Project Officer Zoosursy – Preparedness & Resilience Department

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH – founded as OIE) is a leading intergovernmental organisation representing 183 Members worldwide. Through its activities, WOAH makes a decisive contribution to improving animal health, protecting animal welfare and strengthening Veterinary Services. The Organisation provides transparent information on world’s animal health situation, and promotes international standards, particularly in terms of the safety of trade in live animals and animal products. More information can be found on WOAH’s website.

Joining WOAH means taking part in the development of one of the leading international organisations, recognised and associated with other multilateral institutions, in the field of worldwide health. It means helping to build a global approach to health, combining animal and human health in a “One Health” approach. It means joining teams motivated by the impact of their actions, the sense of their collective commitment and their recognised professionalism in their respective fields of expertise.

WOAH’s headquarters are based in Paris. The Organisation is present on every continent through 13 Regional or Sub-regional Representations. WOAH has 250 staff members, two-thirds of whom are based at headquarters. This position is located in PARIS;

The ZOOSURSY project, launched in 2025 with support from the European Union, is being implemented in 17 countries in West, Central, East and Southern Africa, in partnership with the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), the Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), the Institut Pasteur, the University of Helsinki, the Helmholtz Institute for One Health and national Veterinary Services. It aims to improve knowledge and management capabilities to strengthen surveillance systems for emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases at the interface between animals, humans and the environment. This project is part of the implementation of the WHOA wildlife health program launched in early 2021. This project follows the implementation of the EBO-SURSY project, which after 7 years of implementation in 10 Central and West African countries, came to a close mid-2024. For more information on the results of the EBO-SURSY project, please consult the final report.

Positioning and reporting
Under the authority of the Deputy Director General in charge of International Standards and Science, and the direct supervision of the Head of the Preparedness and Resilience Department and functional management of the ZOOOSURSY Manager in close collaboration with the ZOOSURSY Project Team.

Job purpose
The Project Officer participates in the implementation of the ZOOSURSY project activities in collaboration with the ZOOOSURSY Regional Project technical officers and under the management of the ZOOSURSY Programme Manager. She/he contributes to operational aspects of the project, ensuring objectives and deliverables are met, and manage the implementation of technical activities especially the ones implemented from HQ. She/he is responsible for coordinating the Project consortium, the Steering Committee and liaising with the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) coordination unit.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the management and implementation of the project
– Contribute to the development of a detailed Project implementation plan to monitor and track progress in close collaboration with the Project team;
– Provide inputs to the Project management plan, including risks analysis in close collaboration with the Project teamIn collaboration with the TEI M&E Officer ensure the monitoring of performance metrics and track subsequent project performance to inform and update the Project Logic Model;
– Work with engagement and investment department (EID) and budget unit to track and validate expenses and meeting of budgetary objectives;
– Ensure that the project delivers outputs and outcomes on time, within scope, within budget, and meet beneficiaries’ needs in close collaboration with Field Project Officers;
– In collaboration with the Procurement Dpt, manage procurement processes under the project and external service providers;
– Support the management of sub-grants, ensuring quality of reporting, budget forecasting, expenditure tracking and work plan monitoring in liaison with relevant Departments and subgrantees;
– Coordinate sub-grantees’ annual reports collection, review, feedback and integration in the donor annual report;
– Provide relevant technical content to the periodic project reports required by donors, including updated Logic Model in coordination with the project technical officers;
– Support the organisation and development of any activities as described in the Project scope, in collaboration with the Project Team

Project coordination
– Ensure information sharing and collaboration between project Consortium partners, TEI Coordination Unit and other key stakeholders involved;
– Maintain regular communication with operational partners to facilitate synergy and complementarity of actions and interventions according to the functional communication plan;
– Implement the Project governance by managing the Consortium and Steering Committee;
– Work in synergy with the Project team and transversally with relevant WOAH Headquarters and regional staff involved in the implementation of the project;
– Coordinate with the Scientific Policy Adviser and communication officer to ensure smooth activities pertaining to his/her role implementation

Contribute to project communication and advocacy
– Work with the Project Communication Officer to develop and implement a communication strategy and communication plan in coordination with the TEI Communication Officer;
– Provide content on matters relating to the project;
– Contribute to drafting papers, articles, and other relevant informative technical and communication material to promote the project’s outcomes and successes.

Provide general support to the activities of the Department
– Contribute to the overall WOAH strategyRepresent WOAH at external meetings as relevant

Qualifications and Experience

Required qualifications and experience

– Advanced graduate degree (Master’s level or equivalent) in international affairs, public health, agricultural development, public administration, business administration, or otherwise relevant field;
– At least 5 years of professional experience with progressive responsibilities in project management;
– At least 3 years of professional experience in international project coordination involving multiple stakeholders, including scientific partners and European institutions;
– Proven experience working with scientific partners

Additional experience (asset)

– Certification in project management management
– Previous experience working with public health field
– Good knowledge of international organisations and European institutions (European Union)Knowledge of Portuguese

Expected Skills

Technical skills

– Excellent project management skills
– Excellent negotiation and diplomatic skills
– Change management ability
– Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, in particular Word and Excel
– Excellent writing skills and ability to summarise complex technical discussions into clear and concise reports
– Excellent command of English & French, both written and oral

Personal and Interpersonal skills

– Excellent communication skills,
– Excellent negotiation and diplomatic skills,
– Excellent Team work capacity,
– Ability to work with a remote team and to generate engagement,
– Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships in a multicultural environment,
– Excellent organisation skills and ability to meet specific deadlines,
– Capacity to learn and a self-motivated worker,
– Demonstrated initiative, including ability to think operationally and achieve results while being solution driven oriented.
– Solution-driven

Working conditions
– Salary: commensurate with qualifications and experience.
– Type of contract: WOAH Staff – Fixed-term contract.
– Duration: Two (2) years renewable.
– Location: WOAH Headquarters 12 rue de Prony 75017 Paris, France

The post is a full-time position based at the WOAH Headquarters in Paris and requires long hours in a seated position at a computer. It can entail missions abroad.

General Information

WOAH places high value on a multicultural and positive work environment. WOAH is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates, irrespective of their origin, gender, opinions or beliefs. If you are interested in the position, please complete your application online at the latest by 18 December 2024.