Ref.
2026/DTLSPRP/16364
Job offer type
Field staff jobs
Type of contract
CDDU
Deadline date
2026/10/30 16:00
Contract
Wage portage
Duration
12 mois renouvelable
Deputy Team Leader Syria Pharma Recovery Project (M/W)
Département Santé - DEPSAN > Pôle Renforcement des systèmes de santé
Published on : 2026/10/14
NORTH AFRICA / MIDDLE EAST
SYRIA
Mission description
The Deputy Team Leader, based at the EF office in Damascus, will report hierarchically to Team Leader. S/he will work closely with a project support team based in Damascus, and will be directly managing a pool of international and national experts. The Deputy Team Leader will collaborate with the "France team" in Syria, including AFD and the French Embassy, while working in close coordination with Syrian authorities.
S/he will be responsible for the technical implementation of the project, and collaborating with the Damascus-based project team, which includes roles dedicated to administration, finance, logistics, engineering and security.
The key responsibilities of the Deputy Team Leader include the following:
Technical oversight
· Provide high-level technical guidance in areas such as pharmaceutical regulation and manufacturing, quality-control systems, training, in the pharmaceutical sector.
· Define the Terms of Reference and technical definition of scope of work for consultancies and recruitment of international as well as national experts.
· Manage the deployment of short- and long-term experts, ensuring efficient mission planning, needs assessment, and quality control of deliverables.
· Oversee the delivery of technical support to beneficiary institutions, ensuring quality and compliance with international standards.
· Guide the implementation of capacity-building components, including support for technology transfer, training, and infrastructure development.
Operational support and Project Management
· Draft and consolidate key documents and materials for activity reports and deliverables relating to Program’s activities (activities’ reports, workshop and meeting report, training, missions, etc…)
· Support the Team Leader in fostering strong collaboration with national authorities (MoH), EU Delegation, GIZ, implementing partners and international organisations (WHO).
· Assist the Team Leader in overseeing the planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities, ensuring timely delivery of outputs and alignment with objectives, logframe targets, risks and budget.
· Monitor and report on potential challenges or sectoral developments that may affect project execution, ensuring proactive measures are in place.
· Contribute to identifying partnership opportunities and aligning with France’s health initiatives in Syria.
· Contribute to quality assurance of technical deliverables and ensure consistency across project activities.
Support to Sustainability & Policy Development
· Support national efforts to institutionalize project results and integrate them into long-term strategies.
· Identify opportunities to build synergies with other projects and regional initiatives (WHO manufacturing initiatives…).
· Promote policy dialogue and knowledge-sharing on local production and regulatory strengthening.
Human Resources Management
· Coordinate and manage the pool of international and national experts.
· In collaboration with the Team Leader, define operational objectives for team members, organize workloads, and lead regular meetings to foster communication and collaboration.
· Participate in the recruitment and on-boarding of project team members and mobilized experts, including drafting terms of reference and overseeing their assignments.
· Participate in the implementation of organizational and coordination tools (e.g., RACI charts, office planning documents).
· Promote a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment, fostering strong internal communication and teamwork.
This list is not exhaustive, and the tasks and activities mentioned are not restrictive.
Project or context description
About Expertise France
Expertise France is the French public agency for international technical cooperation and the leading operator in this field. As a subsidiary of the Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), it designs and implements projects that contribute to the sustainable strengthening of public policies in developing and emerging countries. The agency is active in key development sectors, including governance, security, climate, health, education, and skills development. Together with its partners, it contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
EF in Syria
Expertise France has been active in Syria since 2013 as part of stabilization programs, initially implemented in areas outside the control of the former Syrian regime. As part of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach, its work aims to create the conditions for sustainable stabilization, economic recovery, and the strengthening of community resilience. Its work in Syria aims to strengthen human security and the resilience of affected populations by improving their livelihoods and their capacity to prepare for crises. Around 25 were implemented (access to basic services, health care, support for civil society, agriculture, economic recovery), allowing to develop partnerships with local organisations, and benefiting to more than 3,8 million people.
Since January 2025, Expertise France has been scaling up its activities throughout Syria to support reconstruction and recovery efforts, in coordination and collaboration with the Syrian government.
