Ref.
2026/KTLP/15099
Job offer type
Experts
Type of contract
Service contract
Activity sectors
Prevention, reduction and adaptation to natural, accidental and malicious risks
Deadline date
2026/04/26 23:55
Duration of the assignment
Beaded expertise
Contract
Freelancer
Duration
36 months
Project Team Leader (Key Expert) - “Strengthening Food Safety, Food Defence, and Fraud Measures In the South East and Eastern Europe Region” (M/W)
Département Paix, stabilité, sécurité - P2S > Pôle Prévention, réduction et adaptation aux risques
Published on : 2026/03/26
CONTINENTAL EUROPE
FRANCE
Mission description
Important notice: This position is part of a proposal submitted in response to a European Union call for tenders. At this stage, the project is not yet confirmed and remains subject to contract award.
Under the responsibility of Expertise France, the Team Leader (Key Expert 1) plays a central role in strategic, technical, and operational management. He/She will provide strategic leadership and ensure the effective implementation of all project activities.
His/Her main responsibilities include:
- Providing overall leadership and coordination of the project;
- Coordinating and supervising the work of Key Experts (KEs) and Non-Key Experts (NKEs);
- Overseeing and coordinating all technical aspects of project implementation;
- Ensuring the quality, consistency, and timely delivery of outputs and reports;
- Ensuring effective communication between the project team and stakeholders (European Commission, Partner Countries, Regional Secretariat, etc.);
- Organising and overseeing meetings, workshops, training sessions, study visits, and simulation exercises;
- Contributing to ensuring proper administrative and logistical management of the project;
- Ensuring the quality of the project deliverables;
- Monitoring progress and ensuring compliance with contractual obligations and reporting requirements;
- Reporting to the Expertise France Project Manager on project implementation and any deviations;
- Supporting risk management and adaptive project implementation.
The Team Leader will also play a key role in ensuring coordination with Partner Countries and regional stakeholders, which is critical for successful project delivery.
The Team Leader will be engaged throughout the entire project implementation period (indicatively 36 months), on a part-time, intermittent basis. The assignment shall be primarily home-based. Regular travel to the countries of implementation will be required throughout the duration of the project.
Project or context description
The project, titled “Strengthening Food Safety, Food Defence, and Food Fraud Measures in the South East and Eastern Europe (SEEE) Region”, aims to:
- Strengthen legal, technical, and operational capacities in food safety, food defence, and food fraud
- Enhance national and regional preparedness to prevent, detect, and respond to food-related risks
- Improve end-to-end food safety control systems across the supply chain
- Foster regional cooperation and information exchange mechanisms
The project is implemented under the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative, addressing threats to public health, security, and regional stability.
It will be implemented and structured in two phases:
Phase 1: Analysis
- Legal frameworks;
- Technical and operational capacities;
- Regional cooperation mechanisms.
Phase 2: Capacity building
- Training programmes (including Train-the-Trainers);
- Development of plans (Food Defence and Food Fraud);
- Table-top and simulation exercises.
The project covers 10 Partner Countries in the SEEE region (Republic of Albania, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia, and Ukraine) and involves a wide range of stakeholders, including:
- National authorities (food safety, veterinary, phytosanitary, customs, law enforcement);
- Laboratories and technical institutions;
- Regional and international organisations;
- Private sector actors in the agri-food chain.
The project is characterised by:
- A multi-country and multi-stakeholder environment;
- A high level of technical and institutional complexity;
- Strong requirements in terms of coordination, communication, and flexibility.
Required profile
Qualifications and Skills
- University degree or equivalent in the CBRN domain, in the field of food safety/security, or any other diploma related to the subject of this project. Previous professional experience in the Food Safety, Food Defence, and Fraud Countermeasures is an asset;
- Good knowledge of international regulations on food safety, food security, food defence, food fraud, and implementation of compliance systems;
- Excellent team management skills, preferably with a multi-disciplinary and multicultural team with at least five years’ experience;
- Good communication and interpersonal skills;
- Fluency in English (written and spoken) is mandatory - Ability to speak one of the official languages of one or more SEEE countries is an asset;
- Ability to monitor the progress of contract-related activities and reporting.
General professional experience
- At least 10-year experience in the management of technically complex projects, preferably in the CBRN field;
- At least 5 years of project management experience in the Southeast and Eastern Europe (SEEE) region.
Specific professional experience:
- At least 3-year experience in the correct implementation of international regulations related to food supply chain control specific experience in food safety, defence, and fraud is an asset;
- Ability to keep and manage sensitive and restricted information;
- Relevant practical working experience in the SEEE Region.
Additional information
All applications must include the following:
- CV ;
- Cover letter ;
- At least two professional references (including contact details);
- Proof of previous experience in similar assignments (e.g. list of projects or portfolio);
- Availability date.
Selection criteria for applications
The selection process for candidates will be based on the following criteria :
- Candidate’s training/skills/experience
- Candidate’s training/diplomas related to the expert assignment
- Candidate’s skills linked with the expert mission
- Candidate’s experiences linked with the expert mission
- Candidate’s expected linguistic understanding
Deadline for application : 2026/04/26 23:55
File(s) attached : ToR_ KE1_Team Leader.pdf
Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :
- democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
- peace, stability, and security ;
- climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
- health and human development ;
In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results.