Laboratory Support – Pandemic Fund

Organizational Setting

The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, help to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The following position is at SB3 SC5 level.

Pakistan has been experiencing frequent natural disasters and non-coherent economic policies which have affected the overall economy specifically the agriculture sector and the livelihood of the people. Outbreaks of pandemics and locust attacks have damaged agricultural crops and affected the food supply chain in Pakistan. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is supporting the Government of Pakistan at national and provincial levels through different analytical policy reports on food supply chain, food forecast livestock, forestry, fisheries and climate change. Similarly, a web-based data management system is under development for agriculture, food security and nutrition statistics in Pakistan. Through this system, support Government of Pakistan in monitoring food prices and supply chain through live dashboards will enable better planning and policy-making.

This position is based in Islamabad under the FAO Project Pandemic Preparedness and Response through Operationalizing One Health Approach in Pakistan.

Reporting Lines

Under overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Pakistan (FAOR), and under direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Program) and technical guidance of Pandemic Fund Project Manager/Officer and in close coordination with National Pandemic Fund team, Regional Coordinator for One Health in Agrifood System (FAORAP), Regional Pandemic Fund Coordinator (FAORAP) and other relevant technical colleagues at country, regional and HQ level

Technical Focus

The Laboratory Support will provide technical expertise on all laboratory related duties to achieve the outcomes specified under the relevant projects, including backstopping to the field teams. He/she will work cooperatively with other livestock officials from other FAO projects to ensure best practices are adopted throughout the country program.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Support the operationalization of coordination mechanisms among animal health reference labs, provincial labs and district labs.
• Support the procurement of laboratory consumables and equipment by developing technical specifications as per international standards and review of quotations.
• Support the development and adaptation of laboratory procedures/SOPs and perform laboratory diagnostics functions for the conduct of pilot studies on zoonotic diseases of significance to Pakistan.
• Support the Laboratory Expert in developing SOPs for sample collection and transport for zoonotic diseases.
• Support the delivery of hands-on training programs for laboratory personnel on isolation, identification/Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST), including biosafety and biosecurity for prioritized zoonotic diseases.
• Provide support towards ISO 17025 accreditation for identified federal and provincial labs as per their respective functions.
• Facilitate enrolment of labs in National EQA Schemes (NEQAS) for priority zoonotic diseases.
• Perform other duties as needed.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Microbiology/Molecular biology or related field to perform lab duties with a basic degree in Veterinary Sciences.
• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in the field of animal disease diagnosis, experience related to zoonotic diseases (HPAI, salmonella, brucellosis, CCHF etc).
• A working knowledge (level C) of English
• National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, particularly zoonotic diseases.
• Understanding of the purpose and functions of technical programmes, operational guidelines and programme/project management procedures, preferably those adopted by the United Nations or FAO, would be considered an added asset.
• Good knowledge of laboratory quality assurance systems, equipment maintenance, calibration and internal quality control.
• Experience in procurement of laboratory equipment and reagents
• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards
• Previous experience in similar settings would be considered a distinct asset

Selection criteria

• Ability to work in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams are essential.