Syria Pharmaceutical Sector Recovery Project
Since 2011, Syria has experienced a prolonged crisis that has significantly weakened public institutions, disrupted economic systems, and reduced the capacity of essential service delivery, particularly in the health sector. Health infrastructure has been damaged, institutional capacities have eroded, and shortages of skilled personnel have constrained system functionality. Access to essential medicines remains uneven, with recurrent shortages, increased reliance on imports, and rising out-of-pocket expenditure. Pharmaceutical supply chains remain fragmented and vulnerable, while economic and financial constraints continue to limit access to raw materials, reagents, spare parts, and other essential pharmaceutical inputs.
Before the conflict, Syria had one of the most developed pharmaceutical industries in the region, supplying a large share of domestic demand and exporting to neighboring markets. Although manufacturing capacity was significantly disrupted during the conflict, parts of the industry have remained operational and gradually recovered, largely through private manufacturers that preserved technical know-how, adapted to disrupted supply chains, and continued to contribute to domestic medicine supply. However, the sector continues to face significant structural and institutional constraints. Regulatory responsibilities remain fragmented and under-resourced, with key functions distributed across several departments within the Ministry of Health and no autonomous medicines regulatory authority currently in place.
In this context, the UE is funding a project aiming to strengthen Syria’s pharmaceutical regulatory and quality-assurance system to ensure compliance of medicines and pharmaceutical manufacturers with applicable quality and safety international standards.
Achieving this outcome requires simultaneous progress across three mutually reinforcing outputs :
- Output 1: Establishing and operationalising the Syria Drug Authority (SDA) provides the institutional backbone for regulatory governance.
- Output 2: Rehabilitating, equipping and operationalising the National Drug Quality Control Laboratory ensures the generation of reliable laboratory evidence essential for regulatory decision-making.
Output 3: Supporting manufacturers in meeting WHO GMP standards and developing pharmaceutical workforce competencies to strengthen compliance, improve quality of medicines, and ensure that systems and industrial capacities can be effectively operated and sustained.
Required profile
Education & qualification
· Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Pharmacy, Public Health, Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Regulatory Affairs, Political Science (with a focus on health policy).
Professional experience
· Minimum 8 years of professional experience in the health or pharmaceutical sector, with at least 5 years in managing international development projects in the Middle East.
· Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams, preferably in regulatory system strengthening, local pharmaceutical production, R&D, or clinical trials.
· Experience engaging with national authorities (MoH…), international agencies (WHO…), and donors (EU, AFD, World Bank).
· Prior work in crisis-affected or fragile environments is essential.
· Proven track record managing projects in multicultural, multi-stakeholder settings.
Skills and Competencies
· Strong technical expertise in health-related sectors, particularly in regulatory frameworks and quality control.
· Deep understanding of Syrian health systems, health policy, pharmaceutical policy, regulation (GMP, GCP, BE studies), local manufacturing ecosystems, and strategies to improve access to essential medicines and health products.
· Strong familiarity with lab ecosystems, training, gender equity in health systems, and capacity-building approaches for health workforce development.
· Sound knowledge of public development aid mechanisms, international donors (especially the EU), and cooperation frameworks.
· Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects and ensure alignment with donor standards and policy environments.
· Excellent negotiation, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities, particularly in high-stakes or politically sensitive settings.
· Strong skills in stakeholder engagement, coordination, and network mobilization, including with civil society, government bodies, and technical partners.
· Advanced analytical, reporting, and writing capabilities for both technical and policy-level documents.
· Experience leading high-level dialogue and relationship-building with public and private partners, including ministries, donors, and civil society actors.
· Excellent written and oral communication in both English and Arabic.
· Proficient with Microsoft Office tools (Excel, Word, Outlook), and familiar with financial and planning software.
Personal Attributes
· Strong leadership and coordination skills, with a collaborative mindset.
· Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
· Proactive, autonomous, and adaptable to changing contexts.
· Strong decision-making and organizational abilities.
· Analytical thinking and capacity for synthesis.
· Results-oriented with strong anticipation and planning skills.
Additional information
Additional information
- Type of contract: 12 month fixed-term national employment contract, renewable
- Starting date: December 2026
- Remuneration: according to EF salary scale and profile
The closing date for applications is 31/10/2026. To apply, please send your CV (max 3 pages) accompanied by a cover letter (max 1 page).
Expertise France respects equal opportunities and strongly encourages applications from women.
Deadline for application : 2026/10/30 16:00
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.