Purpose of Job
The Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Africa CDC is responsible for leading and coordinating the strategic planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the division’s activities and programs. The division aims to strengthen the capacity of African Union Member States and Regional Economic Communities to prevent, detect, respond and control infectious diseases of public health importance. The Head of the Division works closely with other divisions, partners and stakeholders to ensure alignment and synergy of the division’s goals and objectives with the overall vision and mission of Africa CDC.
Main Functions
• Designs and implements policies, programs and projects to achieve the directorate’s strategic objectives.
• Manages and supervises employees within the division, ensures the timely delivery of the directorate’s goals and effective staff performance evaluation;
• Ensures the delivery of the division’s annual targets in line with the directorate’s overall goals and ensures robust and timely monitoring and reporting;
• Provides technical leadership and ensures efficient functioning of all Units within the Division
• Manages the work of the Division and supervises direct reports to ensure their effective performance in line with the organization’s performance management policy and system;
• Engages stakeholders within Members States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)/Regional Mechanisms (RMs) and relevant international organisations in designing and implementing strategies.
• Maintains thematic partnerships in support of the mandate of the Division;
• Maintains regular working relations with senior stakeholders in Member States and partner institutions in the execution of the Division’s mandate.
• Represents the organisation and communicates its position at conferences.
• Contributes to the preparation of periodic financial and budget execution reports and monitor budget execution at division level.
• Ensures the effective management of funds contributed to the organization;
• Manages risk within the division and recommends mitigation strategies
• Contributes to the development of the departmental business continuity plan and ensures implementation at division level
• Maintains a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent.
Specific Responsibilities
• Develop and implement policies and strategies for the Division of Infectious Diseases.
• Lead the Division of Infectious Diseases at Africa CDC, a specialized technical institution of the African Union that supports public health initiatives of Member States and strengthens the capacity of their public health institutions to detect, prevent, control and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats
• Provide strategic direction and oversight for the development and implementation of policies, guidelines, standards, and programs for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in Africa, including emerging and re-emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine-preventable diseases, and neglected tropical diseases
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant stakeholders, partners, and networks at the regional and global levels to enhance the surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases in Africa
• Manage the human, financial, and material resources of the Division and ensure the efficient and effective delivery of its outputs and outcomes
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate the performance of the staff members of the Division and foster a culture of teamwork, excellence, and innovation
• Represent the Africa CDC in relevant meetings, forums, and platforms and advocate for its vision, mission, and values
• Manage staff and ensure that they have the resources they need to do their jobs.
• Provide technical support to the Division of Infectious Diseases’ activities.
• Build partnerships with other organizations to support the Division of Infectious Diseases’ work.
• Represent the Division of Infectious Diseases at regional and international meetings and events.
• Publish articles and reports on the Division of Infectious Diseases’ work.
Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience
• A Medical degree from a recognized university and a postgraduate qualification in Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Public Health or a related field.
• A PhD Degree will be an added advantage.
• At least 12 (twelve) years of progressive experience in infectious disease prevention, detection and response at national, regional or global levels, including at least 7 (seven) and 5 (five) years experience at managerial and supervisory levels respectively.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases of public health importance in Africa, as well as the current challenges and opportunities for addressing them.
• Proven ability to lead and manage teams, projects and programs in a complex and dynamic environment, with strong skills in strategic planning, budgeting, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting.
• Experience in developing and implementing policies and strategies.
• Experience in providing technical support.
• Experience in building partnerships.
• Experience in writing and publishing scientific articles.
• Experience in networking and building relationships.
Required Skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse audiences and stakeholders, including high-level political and technical officials, media, civil society and communities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Fluency in working in any one of the official languages of the African Union (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish and Kiswahili) is a requirement, but proficiency in more than one language will be an asset.
Leadership Competencies
Core Competencies
Functional Competencies
TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:
The Appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of one (1) year, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables.
GENDER MAINSTREAMING:
The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.
LANGUAGES:
Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage
REMUNERATION:
The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$ 126,440.93 (P5 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 108,357.41 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.
Applications must be submitted no later than January 15, 2024 11h59 p.m. EAT.
-Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.
-Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas, Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
-The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
-Candidates from less represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles. These countries include Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, Somalia and Tunisia.
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