ThaiNGO

Job title:                 Assistant Executive Director

Location:               Chiang Mai, Thailand

Contract period:    One year with a possibility of renewal

Start:                      As soon as possible

BACKGROUND

The spillover of infectious agents from animals to humans in recent decades has significantly impacted 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 (USAID) 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. SEAOHUN advocates the role of universities to a) build the capacity of professionals across sectors to solve complex One Health issues, b) conduct research for evidence-based decision making, and c) assist governments with public health surge capacity.

Since its establishment, SEAOHUN has expanded its network membership from 10 universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to over 100 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. In May 2021, Taiwan One Health University Network joined SEAOHUN as an associate member country with its six university members. Our university members come from multiple disciplines connected to the health of humans, animals, and their ecosystems.

SEAOHUN is a regional non-profit organization registered as a Foundation in Thailand. SEAOHUN is governed by its Executive Board comprising members from member countries and key partners. SEAOHUN Secretariat, based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is a coordinating body of all the country university networks. The Secretariat manages subawards and contracts with the country networks, facilitates SEAOHUN Executive Board meetings and regional activities benefiting pre-service and in-service professionals, and strengthens One Health university networks in member countries to be sustainable organizations. Our regional programs promote and facilitate collaborative activities among the countries with an emphasis on improving One Health education and research. 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.

SEAOHUN promotes One Health education for all and represents the academic voices of our member and partner universities in the global and regional forum. SEAOHUN is a member of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), an effort by over 70 nations, international organizations, and civil society to accelerate progress toward a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats, an affiliate member of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1965 among the governments of Southeast Asian countries to promote regional cooperation in education, science and culture, and a dialogue partner of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three 3 Field Epidemiology Training Network (FETN), a group of field epidemiology training programs to develop capable human resources to prevent and control outbreaks, emerging diseases and other public health events. In addition, 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

The Assistant Executive Director will assist Executive Director in leading the SEAOHUN Secretariat team and ensuring all operations and project implementation of SEAOHUN comply with rules and regulations of funders and the Thai government. S/he will engage in outreach and collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders to increase SEAOHUN’s visibility and broaden funding across multiple donor organizations.

I. Strategic Planning and Project Management

• Serve as the Assistant Project Investigator of the USAID One Health Workforce – Next Generation (OHW-NG) project, Assistant Project Director of the USAID SEAOHUN Transition Award project and Chevron Strengthening One Health Education in Southeast Asia project.
• Serve as an alternate of the Executive Director for all events and platforms such as the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), ASEAN One Health Network, ASEAN+3 Field Epidemiology Training Network (FETN), Regional Field Epidemiology Training Program for Veterinarians (R-FETPV), the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, the Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), among other partnerships.
• Assist with the strategic oversight of SEAOHUN project planning and implementation.
• Operationalize, lead and monitor the implementation of the SEAOHUN work plan to ensure projects are delivered in an effective manner and contribute to SEAOHUN’s strategies.

II. Management with the Boards

• Serve as the assistant secretary of the SEAOHUN Executive Board and Foundation Board.
• Serve as an alternate to represent the SEAOHUN Secretariat and report to the Boards on the programmatic and operations (administrative and finance) of the SEAOHUN Secretariat.
• Organize at least one virtual meeting and one in-person meeting of the SEAOHUN Executive Board per year.
• Oversee an annual financial audit and report to the Thai government on behalf of the Chairperson of the SEAOHUN Foundation.
• Organize at least one SEAOHUN Foundation Board meeting each year to review the Secretariat’s performance and endorse audited financial statements to be submitted to the Thai government.
• Assist with the review and endorsement for contracts and agreements issued by and to SEAOHUN before a Chairperson signs.
• Ensure that the Boards are made aware, in a timely manner, of key strategic and operational challenges the SEAOHUN Secretariat is encountering.
• Ensure effective and timely implementation of Board-mandated policies, procedures and decisions.

III. Operational Management

• Lead the SEAOHUN Secretariat to ensure that the SEAOHUN’s organizational structure, operational policies, and other processes are transparent and can implement SEAOHUN’s mandates and commitments effectively and efficiently.
• Assist in overseeing the management and implementation of all organizational contracts.
• Ensure all implementing partners comply with rules and regulations of funders and SEAOHUN.
• Facilitate collaboration and information sharing within the SEAOHUN Secretariat and among the country networks, partners and external stakeholders.

IV. Advocacy, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Serve as an alternate to represent SEAOHUN and ensure its role of universities within the One Health community is well understood through engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Build and maintain effective alliances and operational collaboration with partners and external stakeholders to support the work of SEAOHUN.
• Maintain effective communications with all stakeholders and country members.
• Assist in overseeing and advancing the development of new funding streams for SEAOHUN.
• Broaden donor base and solicit additional funding sources to ensure long-term and sustainable organizational development and existence.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree or higher degree, preferably in health-related field.
• At least seven (7) years of relevant experience within an international development context and a demonstrated ability to create and maintain effective working relations with international organizations, U.S. Government agencies, and NGO partners, private sector partners, and/or host country governments (including senior government officials).
• Minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated senior-level leadership experience (e.g. Chief of Party, Project Director, Principle Investigator, Deputy Director) for One Health programs, or programs in a One Health related field with four countries or more.
• Experience in a senior leadership position within and/or working with higher education.
• Excellent contract negotiation skills and experience; management and organizational skills, including multi-cultural sensitivity and awareness.
• Working knowledge of USAID rules and regulation is preferred.
• Flexible, willing to perform assigned and additional duties and work irregular hours under unpredictable conditions.
• Skills in Microsoft Office/Google, email, and Internet navigation are required.

• Fluency in Thai and English oral and written communications is required. Knowledge of other regional languages is an asset.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates are invited to send an application letter, including the qualification table (see below), a resume or curriculum vitae in PDF format, and state a current and expected salary in the application to secretariat+recruitment@seaohun.org and copy vipat@seaohun.org using the subject line “Apply for Assistant Executive Director”. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until filled with the first round of reviews on 31 August 2023. The candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The salary for this offer will depend on qualifications and experience and in line with projects funds.

SEAOHUN is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, language, religion, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and gender identity. SEAOHUN prohibits the use of forced labor and trafficking in persons, and does not charge any fees from applicants. While we respect all applications, only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.