Workforce Development Programme Manager – Capacity Building Department – WOAH HQ Paris

Under the authority of the Deputy Director General in charge of Regional Activities and Institutional Affairs, and the direct supervision of the Head of the Capacity-Building Department (CBD).

In 2019, WOAH launched a Veterinary Workforce Development Programme to raise awareness among Members about the value of workforce planning and development in the veterinary sector and to provide additional tools through the PVS Pathway to assist them in such efforts.

The Workforce Development Programme has been designed to support members to assess and plan sufficient numbers of properly trained staff to carry out their responsibilities across the veterinary domain. A step-wise approach to veterinary workforce development has been adopted over four main stages:

1. Workforce assessment – to define the size, composition and distribution of the existing workforce; to identify the activities, responsibilities, and services that need to be provided; and, to identify current gaps in provision of public and private sector goods and services.

2. Workforce planning – to calculate the numbers of personnel required by sector, function and location to address identified gaps; developing solutions that are realistic for the conditions that prevail in the country, taking into account the human, financial and physical resources available to implement the solutions; and, creating job descriptions with associated competencies for the various types of personnel required in order to foster skills-based training, including both initial training and continuing education.

3. Workforce implementation – to adopt policies and allocate resources to facilitate the implementation of the proposed solutions, while at the same time ensuring that there is an enabling environment to support their effective adoption and implementation.  The key elements of this enabling environment are suitable legislation, regulation, education and incentivization/entrepreneurship.

4. Workforce learning needs assessment and continuing education  – to link the above three stages with the WOAH competency based training system, to add a further component able to support workforce to develop their portfolio of competencies.

New tools recently developed and under development include regional/national workforce development workshops, VPP curriculum support missions, Veterinary Statutory Bodies (VSB) support missions and the development of a workforce assessment tool to assist Members in workforce planning. Most of these activities have been designed and methodologies tested. They have been piloted in coordination between WOAH Headquarters and the regional Representations, providing an innovative way to build working relationships between offices, testing and evaluating new tools together, and ensuring that they respond to Member needs, and are feasible, sustainable, efficient and appropriate. Transition into the Capacity Building System (Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) and Training), will now have to be assured, to scale up such initiatives from a project into a stable service approach.

The Workforce Development Programme Manager (PM) contributes to the WOAH’s strategy on workforce development by supporting the programme implementation, operationalisation, monitoring and evaluation, and evolution, and is responsible for ensuring the timely and successful delivery of activities in line with objectives.

The Workforce Development PM will also contribute to the development of the monitoring, learning and evaluation framework for the Capacity building programme (PVS Pathway and Training system), also considering its evolution in light of futures perspectives, partnerships, and recognition of the external environment.

Participate in the strategic management of the Workforce Development Programme and the related projects
– Serve as primary contact point for WOAH on the related projects carried out;
– Contribute through policy, technical and administrative inputs to the development of activities under the programme;
– Ensure programme alignment with set goals and to the framework of the PVS Pathway and Training System;
– Contribute to the development of a detailed plan to monitor and track progress of activities;Liaise with WOAH Headquarters and regional staff involved in the implementation of the programme;
– Participate in and contribute to the preparation of background documents and progress reports for relevant governance mechanisms;
– Provide programme evaluation feedback and share lessons learned to inform decision-making;Promote organisational knowledge sharing and management by synthesizing and documenting best practices, lessons learned, success stories and drafting relevant materials for dissemination;
– Provide inputs to the programme development and the design of new initiatives.  
Ensure the management and implementation of the projects under the programme
– Contribute to the development of detailed project management plans to monitor and track progress, including:
. Identify risks which may impact the timely delivery of the project and analyse, manage and propose mitigation measures,
. Develop a project M&E framework, performance metrics and track project performance,
. Ensure tracking and validation of expenses and meeting of budgetary objectives,
. Develop and implement a communication plan.

– Recruit, oversee and coordinate human resources (staff, consultants, suppliers) and manage resource availability according to specific technical activities and deliverables;
– Ensure that the project delivers outputs on time, within scope and within budget;
– Manage all procurement processes under the project ensuring compliance with WOAH rules;
– Where relevant, support the management of sub-grants, ensuring reporting, budget forecasting, expenditure tracking and work plan monitoring;
– Ensure implementation of activities sub-awarded, outsourced or delegated to partners throughout the project, including experts, partner institutions, and external suppliers;
– Contribute, in collaboration with the WOAH World Fund Unit, to the periodic reports required by donors;
– Provide inputs to develop new projects and initiatives.

Provide advice on technical activities
– Undertake analysis of PVS Pathway mission reports, learning needs’ assessments, and learning assessments to inform bridging and complementary activities on workforce development, between the PVS Pathway and the Training system;
– Contribute to the organisation and monitoring of relevant in-country missions/workshops, identifying experts for missions and workshops, following up on effective mission/workshop delivery and reporting and ensuring dissemination of reports;
– Contribute to the recognition and regulation of VPPs in national legislation on Veterinary Statutory Bodies, following up on the integration of curricular reforms into VPP training programmes;
– Provide support to regional workshops relevant to the programme.

Contribute to programme communication and advocacy
– Organise and support international workshops, meetings, and conferences relevant to the programme;
– Represent WOAH at external meetings as relevant;
– Contribute to drafting papers, articles and other relevant informative technical and communication material to promote the project’s objectives.  

Provide general support to the activities of the Department
– Participate in the activities carried out by the Capacity Building Department;
– Contribute to the preparation of responses to enquiries from Members and other stakeholders;
Prepare relevant documents and undertake analysis as required.