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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 . 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, France. |
| Job Description |
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Positioning and reporting Under the authority of the WOAH Head of the Preparedness and Resilience Department, the functional supervision of the ZOOSURSY Project Manager, and in close collaboration with the ZOOSURSY project coordination team, scientific partners and the relevant technical teams at WOAH headquarters and in the Africa region. |
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Job purpose 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 WOAH wildlife health program launched in early 2021. This project follows the implementation of the 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 . The Scientific Policy Advisor plays a strategic advisory role at the interface between science and policy. The position focuses on interpreting, synthetising, and contextualising scientific evidence generated under the ZOOSURSY Project and other related sources and translating it into policy-relevant guidance and recommendations at national, regional, and global levels. The Scientific Policy Advisor provides expert advice to support evidence-informed decision-making, strengthens the integration of scientific findings into animal and public health policies, and contributes to advancing the One Health approach within policy frameworks and contributes to identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders. The Scientific Policy Advisor is expected to ensure that scientific evidence generated under ZOOSURSY effectively informs policy decisions, contributes to WOAH normative and strategic outputs, and strengthens One Health policy frameworks at national, regional, and global levels. |
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Missions and activities 1. Science-to-Policy Translation and Strategic Advice – Lead the synthesis and interpretation of scientific outputs generated under the ZOOSURSY Project to inform animal and public health policy discussions. – Develop scientifically robust, policy-relevant recommendations to support national and regional decision-making in participating countries. – Provide expert advice on the implications of emerging scientific evidence for zoonotic disease surveillance, preparedness, and response. – Analyse scientific literature, technical reports, and regulatory texts to assess policy relevance, coherence, and gaps. – Draft high-quality policy-oriented outputs including policy briefs, analytical reports, position papers, and strategic notes. – Advise on the integration of scientific evidence into cross-sectoral and One Health policy frameworks. 2. Policy Intelligence and Monitoring – Monitor and analyse national, regional, and international policy developments related to animal health, public health, wildlife health, and zoonotic diseases. – Track emerging scientific, technical, and normative debates relevant to the ZOOSURSY thematic areas and into the wildlife health programme. – Identify opportunities for WOAH engagement in policy dialogues, consultations, and standard-setting processes. – Provide anticipatory analysis to inform WOAH’s strategic positioning on science-based policy issues. 3. Scientific and Technical Liaison – Serve as a key interface between scientific partners and policy-oriented stakeholders to ensure effective use of scientific evidence. – Engage with researchers and technical experts to ensure scientific outputs are aligned with policy needs and decision-making contexts. – Contribute to the scientific coherence and credibility of ZOOSURSY policy-related outputs. – Collaborate with WOAH technical departments to ensure consistency with international standards and normative guidance. 4. Knowledge Translation and Capacity Strengthening – Provide strategic technical support to national authorities in understanding and applying scientific evidence within policy and strategic planning processes. – Contribute to capacity-strengthening activities focused on evidence-informed policymaking and One Health approaches. – Support the design and delivery of scientific-policy dialogues, workshops, and the ZOOSURSY scientific symposium. – Promote knowledge exchange between scientific institutions, policymakers, and WOAH technical experts. – Facilitate uptake of scientific evidence into national and regional policy processes, including through engagement with relevant ministries, regional institutions, civil society and international standard-setting bodies. 5. Strategic Contribution and Reporting – Contribute scientific and analytical input to donor reports and strategic documents related to science-to-policy outcomes. – Support internal reflection and learning on science-policy practices within WOAH. 6. Scientific Integrity and Ethics in Policy – Promote transparency, scientific rigour, and ethical use of evidence in policy processes. – Contribute to addressing misinformation or misinterpretation of scientific data in policy and public discourse. – Ensure that policy advice is grounded in robust scientific methodologies and acknowledged uncertainty where relevant – Ensure that policy advice considers gender, equity, and socio-economic dimensions where relevant, in line with One Health and WOAH values.” – Ensure alignment of ZOOSURSY policy outputs with WOAH standards and strategic priorities In addition, the Head of Department may, when necessary, assign to the incumbent any other duties within his/her area of competence, including providing scientific inputs in the event to priority diseases of ZOOSURSY in target countries |
| Requirements |
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Qualifications and Experience Required qualifications and experience Education – Master’s degree in public policy, political science, international relations, public health policy, veterinary public health, One Health, or related scientific discipline with demonstrated policy experience. Professional Experience – Demonstrated expertise in One Health, animal health, and/or zoonotic disease policy. – Strong understanding of the functioning of international organisations and science-policy interfaces. – At least 5 years of relevant and progressive professional experience in Africa in a science-policy, advisory, or research-to-policy role (5+ years preferred). – Proven experience influencing or informing policy processes using scientific evidence. – Track record of producing high-quality analytical and policy-oriented written outputs. Additional experience (asset) – PhD in a relevant scientific or technical discipline (e.g. animal health, public health, epidemiology, environmental sciences) is a strong asset. – Familiarity with epidemiology and disease surveillance systems. – Knowledge of social science research methods relevant to policy analysis. Expected Skills Technical skills – Excellent ability to synthesise complex scientific information into clear, policy-relevant messages. – Strong analytical and critical thinking skills applied to policy and regulatory contexts. – Outstanding written and oral communication skills in English and French, knowledge of Portuguese is an asset. – Ability to assess scientific uncertainty and its implications for policy advice. – Capacity to maintain awareness of evolving scientific and policy landscapes. Personal and Interpersonal skills – Ability to engage credibly with scientists, policymakers, and senior technical experts. – Strong strategic judgement and capacity to identify policy-relevant opportunities and risks. – Ability to work effectively in multicultural and multidisciplinary environments. – Demonstrated initiative and intellectual leadership in science-policy settings – Stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills – Ability to work under time pressure and respond rapidly during health events |
| Additional Information |
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Working conditions Salary: depending on 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. |
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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 February 4th, 2026. All applications will be reviewed after the deadline. |
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