Organizational Setting

FAO’s Virtual Learning Centers (VLCs) create and deliver innovative online training programmes that support capacity development in One Health, with a focus on sustainable improvements in animal health and production. Training courses are tailored to local needs and delivered through seven regional VLCs, based in FAO’s regional and sub-regional offices. 

The VLCs’ training courses target country actors in areas related to FAO’s One Health mandate, including government officials and technical staff, programme and project coordinators, practitioners and professionals working in the field. Most VLC courses are tutored, and therefore they provide a unique opportunity to discuss and network with international experts and regional colleagues.  Virtual learning provides a unique, effective and efficient way to provide training to, and learn from, those working in the 
last mile / first mile delivery of services. This includes veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs), and the scaling-up of development and delivery of training courses for VPPs in Sub-Saharan Africa is anticipated during 2024 and 2025.

This call for expressions of interest is for the purpose of establishing a roster of qualified experts who can assist the VLCs in development and delivery of online and blended learning programmes including:

•    Subject matter specialists for the development and review of training material;
•    Veterinary education specialists to guide the development of innovative online learning programmes; and
•    Online learning course facilitators.

Suitable incumbents would be included on the roster for consideration for short-term assignments with the VLCs, ranging from a few days to a maximum of 11 months (on a when-actually-employed basis). This call is aimed at specialists with various levels of experience. The experts could be located at the various FAO offices or home-based. 

We are seeking specialists with qualifications and experience in one or more of the following technical focus areas:

•    Veterinary education, adult learning and/or online learning;
•    Preventive livestock healthcare, particularly herd/flock health planning;
•    Transboundary animal disease preparedness and control;
•    Farm biosecurity;
•    Private sector business models for animal health service provision in smallholder livestock settings in Sub-Saharan Africa;
•    Small business development, administration and entrepreneurship in the animal health or livestock sector
•    Experience working as a veterinarian or VPP in the private sector with small-scale and emergent livestock farmers in 
Sub-Saharan Africa (focus on Nigeria, Uganda or South Africa);
•    Clinical reasoning approaches for VPPs involved in livestock healthcare;
•    Poultry health, nutrition and production;
•    Livestock reproduction management; and/or
•    Livestock nutrition management.

Reporting Lines

One Health training development specialists will report to the lead technical officers responsible for the Virtual Learning Centers and/or the project “Empowering veterinary paraprofessional entrepreneurs”, with day-to-day supervision led by the co-ordinators of the relevant projects.

Technical Focus 

The tasks and responsibilities of each selected One Health Training Development Specialist will be defined in the Terms of Reference for the specific assignment. Specialists will be involved in writing online learning content, reviewing and improving existing content and in some cases, contributing to the development of content for face-to-face training. Specialists may also be involved in the delivery of training, for example in presenting webinars, reviewing trainee’s work or contributing to online discussion fora. 

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Writing online learning modules in an engaging and interactive way;
•    Reviewing existing training materials in order to tailor them for a particular region or audience;
•    Reviewing existing training materials to improve their educational value, adding interactivity and engagement;
•    Advising on appropriate training approaches and modalities according to particular audience’s needs or learning objectives;
•    Leading online discussions during live events or asynchronous discussion fora;
•    Working with a team of subject matter experts and instructional designers to produce online learning content; and
•    Project management of the process of development and delivery of online learning content.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree or recognized qualification relevant to the area of expertise (this would usually be a veterinary degree or recognized qualification as a veterinary paraprofessional, but may be another suitable degree, relevant to business, livestock production, or education).
•    At least three years of working experience in a field relevant to the area of expertise. 
•    Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of other UN language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian)  For PSAs: Working knowledge of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the technical areas listed above, as well as strong writing and communication skills.

Selection Criteria 

•    Degree of knowledge and experience in the relevant technical areas;
•    Degree of experience in developing training and/or online learning for audiences appropriate to the VLCs;
•    Degree of experience of working in contexts appropriate to the audiences of the VLCs, particularly small-scale and emergent livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa;
•    Ability to develop engaging, interactive and clearly written training materials; and
•    Degree of experience working in an international context in a relevant field.
•    Knowledge of the nationally/regionally appropriate language is desirable.