Head of the World Animal Health Information Department

Head of the World Animal Health Information Department, WAHID – WOAH Headquarters

Paris, France

Context

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.

Job Description

Positioning and reporting

Under the authority of the Director General and the supervision of the Deputy Director General (Standard Setting and Implementation), and in close coordination with the Heads of other Departments.

Job purpose

The Head of the World Animal Health Information Department contributes to the leadership brought by our organisation to the transparency of the animal health situation worldwide. They ensure the performance of WAHID activities, leading the team in the collection, verification and dissemination of animal health information provided by Member and non-Member of our organisation through the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS). They provide strategic guidance on the development of WAHIS.

Missions and activities

• Guide the work of the Department in delivering its tasks:
• Animal health data gathering and interpretation
• Active search of animal disease information
• Information dissemination
• Internal/external coordination and collaboration

• To do so, the Head of Department is expected to:
• define the Department’s roadmap in alignment with organisational goals
• design and implement strategic initiatives, propose innovative solutions to identified problems
• report to the General Directorate and World Assembly on the implementation of activities
• promote WOAH’s mandate and represent the Organisation
• manage relationships with and coordinate/interact with a range of resource partners, WOAH Members, other organisations and external parties
• manage, lead or participate in the creation of various projects including those related to disease reporting, early warning response, data standards, and data management
• supervise, monitor and coordinate the publication of relevant scientific papers or articles and information requested by Members
• represent WOAH at international epidemiological conferences and technical meetings.

• Provide leadership and management of the World Animal Health Information Department team by:
• translating strategic goals into team objectives and monitor collective performance
• managing, improving and (where necessary) identifying and formalising the different procedures of the Department
• fostering a positive and productive work environment through the provision of clear and constructive feedback
• motivating the team and communicating with the team and others to convey information continually up, down, and around the Organisation
• organising and overseeing tasks to ensure delivery of the team’s missions
• participating in the recruitment process of staff members as well as staff competency development and annual performance appraisal

1. Monitoring of official notifications and reports
   • Coordinate the application of a standard verification process to all reports submitted to WAHID in the three languages of the Organisation (i.e. immediate notifications, follow-up reports and final reports (submitted through the animal disease events module); and six-monthly and annual reports).
   • Ensure the updating and publication of disease notification procedures (external and internal).
   • Guide the development and/or improvement of working databases and relevant tools to facilitate the standard verification process and follow-up processes.
   • Develop and establish performance indicators for the teams’ processes.
2. Intelligence activity
   • Supervise the active search of non-official information, its evaluation, verification, and, when relevant, the communication with the Delegate of the Member concerned to confirm the information.
   • Coordinate the activities on early detection with other organisations (e.g. GLEWS) and within WOAH.
   • Represent the WOAH in different forums and participate in different projects to improve WOAH’s capacity for early detection (e.g. EIOS).
3. Training delivery
   • Prepare and design material for basic and advanced training WAHIS users (focal points).
   • Deliver regular global and regional training workshops.
   • Review and improve training methods.
   • Contribute to the development of e-learning platforms.
4. Follow up to the development of WAHIS
   • Provide leadership and team management for the active technical input to the development and improvement of WAHIS.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Required Qualifications

• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (or equivalent)
• At least 10 years of professional experience working with national Veterinary Services or in the public/private sector; including data analysis and or monitoring and evaluation in the field of animal health
• At least 8 years of management experience Significant experience in an international environment.

Required Skills

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of disease surveillance, prevention and control
• Excellent command of English (oral and written)
• Good IT literacy (comfort in engaging with variety of tools, systems and concepts)
• Strong analytical skills
• Analysis and problem solving
• Project management skills, including solving problems and decision-making skills
• Knowledge of process analysis and workflow development.

Additional Skills

• Proficiency in a second WOAH official language (Spanish and/or French)
• Epidemiology
• Risk assessment
• Good computer skills, especially in geographical information systems, database management systems, data analysis and intelligence software and/or statistical software.

Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent leadership skills and the capacity to motivate and develop team members, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, interpersonal and presentations)
• Demonstrated initiative (capacity to propose innovative ideas and implement them), including ability to think strategically and achieve results
• Organisational awareness: strong ability to establish priorities and work within tight timelines
• Attention to detail and capacity for global overview
• Courtesy, tact and ability to establish and maintain good working relations in a multinational and multicultural environment
• Ability to manage sensitive information

Additional Information

Working conditions

• Full-time position based at WOAH Headquarters in Paris. It requires long hours in a seated position at a computer. The position entails regular missions abroad.
• Salary: The salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, with allowances based on eligibility. The salary is exempt from income tax in France.
• Contract Type: WOAH Staff – Fixed-term contract.
• Duration: Two (2) years, renewable.
• Start date: Q1-2027
• Location: WOAH Headquarters, 12 rue de Prony, 75017 Paris, France.

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.

All applications will be reviewed after the closing date of the publication