The Brooke is a leading UK equine welfare charity which has been working in Ethiopia since 2006 with a country office in Addis Ababa. The Brooke aims to improve the welfare of working equines, together with the livelihoods of people dependant on these animals. Brooke Ethiopia (B-Eth) is entering a new Strategic phase and by the year 2020, the Brooke Ethiopia will sustainably improve the equine welfare of some of the neediest rural and urban equines in Ethiopia. In order to achieve this, the role of Animal Health Field Officer r is critical.

Current location:    In Kersa and Dedo woredas of Oromia Region (with frequent travel to the field in the kebele.

Reports to:    Woreda Project Team Leader

Staff managed by this post:    None.  The post holder must work in close collaboration with Community Development Field Officer(s) working in the same communities and take advice from the programme quality and technical support department as appropriate.

Main purpose of the job:    To help communities improve the welfare and health of their working horses, mules and donkeys. 

To provide support to government and private animal health care service providers to improve their services to horses, mules and donkeys. Work with other urban and rural  local service providers and communities to ensure that  services are welfare friendly and acceptable/ adaptable by owners and users  

Main tasks and responsibilities

1. Project Development

   • Work closely with the team leader and woreda team in collecting information on equine health and welfare, as a basis for equine welfare and health interventions.  This will include identifying and assessing local networks (farrieries, cart and harness makers etc). 

   • Participate in the assessment of animal based indicators baseline (ABI) and KAP of owners and users to inform local and need based programing 

   • Participate in planning meetings to triangulate animal based indicators and KAP baseline findings, and to plan The Brooke’s activities within the project area.

2. Programme Implementation 

   • Actively participate in the data collection of non-intrusive researches conducted in the Woreda

   • Understand the issues faced by the animals by monitoring their daily work/ routine ‘from home to home’

   • Jointly work with the community engagement field officer demonstrating  owners of horses, mules and donkeys how to improve and adapt good husbandry and management practices; like how clean wounds or resolve eye problems by themselves, using locally available materials

   • As per the plans work with rural based structures like FTCs and CBOs (like churches, mosques, schools ETC…) where they exist to promote better animal husbandry and management practices 

   • Participate in community engagement meetings with owners and users to promoting best practices 

   • Lead the Brooke initiated training courses for government veterinary health staff on equine health.

   • Undertake regular monitoring of the clinical quality service and the drug and vaccine revolving fund in each government vet clinic.

   • Lead discussions on challenges that vets faces included difficult cases and provide advice as necessary, including for emergency cases 

   • Support the linkages and coordination between the government vets and private health care service providers (where they exist)  to ensure that the quality of health care services to equines is not compromised 

   • Complete and submit an outbreak report immediately to the government vets and the Brooke if you encounter an animal with a notifiable disease or concerning levels of disease spread (AHS, Anthrax, LSD…).

   • Support the government vet service providers and communities to annually initiate preventive measures before seasonal outbreaks occur.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

   • Work closely with the Woreda team to develop quarterly and monthly plans, and implement as a team

   • Produce and submit quality monthly progress reports to the woreda team leader 

   • Prepare monthly report  from the  AHMF ( Animal Health Mentoring Frame work) findings from the monitoring/mentoring of the health care service providers 

   • Maintain and updated records of equines, equine owners and local service providers within the Brooke operational areas. 

4. Documentation, learning and Sharing 

   • Coordinate and support Research works as appropriate (in collaboration with other teams/departments)

   • Ensure that best practices in the Program Area with regard to Equine Health Welfare issues are documented and shared        with relevant stakeholders (in collaboration with the ICO).

   •  Ensure that key lessons from the programme are captured and documented, and used for programme development.

   • Prepare a one page monthly program update report and submit to the POM for publication by the Communication Department. 

5. General

   • This has included, for example, owners of stone-carrying donkeys; fire wood and timber carrying equines, gharry horse owners, cart donkey owners, equine owners associations etc…to improve the welfare of urban working equines 

   • Meet with the group regularly (perhaps every two weeks/monthly), showing the how to handle their animals well to avoid injuries, and how to treat basic welfare issues effectively. .        Ensure that any Brooke resources in your custody are managed in accordance with relevant Brooke policies and guidelines (financial procedures, fleet management policy, HR manual)

   • Ensure that the Brooke animal health and welfare policies and approaches are promoted and adhered to in your work (including minimum standards, vaccination, deworming)

Job Requirements

•    DVM  from recognized institution     

 •    A minimum of 5 years field based experience in providing veterinary and community development services as well as delivering training and services in better health care service delivery        

•    Demonstrated experience in the capacity building with communities and understanding of sustainable development      

  •    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, able to write reports in English        

•    Good report writing skills.      

•    Knowledge of basic Animal Welfare (AW) concepts and the importance of working equines to households / the economy.    

•    Good IT skills, MS Office applications     

•    Driving licence (motor Bick)    

  Skills and Abilities   

• Basic knowledge of IT skills,     

•  Good analytical and critical thinking skills.       

• Basic in English and fluency (spoken and written) in Amharic; speaking local language is advantageous.      

How To Apply

Interested applicants who meet the minimum requirements can send ONLY their Application Letter and updated CV through THIS LINK