REU Virtual Learning Center Coordinator

Organizational Setting

The Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) is responsible for developing, promoting and leading FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO’s priority activities in the region. REU also advises on the incorporation of regional priorities into the Organization’s Programme of Work and Budget and implements approved programmes and projects in the region, monitors the level of programme implementation and draws attention to problems and deficiencies. REU supports regional policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, facilitates the emergence of regional partnerships, and supports capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the region. REU is managing also national programmes and projects in countries of the region.

Reporting Lines

The Programme Support Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO REU Assistant Director General, the direct technical guidance of the FAO REU Animal Production and Health office and the Technical Advisor (Animal Health).

Technical Focus 

The Virtual Learning Centers (VLCs) are virtual hubs initiated to develop capacities in all FAO regions through access to on-line training. VLCs deliver trainings based on regional needs and tailored to the local context, while working in a coordinated manner that allows sharing good practices and a standard quality. The VLC in REU will support the project called “Strengthening One Health and Biosecurity for National and Producer Resilience – Preventing National and Global Threats” (hereinafter One Health & Biosecurity project) which will have as one of its key outcomes to strengthen One Health competencies of animal health workforce using the VLCs.

The VLC in Europe and Central Asia is hosted by FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) and use online technologies to train personnel working in the public and private sector in a range of areas. Such areas include One Health capacity building; Livestock, wild meat and aquaculture value chains; and Emergency preparedness and disease surveillance and outbreaks management. Funding support, mentorship and expertise are provided through the VLC global unit at HQ, with the objective for VLC REU to become self-sufficient and include training materials from a range of providers and topics, expanding to include disciplines outside those consider by the project and tailored to the needs of the region.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the overall policy and technical guidance of the Leading Technical Officer and the managers of the VLC, and under the direct supervision of the Technical Advisor (Animal Health) in REU, the incumbent, as the key responsible for the VLC will perform the following duties:
•    Lead the establishment of the VLC REU, ensuring strong collaboration with the different FAO units involved in the project at regional level and with different projects working in the region;
•    Maintain a regional network of national training focal points for communication and coordination with the relevant competent authorities in the countries (veterinary services, fisheries, wildlife management, etc.);
•    Supervise the VLC team and report on the progress made by the VLC, guiding on future developments;
•    Manage a multi-stakeholder advisory group of relevant regional organizations and bodies, including academic and institutional partners, to guide the identification of gaps and priorities, to promote the uptake of the VLC as a regional platform offering support for multiple training themes, and to ensure the future sustainability of the VLC;
•    Support the continued growth and sustainability of the VLC for Europe and Central Asia making advocacy of the VLC within and outside the organization, providing strategic foresight to anticipate future priorities and risks for the VLC and contributing to the definition of solutions towards sustainability of the VLC;
•    Consult with target countries, national and regional organizations, other projects representatives in the region, existing reports and studies in order to review specific training priorities related to different areas of work in FAO in order to use this information to define a programme of online training based on needs and focus the efforts to attract funds according to the regional needs;
•    Lead the engagement of financial and technical internal and external partners to ensure the future sustainability of the VLC. This will include scoping of potential FAO programmes, academic and institutional partners interested in taking advantage of the VLC.
•    Provide support to regional networks and organizations through provision of virtual networking solutions such as webinars;
•    Identify and co-ordinate with international and national experts to ensure they provide relevant input to development and delivery of e-learning courses;
•    Manage input from subject matter experts and instructional design specialists to coordinate the development and delivery of v-learning courses and resources;
•    Support the alignment of internal quality assurance processes that assure the quality of training courses, from development to delivery;
•    When relevant, provide subject matter expertise in the development or adaptation of v-learning courses to the regional situation;
•    When required,  act as a course technical coordinator for tutored online courses, promoting maximum engagement with and completion of course contents by the participants;
•    Support collection of relevant information after the delivery of courses in order to carry out a regular impact assessment. This will include drafting an impact assessment report suitable to inform further planning of the training programme;
•    Undertake other relevant tasks mutually agreed and deemed necessary by the relevant supervisors.

 

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University Degree in veterinary science, biology, agronomy, or related fields, relevant to the duties listed and the topic areas covered by the VLC;
•    Five years of relevant post graduate experience in livestock or aquatic animal health, One Health, or other areas related to the topic areas covered by the VLC;
•    Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/ Functional Skills

•    Experience working for, or in support of, government services and/or international organisations in the REU region, with experience across multiple countries;
•    Sound understanding of and experience with development and delivery of training for professionals through a range of online and other modalities;
•    Experience managing capacity building projects at national, regional or international level.
 

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

 

 

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
• 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 contact: Careers@fao.org

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