Policy Officer

Contract length: 5 years (renewable)
Location: Stockholm
Indicative number of candidates to be employed: 1

Is this job for you?   

You will work in the Policy Coordination and Strategic Affairs section in the Director’s Office. To find out more about what the unit does, visit https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/ecdcs-organisational-structure.

Reporting to the Head of Section Policy Coordination and Strategic Affairs, you will be part of a small team supporting the ECDC Director and the Centre’s work related to strengthening ECDC’s strategic collaboration with EU institutions, including the EU Agencies as well as the EU Agencies’ Network and other key partners.

In this position, you will have a wide variety of tasks that will give you the opportunity to:

• Work closely with the Head of Section to support the Section in strengthening ECDC’s relations with other EU Institutions and EU Agencies, focusing on policy issues within ECDC’s mandate and related to the Centre’s overall responsibilities on response, prevention and preparedness, and disease-specific work;
• Support the drafting and production of internal and external briefings, background papers, and executive communications, incl. for the ECDC Director – as relevant;
• Follow closely relevant policy developments of relevance to the Centre and its mandate, and report internally on key issues that can help informing critical areas of work;
• Work closely with relevant colleagues to strengthen relationship with other EU Agencies through active participation in joint initiatives and networks;
• Provide input for the development of internal common positions on cross-agency issues with external relevance, such as the cross-agency One Health task force, and other key files of interest;
• Organise and/or support the organisation, incl. logistical support, to key internal and external high-level events or engagements of the ECDC Director;
• Support in developing and drafting agendas, meeting protocols, concept notes, etc. to support policy coordination activities internally within the Section or as part of key high-level external engagements of the Centre;
• Conduct policy research and/or policy analyses on different topics of interest, based on the needs of the service and closely with other colleagues in the team;
• Liaise with key internal and external stakeholders;
• Project manage contracts, as needed, in order to implement activities related to strategic priorities of the Section;
• Contribute to other activities of ECDC as required, within your field of competence.

What are we looking for?

Formal requirements

For your application to be considered eligible you must fulfil all the following requirements by the application deadline:

• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma¹;
• Thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge of another official EU language to the extent necessary for the performance of your duties²;
• Nationality of one of the EU Member States or of Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and to be entitled to your full rights as a citizen;
• To have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Meet the character requirements for the duties involved³; and
• Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.

You will need to provide appropriate documents to show that you meet all of the above criteria.

Selection criteria

For your application to be evaluated further, you will also need:

• At least 3 years of professional experience (following the award of the diploma), of recent, hands-on professional experience acquired in positions relevant to the job description in public health and/or European/public health policy areas;
• Solid background in EU Affairs and Institutional relations, including a clear understanding of the work of the EU Institutions and EU Agencies;
• A good understanding of EU policies and activities in the field of public health, as well as legislative frameworks in the field;
• Proven solid experience in drafting executive policy-oriented speeches, executive communications and briefings;
• Proven experience in conducting policy research and/or policy analyses aimed to an executive audience;
• Previous experience in organising large-scale and/or high-level policy external events involving actors and stakeholders from across different audiences;
• Proven experience in applying negotiation and stakeholder management skills within a policy environment;
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• High-level thinking and problem-solving abilities;
• Ability to synthesise complex information into clear and actionable insights;
• Proactive, flexible and solution-oriented mindset, with the ability to anticipate challenges and mitigate risks;
• Ability to build strong working relationships and to be able to work in a team.

Depending on the number of applications received, the selection committee may apply stricter requirements within the aforementioned selection criteria.

Why ECDC?

You will play an active role in making a tangible difference in public health. 

At ECDC you will join a team of more than 400 colleagues with diverse backgrounds and professions who work together for the common goal of helping countries prevent and respond to outbreaks and public health threats. Every position at ECDC plays an important part, and we cooperate closely for our collective goals. 

ECDC is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all suitably qualified candidates without any distinction on grounds of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic or social origin, religion, or belief. 

As an ECDC staff member, you will have the chance to own or support initiatives impacting the health and well-being of people in Europe.

You will be joining ECDC at interesting times. In October 2022, the European Parliament endorsed an extended mandate that will allow ECDC to adopt a stronger role in supporting EU Member States in the prevention and control of infectious disease threats and improve European preparedness and response. This includes real-time surveillance systems, mobilising an EU Health Task Force to assist local responses in Member States and building a network of EU reference laboratories. 

The post requires a high level of discretion and diplomacy and may also involve handling restricted information.

What can we offer you?

We offer a competitive salary and a range of benefits, including health insurance, learning opportunities and flexible work arrangements such as flexible working hours and teleworking in the Stockholm area for part of the week. Additionally, you can work up to 10 days a year from outside the Stockholm area.

Depending on your experience, the monthly basic salary usually starts at € 5,034 and may be supplemented by various allowances including, as applicable, expatriation and/or generous family allowances. Salary is exempt from national tax and instead an Agency tax is deducted. We also provide financial support when relocating to Stockholm.

Our benefits package is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and we are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive work environment that values the well-being of our employees. 

Learn more about the benefits of joining ECDC here: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-ecdc/work-ecdc/staff-positions/what-we-offer 

How does our selection process work?

Our selection process takes, on average, three months from the application deadline. All selection processes include a remote written test and a video conference interview; some selection processes may include additional steps.

After a candidate has been selected for the position, additional shortlisted candidates can be placed on a reserve list. The reserve list may be used when ECDC needs to fill similar positions at the same level in the future. The reserve list is valid until 31 December 2026 and may be extended.

Visit https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/work-with-us/internal-procedure-recruitment-selection for an overview of the different steps in the selection process and see the ECDC-candidate-guide.pdf (europa.eu) for a detailed explanation of the selection and recruitment process. 

When starting a new contract under the EU staff regulations, all new staff must successfully complete a probationary period of nine months.

How do you apply?

To apply for this vacancy, please create/ log in to your ECDC e-recruitment user account.

See detailed instructions on how to apply here: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Candidate-E-recruitment-user-guide.pdf

Please submit your application well ahead of the deadline in case of technical issues and/or heavy traffic on the website. After submitting your application, you will receive an automatic email message confirming receipt of your application. Ensure that the email address you provide for your applicant account is correct and that you check your email regularly.

ECDC does not accept applications submitted after the deadline or applications submitted by email, mail or any other means.

Only candidates selected for interviews will be notified. You can see the progress of the selection process from within your e-recruitment account. 

Translations of this vacancy notice in all EU languages can be obtained  by using the automatic translation function on this website.

Note: 

While this vacancy notice can be translated into all official EU languages from its English original, the language of day-to-day operations in the Agency is generally English. ECDC therefore prefers to receive the application in English.

Disclaimer: Please note that in the event of any differences in meaning or interpretation between the original English version of this content and a translation, the original English version takes precedence

We welcome your application!