Organizational Setting

The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications implements the IAEA’s Major Programme 2, “Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection”. This Major Programme comprises individual programmes on food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment and radiation technologies. These programmes are supported by laboratories in Seibersdorf, Monaco and Vienna. The Major Programme’s objective is to enhance the capacity of Member States to meet basic human needs and to assess and manage the marine and terrestrial environments through the use of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable development programmes.

The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture assists Member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IAEA in using nuclear techniques and related technologies to improve food security, alleviate poverty and promote sustainable agriculture. The Joint Centre consists of five Sections, each with an associated laboratory (located in Seibersdorf, 45 km south-east of Vienna), in the areas of: animal production and health; plant breeding and genetics; insect pest control; soil and water management and crop nutrition; and food safety and control.

The Insect Pest Control Section and Laboratory assist Member States with the development, dissemination and transfer of sterile insect and related environmentally friendly technologies for the area-wide integrated suppression, containment or eradication of major insect pests affecting crops, livestock and human health.

Main Purpose

Under the overall supervision of the Head, Insect Pest Control Laboratory and direct supervision of the Molecular Biologist, and in close cooperation with the Medical Entomologist, the Laboratory Technician will provide technical support to the research activities at the IPCL towards the development of sterile insect technique-based approaches for the population control of Aedes mosquito species by rearing and maintaining Aedes Aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito colonies, isolating and characterizing phenotopic markers for the development of genetic sexing strains for Aedes Aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito species, and providing assistance in the implementation of experimental protocols.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Following established processes and standards, the Laboratory Technician will:

(1) rear and maintain Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito laboratory colonies (including preparation of diet, collection of eggs, putting larvae in the trays, setting-up of rearing cages, feeding of adults, separating males from females, and cleaning of the cages);
(2) perform routine screening for phenotypic markers and characterizing the lines for the development of genetic sexing strains for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito species;
(3) conduct pre-defined methods to irradiate the selected lines to induce the necessary translocations towards the development of genetic sexing strains for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito species.

Competencies and Expertise

Core Competencies(Competency Framework)

Name	Definition
Planning and Organizing	Plans and organizes his/her own work in support of achieving the team or Section’s priorities. Takes into account potential changes and proposes contingency plans.
Communication	Communicates orally and in writing in a clear, concise and impartial manner. Takes time to listen to and understand the perspectives of others and proposes solutions.
Achieving Results	Takes initiative in defining realistic outputs and clarifying roles, responsibilities and expected results in the context of the Department/Division’s programme. Evaluates his/her results realistically, drawing conclusions from lessons learned.
Teamwork	Actively contributes to achieving team results. Supports team decisions.

Functional Competencies

Name	Definition
Analytical thinking	Gathers and analyses information, identifying critical relationships and patterns among data and proposes workable solutions.
Client orientation	Establishes effective relationships with clients to understand and meet or exceed their needs. Finds ways to ensure client satisfaction.
Knowledge sharing and learning	Actively seeks opportunities to learn by formal and informal means; learns from others, adopting and sharing best practice.

Qualifications, Experience and Language skills

• High school diploma – Completed secondary education. Specialized training or education in the subject area is an advantage.
• At least three years of experience with the rearing and maintaining of mosquito colonies.
• Experience with the screening of phenotypic markers and standardised irradiation procedures.
• Excellent oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

Remuneration

The IAEA offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at EUR 41939 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), 6 weeks’ annual vacation, pension plan and health insurance. More information on the conditions of employment can be found at: https://www.iaea.org/about/employment/general-service-staff

General Information

• The IAEA’s paramount consideration in the recruitment of staff member is to secure employees of the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
• Staff Members shall be selected without any unfair treatment or arbitrary distinction based on a person’s race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, age, language, social origin or other similar shared characteristic or trait.
• The IAEA is committed to gender equality and to promoting a diverse workforce.
• Recruitment will be on a LOCAL BASIS only. Non-local candidates will be considered only when no suitable candidate from the duty station is identified and will be subject to local recruitment. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Outside applicants are required to supply to the IAEA or to authorize it to seek all information relevant to their suitability for employment by the IAEA. Testing may be part of the recruitment process.
• Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. The IAEA is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. As part of the United Nations common system, the IAEA subscribes to the following core ethical standards (or values): Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for diversity.
• The IAEA has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and the IAEA, including sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

Evaluation process

• The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the selection criteria stated in the vacancy announcement. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information. Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
• Candidates under serious consideration for selection may be subject to reference and background checks as part of the recruitment process.

Appointment information

• Appointment is subject to a satisfactory medical report.
• Staff members may be assigned to any location.
• The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above.