Scientific Officer Preparedness and Response

Is this job for you?   

ECDC plans to recruit staff for the above-mentioned profile to fill one long-term post, one post covering the Early Warning and Response (EWRS) project, and one post covering the ECDC partnership project with Africa CDC. ECDC also aims to establish a reserve list which may be used to fill similar future vacancies.

You will be placed in the Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Unit, either in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Section or in the Global Epidemic Intelligence and Health Security Section. 

To find out more about what the unit does, visit https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/ecdcs-organisational-structure. 

You will be part of a team of approximately 25 people supporting the Centre’s work related to preparedness, response, and global health security projects.

In these positions, you will have a wide variety of tasks that may include the tasks mentioned below and give you the opportunity to:

• Identify needs and priorities to support EU/EEA and third countries, the European Commission, and ECDC partners in strengthening emergency preparedness and response through activities such as: 
  • designing, implementing and facilitating targeted capacity building activities and in-person events (e.g. technical workshops, simulation exercises, in- and after-action reviews);
  • providing and synthesising scientific evidence, (e.g. literature reviews, technical reports, guidance documents);
  • contributing to country visits and country assessments; designing and implementing threat prioritisation and preparedness planning activities;
  • and drafting relevant guidelines, tools, technical reports, manuscripts, and/or practical materials.
• Manage in-person events related to the above, to take place at ECDC or in third countries, including leading on the coordination of estimated budget, preparing meeting agendas and background materials, identifying participants, arranging logistical details, facilitating and moderating discussions, and summarising meeting findings;
• Contribute to outbreak investigations and support the timely production of high quality and evidence based rapid risk/outbreak assessments and other related outputs in response to infectious disease threats;
• Participate in and/or coordinate field deployments under the umbrella of the EU Health Task Force to support response missions in EU/EEA Member States and third countries, in collaboration with EU stakeholders (e.g. DG ECHO and DG INTPA of the European Commission) and non-EU partners (e.g. WHO, GOARN, Africa CDC and other CDCs); 
• Manage projects related to emergency preparedness involving external partners, contractors or consultants; coordinate internally to ensure clarity on budget, timelines, deliverables, and the quality of outputs, and ensuring overall monitoring of project progress through timely reporting on project indicators and drafting of annual reports;
• Contribute to external communication activities of the agency in relation to emergency preparedness and response and its global health security projects;
• Support the operation, maintenance, evaluation and further development of epidemiological or public health tools (e.g., databases, analysis packages and public health information systems) for emergency preparedness and response; develop business requirements for such tools and guide business analysts and IT developers in collaboration with counterparts in the European Commission;
• Regularly participate in ECDC missions and/or possible long-term deployments, travelling within and outside Europe;
• Contribute to other activities of ECDC as required, within your field of competence including the 24/7 duty system.

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 three years attested by a 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 his/her duties;
• 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 involved; 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 (following the award of the diploma) of recent hands-on professional experience acquired relevant to the job description;
• A university degree relevant to the field of public health, including epidemiology, health sciences, medicine, biomedical or social sciences, crisis management, or another related area. Alternatively, a post-graduate degree in applied field epidemiology (e.g. EPIET or equivalent such as national field epidemiology training); 
• Proven experience in emergency preparedness, health emergency management, epidemic intelligence/threat detection, outbreak investigation, or another topic directly applicable to emergency preparedness and response; 
• Proven recent experience in managing projects and designing and organising in-person events with international partners and stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to establish and manage relationships with organisations with a wide range of key national and international partners and stakeholders;
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Quality driven and service minded; 
• Ability to work collaboratively, build strong working relationships and understand the needs of countries and stakeholders; 
• Results oriented and able to take initiative; 
• Very good organisational and project management skills and ability to work under pressure; 
• Very good analytical skills; 
• Strong communication skills.

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 to 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 work on 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. 

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 € 4 449,31 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 2027 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. If you require any technical support please send an email to recruitmentecdc [dot] europa [dot] eu (recruitment[at]ecdc[dot]europa[dot]eu).

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!