Veterinary Technical Officer at GALVmed

Main Purpose & Scope

• The Veterinary Technical Officer supports GALVmed’s program by implementing laboratory and field-based activities that generate practical, evidence based intelligence on the value of vaccination in endemic settings, for FMD vaccines mainly, but not only.
• The role focuses on building and running trials, surveillance support activities, and post vaccination monitoring that inform GALVmed’s partner vaccine development programs, national veterinary services, and regional disease control efforts.

Key Activities

Trial & Study Implementation (Lab and Field)

• Support the design, setup, execution, and monitoring of FMD vaccination trials, including pilot studies, controlled field trials, and observational studies.
• Implement activities aligned with GALVmed FMD workstreams, such as:
• vaccine performance and field suitability
• post vaccination monitoring (PVM)
• immune response and protection indicators
• Support sample collection (e.g. sera, swabs) using approved protocols.
• Ensure trials follow approved protocols, SOPs, and ethical standards.
• Ensure trial activities align with PCP FMD stage appropriate objectives and national strategies.

Evidence Generation & Technical Data

• Collect high quality biological, clinical, herd level, and operational data to assess vaccination outcomes.
• Support generation of evidence on:
• immunogenicity and consistency of response
• operational feasibility of vaccination delivery
• relevance of vaccination for disease control decision making
• Support analysis and interpretation of trial results in collaboration with technical and scientific colleagues.
• Ensure accurate documentation and traceability of samples and data.
• Contribute to internal technical reports and evidence summaries used to inform partners and stakeholders.

Field Engagement & Public Veterinary Services

• Work closely with national veterinary services, field veterinarians, and local partners involved in GALVmed FMD activities.
• Support training and supervision of field teams on:
• vaccination practices
• sampling methods
• data recording and animal welfare
• Ensure that trial designs and field methods are practical, acceptable, and scalable in endemic contexts.

Collaboration, Partnerships & Coordination

• Support coordination with research institutions, reference laboratories, CROs, and vaccine manufacturers and national veterinary authorities.
• Contribute technical input to partner meetings and project discussions.
• Act as a technical link between field activities, laboratory and project management teams.
• Provide on the ground technical feedback to inform partner product development decisions.

Compliance, Quality & Learning

• Ensure activities comply with approved protocols, ethical standards, animal welfare requirements, regulatory expectations and national guidelines.
• Document deviations, constraints, and lessons learned from field implementation.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of GALVmed’s evidence generation approaches for FMD vaccination.

Qualifications / experience required (in order to successfully carry out the job role)

Education

• Degree in Veterinary Science, Animal Health, Biology, Biotechnology, or Life Sciences.
• Training in infectious diseases, immunology, or epidemiology is an asset.

Experience

• 3–6 years’ experience in veterinary field work, laboratory support, vaccination campaigns, or applied research.
• Demonstrated experience in sample collection, trial support, or disease surveillance.
• Experience working with public veterinary services and in LMIC endemic settings is highly desirable.

Technical Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of FMD, vaccination principles, and transboundary animal diseases.
• Practical experience with field protocols and basic laboratory techniques.
• Strong attention to data quality, SOPs, and documentation.
• Ability to work effectively across laboratory, field, and partner environments.

Personal Attributes

• Hands‑on, field‑oriented, and methodical.
• Comfortable working in challenging environments and remote settings.
• Strong commitment to evidence‑based livestock disease control.
• Collaborative, pragmatic, and impact‑driven.

Travel

• Travel in target counties of East Africa are expected on a regular basis.

Desirable

• Direct experience with FMD vaccination, PVM (Post-Vaccination Monitoring), or surveillance activities.
• Familiarity with PCP‑FMD (Progressive Control Pathway) or regional FMD control frameworks.
• Experience supporting donor‑funded or PDP programmes.