PACA Malawi Country Officer
The Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) was officially launched by the African Union Commission (AUC) in October 2012. It is a partnerships initiative with the mission to support agricultural development, safeguard consumer health and facilitate trade by catalyzing, coordinating and increasing effective aflatoxin control along agricultural value chains in Africa. PACA has a Secretariat that is based at the AUC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The PACA Secretariat directs its major focus and support to African Govts in order to ultimately derive large-scale changes in aflatoxin control across the continent. The PACA Secretariat aims to support countries in the development, implementation and progress monitoring of a comprehensive aflatoxin control actionplan.
Malawi is one of the PACA pilot countries. PACA is now seeking to recruit nationally a highly motivated individual with exceptional coordination and leadership skills to strengthen its presence and effectiveness in Malawi
PACA Malawi Country Officer, Grade: Competitive scale, Immediate Supervisor: Regional Lead Program Officer for PACA, Lilongwe, Malawi
Under the supervision of the Program Officer of PACA serving as the Regional Lead coordinating the pilot country in question, and working closely with the PACA Secretariat team as well as the Country Steering Committee, the Country Officer has the following key responsibilities
Liaise between the PACA Secretariat and the country focal point and/or he specific country Aflatoxin Technical Working Group (ATWG), work towards the establishment of a Country Steering Committee ( as described in the PACA Secretariat Mid-Term Strategic Director on, which will then serve as the min counterpart for cross sectoral coordination to support country plan preparation and execution, Facilitate partnerships building with and between govt, pvt sector, development partners and other stakeholders, Facilitate in mobilising resources with the private sector and donor community, Facilitate the country situation analysis, gathering of information, knowledge, best practices and evidence to support the country planning process and PACA knowledge management efforts, Participate in the development of country plan and alignment of stakeholders around the country planning and implementation including facilitation of govt and non-govt fund raising efforts to finance plan implementation, Working in close collaboration with the Country Steering Committee, actively facilitate setting of achievable milestones and timeline and be responsible for achieving milestones in accordance with the timeline, develop and implement stakeholder communication plan to identify prioritise and engage stakeholders throughout country planning process, Lead in country convening planning, Support national Steering Committee Chair in convening regular Steering Committee meetings, Lead M&E baseline data collection, routine monitoring as well as mid-term and ex-post evaluations, develop periodic and annual reports and other reports, Facilitate recruitment of consultants to support the pilot country activities and oversee achievement of deliverables
A University degree in a field relevant to the duties and responsibilities of this position, advanced degree is an advantage, At least 5 yrs of related experience working in relevant agricultural development, health or trade programs, an excellent understanding of the socio-economic and political context in Malawi, Experience with project management desired
Developed ability of strategically networking with govt and non-govt agencies, and using the media as appropriate to raise the profile of the PACA and awareness about the program to drive country-level initiatives, Good public speaking abilities, presentation skills and excellent written communication skills, Proven track record of strong representation and negotiation skills and resource mobilisation, Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in team environment and independently with little supervision, Well-networked and respected by relevant stakeholders, Strong stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills, capable of leveraging relationships to push through bottlenecks, Self starter and strong multi-tasking skills, Computer literate with knowledge of common computer applications and systems, Proven commitment and positive attitude to achieve inter-sectoral coordination of food safety and aflatoxin control and institutionalisation of the same
Applicants should send their applications to the MAPAC Coordination unit – Bridget Kauma bckauma@gmail.com and copy to PACA Secretariat at Africa Union Commission, Ethiopia: Mrs Wezi Chunga-Sambo at chungaw@africa-union.org no later than 5th August.
