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.

In line with this vision, WOAH supports projects such as ZOOSURSY, which aims to enhance global wildlife surveillance and address emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases that threaten both animal and human health.   The ZOOSURSY project began in 2025 with support from the European Union and 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 the 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 WOAH’s wildlife health programme, launched in early 2021.

The Communication Officer will play a key role in promoting the activities and achievements of the ZOOSURSY project, while raising awareness on wildlife surveillance and the risks posed by emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. In this role, the officer will be responsible for developing, executing, and monitoring comprehensive communication strategies aligned with the project’s objectives and WOAH’s wildlife communication strategy.

This project follows on from the EBO-SURSY project, which, after 7 years of implementation in 10 countries in Central and West Africa, came to an end in mid-2024. For more information on the results of the EBO-SURSY project, see the final report.

The Communication Officer contributes to the implementation of the WOAH Strategic Communication Plan. He/she is responsible for defining and developing the ZOOSURSY project’s operational communication strategies in accordance with the European Union’s visibility and communication guidance framework and the communication activities identified by the project, and for implementing them within the set deadlines. He/she will also be responsible for updating available tools and for producing and coordinating the production and dissemination of other communication tools tailored to various target groups.

Actively contribute to the achievement of the strategic communication objectives of the ZOOSURSY project
– Develop a communication strategy for the ZOOSURSY project in collaboration with the ZOOSURSY project coordination team and the partners’ communication departments in accordance with contractual obligations;
– Manage and coordinate the implementation of the communication strategy for the ZOOSURSY project, including budget monitoring, in close collaboration with the seventeen WOAH communication focal points in the seventeen target countries, the communication departments of the implementing partners and service providers including :
. Managing the creation of the ZOOSURSY project website and updating it regularly to present the project’s activities and results in order to ensure good visibility of the results;
. Producing and contributing to written documents (articles, reports, concept notes, fact sheets, brochures), including the production of articles that translate scientific findings into accessible content for diverse  audiences;
. Collecting background articles, multimedia material, writing and publishing technical and media  articles and archiving communication products;
. Overseeing  and managing the production of communication products, including their outreach, distribution and use  via the project monitoring database;
. Developing communication initiatives with the Veterinary Services of the seventeen  target countries and the partners to ensure that the communication products  are aligned with local requirements;
. Proposing and supporting the design, development and introduction of innovative communication products  and materials for digital distribution;
. Coordinating and participating in the production of messages for social media; Contribute to identify opportunities to target messages of the campaigns reach  identified audiences;
– Organise media events (press conferences, press briefings, etc.), coordinate and manage relations with the media;
– Contribute to the preparation of progress reports for WOAH management;
– Monitor the implementation of the communication strategy at local and global levels based on agreed indicators;
– Provide feedback on the achievement of strategic communication objectives and propose changes where necessary;
– Analyse the results of communication actions and their impact on the communities targeted by project activities;
– Assess commitment to the project and willingness to change in order to adapt dissemination if necessary;
– Formulate recommendations to contribute to the project’s exit strategy. –           Budget forecasting for communication, expenditure tracking and progress monitoring.

To coordinate and implement operational communication strategies and plans in line with WOAH’s corporate communication strategy, in particular those relating to the ZOOSURSY project and wildlife strategy.
– Work closely with team members in the Communication Department to ensure the compliance with WOAH’s institutional communication strategy and the effective dissemination of communication products;
– Work closely with technical teams and field partners working on the ZOOSURSY project and wildlife activities (including involvement in the reduction of health risk linked with wildlife trade);
– Facilitate WOAH’s communication activities centred on the One Health concept and on wildlife, in particular by being a driving force behind proposals.

Manage and coordinate the development, production and implementation of deliverables by external service providers.
– Drafting  terms of reference and technical specifications for communication service providers, in line with the planned budget;
– Contribute to the selection and contracting of external service providers;
– Define the overall project timetable, expected delivery dates and milestones;
– Coordinate the technical work carried out by the service provider, with support of other team members;
– Monitoring and coordinating the implementation of the ZOOSURSY project’s communication activities by external service providers;
– Ensuring budget forecasts for communication, monitoring expenditure and checking progress;
– Ensuring the quality of deliverables and compliance with project deadlines.
– Manage service provider contracts in coordination with the ZOOSURSY project’s technical teams.