National Laboratory Specialist

FAO

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations.  With presently 194 member states, and working in more than 130 countries worldwide, including Zambia where the Organization has operated since 1978. The main aim of the FAO country office, which is headed by the FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The support is based on the guidelines as provided by the Country Programming Framework (CPF). The current Zambia CPF has four priority areas: (1) Improve production and productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry; (2) Sustainable management of the natural resource base and Increasing Resilience and Uptake of Climate Smart Agriculture; (3) Enhance food security and nutrition status; and (4) Improved market access and sanitary measures. The incumbent’s tasks will mainly contribute to the first priority area.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through its Emergence Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) is implementing a new project “Enhancing Animal Health and One Health capacities to mitigate zoonotic diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) risks and threats in Zambia”. This project is being supported by the USAID under the Global Health Security (GHS) programme. The project focuses on effectively supporting Zambia to build a sustainable animal health system and One Health capacities to mitigate risks and threats caused by emerging and re-emerging zoonosis, endemic zoonosis and AMR.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work within the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Operations (ECTAD), under the overall supervision of the Senior Animal Health Officer/ECTAD Global Programme Coordinator (NSAH), the functional and administrative supervision of the FAO Representative in Zambia, the direct supervision of the ECTAD country Team Leader at FAO Zambia, in support to the ECTAD Zambia team, and the ECTAD Regional Team for Eastern and Southern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and relevant animal health officers at FAO sub-regional Office for Southern Africa (SFS), the incumbent will undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

Technical focus

  • Laboratory component of ECTAD Zambia programmes submitted timely
  • Updates on zoonotic and TADs events, and related laboratory results provided
  • Veterinary laboratory network strengthened, and activities regularly updated
  • Reports on national veterinary laboratory capacity for pathogen testing and Proficiency Test results prepared
  • BTORs submitted for clearance within 10 days of mission completion, bi-weekly updates and regular project reports submitted
  • Inputs for project proposals, concept notes provided timely
  • Final technical report upon completion of the assignment submitted

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