Veterinary Technical Officer

Veterinary Technical Officer

GALVmed is seeking a Veterinary Technical Officer to support our livestock vaccine development programs. This role focuses on generating practical, evidence-based intelligence on the value of vaccination in endemic settings, primarily for FMD vaccines.

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), and 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, and 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, 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 and Experience

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 is 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.