Santé publique France is France’s national public health agency. A state-run public institution under the authority of the Minister of Health, formed through the merger of several public institutions and established by Ordinance 2016-246 of April 15, 2016, the agency works to promote public health. As a scientific, expert, and public health safety agency, its missions include:

1. Epidemiological observation and monitoring of the health status of the population; 
2. Monitoring health risks threatening the population;
3. Promoting health and reducing health risks;
4. Developing prevention and health education;
5. Preparation for and response to health threats, alerts, and crises;
6. Issuing public health alerts.

The agency is organized into 12 departments—some scientific, some cross-functional, and others providing operational support.

The agency’s strategic priorities and work program, established by its Board
of Directors, are organized into three areas: Strengthening the capacity for anticipation and rapid response to health threats; Measuring and assessing the extent of diseases and risk factors to guide their prevention and control; Strengthening the health impact of all public policies and the prevention and promotion of health.

Emergency and Crisis Management

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director General of Santé publique France, the Director of the DAC is
responsible for management oversight, coordination, and, when necessary, institutional representation
. He or she coordinates the activities of the three units and monitors program
implementation.

Responsibilities

• Organizes crisis management within the agency, maintaining constant
  communication with senior management and other agency departments, and serves as the liaison with
  the Ministry of Health;
• In collaboration with the relevant functional departments, leads efforts to anticipate,
  prepare for, and respond to public health threats;
• Organizes and supervises the implementation of the department’s activities:
  • leading, coordinating, and implementing the work program: preparing for and coordinating alerts, mobilizing response resources, and organizing lessons learned;
  • leading and coordinating the implementation of the department’s strategic or
    operational objectives as outlined in other programs;
  • preparing and publishing the BQA (daily alert bulletin);
  • organizing the weekly preparatory meeting for the ministerial health security meeting and overseeing the agency’s representation at that meeting;
  • ensuring the smooth operation of 24/7 on-call shifts directly related to the DAC’s
    missions: epidemiology on-call and operational resources on-call (health reserve
    and pharmaceutical facility);
  • as the agency’s focal point, serving as the interface with the Ministry of Health, the
    MEAE crisis center, the SSA, Civil Security, and the relevant European and international agencies and directorates
    responsible for responding to exceptional situations
    and health crises;
  • Responding to inquiries concerning the DAC;
• Coordinating the preparation and follow-up of “major events”;
• Performs internal managerial functions at Santé publique France:
  • organizing, monitoring, and evaluating the work of their department;
  • budget monitoring for his/her department;
  • Conducting performance evaluations of staff in his/her department;
• Ensures effective coordination between its department and other functional departments, as well as the finance, IT, human resources, and logistics departments, and the
  scientific and international division;
• Reports regularly to the executive management of Santé publique France
  on the progress of his department’s work and participates in executive committee meetings;
• Ensures the department’s participation in various internal bodies;
• Prepares strategic briefings, within their area of expertise, for the Director
  General of Santé publique France;
• Represents Santé publique France externally on all missions and topics handled by the department,
  particularly before the General Directorate of
  Health, and specifically before the Health Crisis Center, health security agencies, and other partner institutions

The purpose of the position is to ensure the organization and sustainability of Santé publique France’s response capacity in the areas of health threats, preparedness to address them, and the management of exceptional situations and public health crises.

As part of the future creation of a department with national jurisdiction—comprising the public health reserve and pharmaceutical supply units and operating under the authority of the Ministry of Health— the director coordinates the relevant staff across various initiatives, represents the department in dedicated internal bodies within Santé publique France and the ministry, and supports the implementation of decisions made in close collaboration with the General Directorate of Health.