Principal Expert General Surveillance/Group Leader Surveillance Systems

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 General Surveillance section in the Surveillance, Preparedness and Response (SPR) unit. 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 General Surveillance, you will be part of a team of approximately 13 people supporting the Centre’s work related to the cross-cutting aspects of EU/EEA infectious disease surveillance (common surveillance processes and digital platforms, eHealth-based surveillance and data management).

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

• Lead the Surveillance Systems group, line manage the staff, plan their work with them and ensure its implementation according to high quality standards and agreed budgets and deadlines;
• Provide strategic and technical oversight of the routine EU/EEA surveillance process, eHealth-based surveillance, surveillance data management and the development and maintenance of relevant digital tools and platforms (e.g. EpiPulse);
• Contribute to coordinating the development and compliance monitoring of legally binding disease-specific EU/EEA surveillance standards in close collaboration with microbiology, epidemic intelligence, and disease experts;
• Contribute to exploring and harnessing novel technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence) and data sources for EU/EEA surveillance;
• Maintain close and productive working relationships with the ECDC disease experts through meticulous follow-up of joint projects, regular meetings at managerial and technical level, and clear and timely written communication;
• Participate in public health emergency preparedness assessments to evaluate EU/EEA national surveillance systems and make recommendations on areas to be strengthened;
• Support the Head of Section in liaising with the National Focal Points for Surveillance in the Member States to involve them in relevant strategic discussions and decisions;
• Support the European Commission in their legislative and budgetary efforts, policy, prioritisation and decision-making relevant to EU/EEA surveillance;
• Represent the Surveillance Systems group vis-à-vis ECDC hierarchy, other parts of the Centre and externally, and ensure close collaboration across organisational boundaries, as required;
• Procure the services of suitably qualified and experienced consultants through existing framework contracts and monitor the quality of their work;
• Contribute to other ECDC activities as required, according to your area of expertise.

What are we looking for?

Formal requirements

1. 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 attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years¹;
• At least 9 years of professional experience² (following the award of the diploma);
• 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 duties³;
• 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 involved⁴; 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 8 years of professional experience (following the award of the diploma), acquired in expert or managerial positions relevant to the job description;
• University degree within the field of medicine, public health, or epidemiology, or a degree in another related area combined with a 2-year training in applied field epidemiology, such as EPIET;
• At least 5 years of experience in coordinating routine infectious disease surveillance at international, national or regional (e.g. state, province) level;
• Experience in health informatics, especially implementing eHealth-based surveillance, such as automated data extraction from electronic health records or integration of standard health data terminologies for routine surveillance purposes;
• Experience in managing large-scale and complex datasets;
• Demonstrated experience in leading, managing, and supporting multidisciplinary teams, preferably as a line manager;
• Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Strong leadership skills;
• Strong inter-personal skills and ability to work well in a team;
• Excellent communication and presentation skills;
• Strong organisational skills and ability to work under pressure and prioritise. 

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 have access to the latest European-level surveillance data and dedicated expertise in your field, collaborate with various experts and organisations across Europe and beyond, and you will be part of public health-relevant infectious disease networks. 

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. 

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 € 8911 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!

1 _{Only diplomas and certificates that have been awarded in EU member states or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration}

_{2 Compulsory military service is always taken into consideration.} 

_{3 Candidates with a non-official EU language or English as their mother tongue must provide proof of their level of a second language with a certificate (B1 or more). In addition, in order to be eligible for a promotion through an annual promotion exercise the staff members have to have a working knowledge of a third EU language, as described in the applicable Staff Regulations and Implementing Rules.} 

_{4 Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a certificate from the police file to the effect of non-existing criminal record.}