Head Of Scientific Documentation - Legal Affairs Unit - WOAH - HQ Paris, France

Head Of Scientific Documentation - Legal Affairs Unit - WOAH - HQ Paris, France

Paris

HEAD OF SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTATION

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. This position is located in Paris, France.

Job Description

Positioning and reporting
Under the authority of the Deputy Director General in charge of Institutional Affairs and Governance, and under the direct supervision of the Head of the Legal Unit. In light of the design of the 8 th Strategic Plan and anticipated re-organization, this positioning and reporting line is subject to change.

Job purpose
The head of scientific documentation contributes to knowledge and institutional memory within the WOAH by ensuring the collection, organisation, and dissemination of information necessary for the proper functioning of the Organisation. He/she is responsible for managing and improving both physical and digital documentation collections, ensuring their relevance and accessibility. He/she conducts documentary research and monitoring on topics related to the WOAH's activities, in response to the needs of internal departments. He/she is also in charge of overseeing the archivist(s) in charge notably of the Organisation's permanent archives and records management. Finally, the officer is responsible for the IT tools used to manage the collections, as well as the Documentation Portal.

Responsible for ensuring the performance of the activities of the team and contributes to providing strategic guidance and support to the development of activities.

In light of the design of the 8th Strategic Plan and anticipated re-organization, the responsibility of overseeing the archiving and records management tasks performed by the archivist(s) is subject to change.

Missions and activities

Manage the Documentation Centre
Oversee and enhance the value of the documentation collections (external: journals, books, and reports; internal: archives of publications, scientific and technical work, institutional and event-related archives): centralise, organise, and disseminate documents;

Ensure the integrity and completeness of collections, define an acquisition policy for external resources and a collection policy for internal materials;

Maintain a documentary network and develop relationships with scientific information providers (subscriptions, databases) and veterinary libraries;

Develop and manage the Documentation Centre, in close collaboration with the archivist(s) for the archives, welcome internal and external visitors, and promote documentary services;

Conduct scientific and technical literature searches for both internal and external audiences;

Implement monthly and bimonthly scientific and technical monitoring services;
Supervise human resources assigned to documentation activities, including the archivist(s).

Oversee the Document and Archive Management Application (functional administration, management, data input, promotion and interoperability)

Manage the trilingual thesaurus and indexes, as well as metadata quality;
Administer and configure the document management platform (Documentation Portal:) and develop new electronic management spaces;
Lead the maintenance and improvement projects of the portal;
Act as liaison between the software provider, IT department, and platform users (report technical and functional issues, propose feature improvements);
Promote the platform to users and provide training and functional support.

Supervise the development and Maintenance of the Archival Memory by the archivist(s)
Supervise the work of the archivist(s) who notably:
Oversee(s) the development and implementation of policies for archiving both paper and digital records;
Oversee(s) the digitalisation of archival collections;
Perform(s) records management;
Support(s) departments in implementing the archival policy;
Index(es) WOAH's digital archives online (OCCLC,OAI-PMH, etc);
Promote(s) and showcase(s) WOAH's institutional memory.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Required qualifications

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Documentation, Information Science, or knowledge Management;
At least 10 years of experience, with in depth knowledge scientific and technical publications;
Experience in archiving is an asset.

Requirements

Technical skills
Proficiency with desktop software in a Microsoft environment, Web 2.0 tools, and collaborative platforms;
Mastery of document management platforms;
Skilled in monitoring tools (e.g., Website Watcher, KBKrawl, Digiming);
Expertise in metadata management, online exposure, and Open Access standards (XML/HTML, RSS, Dublin core );
Proficient in querying scientific database (PubMed/Medline, CABI, Scopus, Web of Science, Etc );
Competent in digital project management;
Outstanding planning and organisational skills including proactive approach, ability to anticipate and focus on priorities and objectives in reliable autonomy;
Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organise;
Ability to work in English including excellent oral and written communication skills; another official language of the Organisation (French, Spanish) would be considered as an asset;
Outstanding planning and organisational skills including proactive approach, ability to anticipate and focus on priorities and objectives in reliable autonomy;
Ability to work persistently and manage effectively time;Ability to work under time pressure and to juggle multiple tasks within tight deadlines;
Ability to be self-motivated and methodological, to take initiative and work collaboratively.

Interpersonal skills
Maturity with excellent communication and inter-personal skills (verbal, written, presentations);
Proven ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment and build effective working relationships with clients and colleagues;
Capacity to work well in a team and to place team agenda before personal agenda;
Sense of commitment and conscientiousness;
Sense of resilience and persistence when faced with challenges and stressful situations.

Additional Skills
Proficiency with CMS such as WordPress;Strong understanding of best practices for personal data protection;
Familiarity with citation tools (EndNote, Zotero), Almetrics, and CrossRef;
Understanding of XSL Language.

Additional Information

Working conditions

Salary: commensurate with qualifications and experience. Exempt of French income tax + annual performance bonus + plus allowances based on eligibility.
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.
This job involves screen-based, prolonged seated work. May require lifting or moving items (e.g. boxes, books).

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 August 08, 2025.

APPLY HERE