Country Liaison (Philippines)

BACKGROUND

The spillover of infectious agents from animals to humans in recent decades has had a significant impact on the health of humans, animals, and our environment. To minimize the impact of future pandemic threats, the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) was established in 2011 with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development to develop a resilient and competent One Health workforce to effectively prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats by leveraging education, research, and training excellence provided by member universities.

Since its establishment, SEAOHUN has expanded network membership from 104 universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to over 104 universities in eight countries, including the four founding countries plus Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The expansion was made possible with the support of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), U.S. Department of State (DOS) through its Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), and USAID. Our university members come from multiple disciplines connected to the health of humans, animals, and their ecosystem.

Our regional programs promote and facilitate collaborative activities among the countries with an emphasis on improving One Health education and research. Examples of our educational initiatives include the development of One Health core and technical competencies, competency-based education, research capacity to provide an evidence-base for One Health advocacy, One Health student clubs, and other experimental learning activities.

The SEAOHUN Secretariat based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is the coordinating body for all the country networks. The Secretariat manages subawards with the country networks, facilitates SEAOHUN Executive Board meetings and regional activities, strengthens One Health University Networks in Southeast Asia through capacity building activities, and partners with national, international, and non-governmental organizations to build the next generation of One Health leaders. The Secretariat represents interests of its country networks at global and regional meetings/conferences/forums such as Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and ASEAN+3 Field Epidemiology Training Network (FETN). SEAOHUN has partnered with Zoetis and Pfizer to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and with Chevron to strengthen One Health education in Southeast Asia.

For more information, please visit the official SEAOHUN website at https://www.seaohun.org/ and Facebook page at http://facebook.com/seaohun

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A key priority in SEAOHUN’s program under the Transition Award is manage regional knowledge for One Health curricula and create training content to address workforce gaps for in-service professionals. The four components are 1) the development of Southeast Asia One Health Workforce Academies (SEA-OHWA) platform to promote the development, delivery, and institutionalization of One Health education; 2) the catalog of One Health education resources invested by USAID and made them available on the SEA-OHWA; 3) the engagement of alumni of the USAID One Health Workforce and One Health Workforce – Next Generation projects to assess short and long-term impacts of the investment as well as to improve future programming; and 4) the development of training to address capacity gaps of in-service health professionals.

SEAOHUN is seeking a Country Liaison for the Philippines to support this effort. In addition, the Country Liaison (Philippines) will support SEAOHUN’s other programs and the Philippine One Health University Network (PhilOHUN) with office at the Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU), San Agustin, Magalang, Pampanga. Under the Knowledge Management Manager’s supervision, the responsibilities of the Country Liaison (Philippines) cover the following.

• Advocate and train faculty members in utilizing the SEA-OHWA platform and coordinate with a consultant to troubleshoot IT issues related to the platform.
• Collaborate with PhilOHUN National Coordinating Office (NCO) and member universities to catalogue One Health education resources on SEA-OHWA.
• Lead the in-country alumni engagement, including survey development, implementation, and analysis to identify the training needs.
• Coordinate capacity-building workshops with SEAOHUN partners to address competency gaps identified in surveys.
• Assist in developing and expanding partnerships with program partners, government agencies, NGOs, and research institutes.
• Support the SEAOHUN Secretariat Programs Team in developing, implementing, and fostering its pre-service and in-service programs including liaising with students, faculty members and in-service professionals who are participating in the programs.
• Ensure proper documentation of program activities in accordance with SEAOHUN and funders’ standards and procedures.

Perform other tasks assigned by the Management team for successful program implementation.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Applicants should be residents of and have legal authorization to work in the Philippines.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in One Health related discipline for the position, including international development, global health, and education.
• At least three years’ work experience (Master’s) or five years’ work experience (Bachelor’s) in program coordination and management, partnership development and external representation.
• Experience working with in-country stakeholders, such as universities, government agencies, and intergovernmental agencies, is required.
• Experience working in or collaborating with SEAOHUN member universities, and the country network is strongly preferred. Familiarity with online knowledge management platforms is desirable.
• Previous experience working with international organizations, NGOs, or donor-funded projects is an asset. Experience with USAID-funded projects is desirable.
• Applicants who are based in Metro Manila are preferred.
• Proven ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines, while also functioning effectively as part of a team.
• Proven effective communication skills in English, and national language, both written and oral. This includes networking, negotiation, and diplomatic skills.
• Self-starting, ability to take initiative and work with minimal supervision are required.
• The ability to work both independently and in a team in a multicultural environment is necessary.