Senior Officer Prevent Forum

WOAH; Paris; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

WOAH HQ in Paris seeks a Senior Officer for the PREVENT Forum in the Veterinary Products and Drug Resistance Department. The role leads the Forum’s operations, oversees annual activity delivery, and coordinates tools and guidance across diverse stakeholders to support policy-relevant outcomes.

Reporting to the Deputy Director General and the HoD, the Senior Officer drives political engagement, ensures transparent governance, and coordinates global and regional activities with a focus on equity

Qualifications

• Required qualifications and experience.
• Postgraduate degree in a relevant field including but not limited to animal health, public health, international development.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and lead the annual cycle of PREVENT Forum activities, including global and regional sessions and reporting.
• Manage the PREVENT Forum digital platform and publication of resources.
• Develop evidence-based tools, guidance documents, and frameworks from Forum discussions.
• Draft concept notes for activities requesting additional funding.
• Build and maintain relationships with WOAH Members, manufacturers, regulators, and other stakeholders.
• Promote equitable participation and conflict-of-interest safeguards.
• Prepare briefing materials and advocacy documents for high-level engagement.
• Track Forum indicators and ensure alignment with WOAH mandate and priorities.

Education

Postgraduate degree in a relevant field

Job description

Senior Officer Prevent Forum, Veterinary Products and Drug Resistance Department – WOAH HQ

Paris, France

Context

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) 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 . 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 WOAH’s Headquarters, Paris (France).

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.

In response to the 79th UN General Assembly Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance and WOAH 92nd General Session Resolution No. 29 on Veterinary Vaccines and Vaccination, WOAH is establishing the PREVENT Forum, a structured public‑private dialogue mechanism to strengthen collaboration on animal vaccination strategies.

This five-year initiative (2026–2030) will explicitly promote equity by design so that perspectives from low- and middle-income countries, smallholder systems, small and medium enterprises and regional manufacturers, producers’ organisations, veterinarians and paraprofessionals are reflected alongside those of larger firms and high‑income regulators. The overall objective is that, by 2030, WOAH Members and animal health stakeholders have strengthened their capacity to prevent and control animal diseases through improved coordination, availability, and strategic use of vaccines, contributing to enhanced animal health systems, reduced AMR, and increased resilience to disease threats.

Job Description

Positioning and reporting

Under the authority of the Deputy Director General (Standard Setting & Implementation) and direct supervision of the Veterinary Products & Drug Resistance Department Head of Department (HoD).

Job purpose

The Senior Officer will lead the Prevent Forum’s operations, overseeing and contributing to the implementation of its associated activities. She/he will be accountable for the performance of the activities of the Forum and contributes to providing strategic guidance and support to the development of its activities. She/he will be responsible for the planning and delivering of the Forum’s annual cycle of global and regional activities, for coordinating the development of evidence-based tools and guidance, and for managing relationships across a diverse range of public and private stakeholders. Upholding the Forum’s identity as an effective, neutral, and inclusive dialogue mechanism, the Senior Officer will also support WOAH harness high-level political engagement to ensure the Forum’s outputs translate into concrete policy change.

Missions and activities

Forum Operations and Coordination

• Plan, organize, and lead the implementation of the annual cycle of PREVENT Forum activities, including the global technical session, regional sessions, and annual reporting to the WOAH World Assembly of Delegates.
• Manage the PREVENT Forum digital platform, ensuring regular content updates and publication of resources.

Workplan and Deliverable Management

• Lead and coordinate the creation, monitoring and implementation of the consultative annual workplan development process, identifying priority deliverables in collaboration with Members, stakeholders.
• Oversee and contribute to the development of evidence-based tools, guidance documents, and frameworks emerging from Forum discussions.
• Draft concept notes for activities requiring additional funding for submission to the Partnership Management Committee.

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Management

• Build and maintain relationships across the Forum’s diverse stakeholder community, including but not limited to WOAH Members, vaccine manufacturers and national regulatory authorities, veterinary and producer associations, vaccine access-focused organisations, Quadripartite partners, and relevant trade and standards bodies.
• Actively promote equitable participation, ensuring perspectives from low- and middle-income countries, smallholder systems, and regional manufacturers are reflected in Forum activities alongside large livestock producing and exporting nations.
• Uphold conflict-of-interest safeguards and transparency standards across all Forum activities.

Political Engagement and Advocacy

• Prepare briefing materials, talking points, and advocacy documents to support WOAH’s high-level political engagement on animal vaccination.
• Coordinate PREVENT Forum contributions to ministerial gatherings around the WOAH General Session and relevant international fora.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Governance

• Track and report on Forum indicators and targets and prepare documentation for biannual PMC meetings.
• Ensure all Forum activities align with WOAH’s mandate, strategic priorities, and accountability requirements.
• While completing the above missions and activities, the incumbent will:
  • Contribute within the perimeter of her/his responsibilities to the overall achievement of WOAH’s 8th Strategic Plan;
  • Carry out other applicable duties within his/her professional competence as requested by the Head of Department, the Deputy Director General or the Director General of WOAH.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Required qualifications and experience

• Postgraduate degree in a relevant field including but not limited to animal health, public health, international development