public Health, One Health, Animal Health or related discipline
• Minimum five (5) years of relevant professional experience in veterinary epidemiology, disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, emergency preparedness, animal health programme implementation, or related areas
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English
• National of Zimbabwe

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Strong knowledge of veterinary epidemiology and animal disease surveillance systems.
• Experience conducting outbreak investigations and emergency response activities.
• Knowledge of zoonotic diseases, transboundary animal diseases and One Health approaches.
• Experience in epidemiological analysis, disease intelligence and risk assessment.
• Experience using epidemiological databases, disease reporting systems and surveillance information platforms.
• Strong analytical, communication and technical report-writing skills.
• Experience with GIS, epidemiological software and disease mapping tools is desirable.
• Familiarity with WOAH standards and international animal health frameworks.
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multisectoral teams.
• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions and development partners

Selection Criteria

• ISAVET, FETP or similar epidemiology training.
• Experience conducting Joint Risk Assessments (JRA) or surveillance evaluations.
• Experience in wildlife-livestock interface programmes.
• Experience implementing donor-funded animal health projects.
• Previous collaboration with FAO, WOAH, WHO, Africa CDC or similar organizations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• 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/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

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/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.
• 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 create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

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