Job Opportunities at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Key Responsibilities

• In consultation with the Country AADGG PI and SAPLING Country lead, undertake the day-to-day running of dairy genetics gains activities in Kenya.
• Assist the AADGG Pl and SAPLING Country lead to ensure the effective and flexible coordination and implementation of AADGG and integration of SAPLING activities in  Kenya.
• Undertake high-level pitching of and linking related national dairy cattle identification, performance recording and genetic evaluation initiatives in consultation with the ILRI Country Representative.
• Provide training, mentor and supervise /support the program Site Coordinators (SCs) and Dairy Farm Assistants (DFAs)
• Coordinate and undertake joint related AADGG / Private-Public actions for breeding service (i.e. Artificial Insemination) delivery programs and activities in the countries by working closely with the key actors in the improvement of the dairy sector, specifically the State and regional Directorates, thus providing the needed closer links between AADGG & the key dairy industry stakeholders.
• With the full knowledge of the Program’s Principal Investigator (PI), AADGG’s global Program Coordinator, and Country PI, maintain regular and effective communication between the AADGG – The country partner teams and the ILRI project team to ensure the quality and timeliness of project deliverables.
• Observe the project schedules and timescales, liaise with the country Pl and ILRI to ensure documents (financial, technical and meeting reports, and feedback) are prepared in accordance with the agreed schedules and within timescales.
• Coordinate and prepare timely and quality documentation/implementation reports to be submitted to ILRI, including contributing to the packaging of feedback to farmers. Support development and implementation of the agreed work plans and maintain records on technical and financial aspects of project operation, including project activities and their outcomes, as well as minutes, decisions and recommendations of meetings and workshops;
• Ensure that all partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders are appropriately and timely informed and involved in the program activities;
•  Provide links to all existing and potential stakeholders/ collaborators by being proactive, responsive and effectively dealing with program-related concerns/issues;
• Ensure effective dissemination of knowledge and insights gained; learnings as well as tools and methodologies to approved program stakeholders and broader audience;
• Identify potentially related activities to which the planned program activities would be synergistic and communicate/share with the Program Management Team (PMT) for further action.

Requirements

• MSc or PhD in Agricultural field and a Bachelor of Science in animal production or Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree
• At least 10 years’ experience with masters or three years with PhD
• Practical experience in managing,and or supporting commercial livestock business, especially those related to the design and evidence-led implementation of dairy businesses, management and delivery of improved livestock seed systems in Kenya and the Eastern Africa region.
• Experience in drafting and managing work plans, results-based budgets and systems to monitor and report progress.
• Experience in research, e.g. publications will be an advantage
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (strong English language skills, both written and spoken).
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural environment and strong stakeholder engagement skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently, including spending significant periods managing activities in the field site in project locations
• Excellent interpersonal communication and good personal organisation skills
• Good judgement, adaptability and willingness to take initiative when appropriate
   

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About the position

• Antimicrobials are essential medicines for human and animal health and welfare. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens global public and animal health, as well as economic and food security with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) being disproportionately affected.  Both the World Health Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health have developed a prioritized list of critically important antimicrobials for human and veterinary medicine, respectively. This ranking allows for focused management of specific antimicrobial classes to preserve their efficacy and to reduce the use of critically important human antimicrobials in food animals and crops. Colistin is considered one of the last resort drugs to treat infections with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, but this antibiotic is commonly used in livestock production for prophylaxis and growth promotion in LMICs.
• Recent studies have estimated that more than half of the antimicrobials available on the African market are either sub-standard or counterfeit, raising concerns about ineffective treatment and exposure to sub‐therapeutic levels of antimicrobials, which has been shown to promote resistance amongst bacteria. Moreover, antimicrobials are distributed and accessed through informal, difficult to regulate supply chains, affecting traceability of these sub-standard drugs. To fill key knowledge gaps, the PhD graduate fellow will use a combination of field epidemiology and social-network methods to investigate veterinary supply chain governance, that is, identify existing policies and regulations governing importation, registration, labelling and distribution of antimicrobials, and marketing of veterinary antimicrobials in at least two priority countries of the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of various stakeholders in the supply chain. The PhD graduate fellowship position will be supported by the CGIAR Initiative on One Health and will be hosted by ILRI.

Responsibilities of the fellow:

• Conduct a literature review on antimicrobial drug quality and veterinary supply chains in LMICs.
• Map the policy landscape around importation, registration, distribution, labelling, and sale of veterinary antimicrobials in at least two priority LMICs.
• Conduct key informant interviews and focus group discussions to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of key stakeholders in the antimicrobial supply chain e.g., government officials, agrovet dealers, farmers, etc.
• Investigate if changes in antibiotic labelling and marketing influence customer purchasing habits.
• Write scientific papers and conference presentations on the results from the PhD studies.
• Communicate findings to relevant stakeholders (government, extension officers, farmers, etc.)
• Provide supervision and guidance to field support staff and research assistants.

Minimum requirements for the ideal candidate:

• Must have a BVM or DVM, with an MSc in Veterinary Science, Veterinary Public Health, Veterinary Epidemiology or Microbiology.
• A good understanding of pharmacology, antimicrobial use, antimicrobial resistance, and veterinary systems in LMICs.
• Previous research experience within AMR policy, stakeholder analysis and conducting field epidemiological studies.
• Experience in handling diverse datasets, data processing and statistical software such as R, Stata, SPSS, Matlab or NVIVO.
• Proven publication track record and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to jointly work in a multi-national, multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to supervise and guide research assistants and junior graduate students e.g., Bachelor or Masters level.
• Based in Kenya full-time throughout the PhD programme with short research stays in priority research countries and at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.