EU Cooperation and International Relations 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 Governance and International Relations section in the Director’s Office and contribute to the work of ECDC in the areas of cooperation with the EU Member States and the European Economic Area countries (EU/EEA), EU Institutions and international relations. 

Reporting to the Head of Section Governance and International Relations, you will be part of a team of approximately seven staff. 

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

• Contribute to the Centre’s collaboration and engagement with the EU/EEA within ECDC’s mandate;
• Contribute to coordination of work of ECDC with EU institutions, especially the European Commission services, and international organisations, particularly the World Health Organisation, major Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (CDCs) in non-EU countries etc.;
• Support, in coordination with the European Commission services, the development of technical cooperation and collaboration between ECDC, EU/EEA countries and the countries neighbouring the European Union (e.g. EU enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Partner countries);
• Develop and maintain structured cooperation frameworks and collaborative relations with international partners in the assigned areas of responsibility;
• Participate in ECDC missions, travelling within and outside Europe;
• Support any other international activities, as requested, as part of the Governance and International Relations section in the Director’s Office;
• 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 diploma[1];
• 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 duties[2];
• 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[3]; 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 professional experience acquired in positions relevant to the job description, including experience in international relations, public health and/or public administration with exposure to public health;
• Work experience in international/EU institutions or experience of cooperating with such institutions, providing an understanding of international relations/cooperation;
• Excellent knowledge of the relevant EU policies and activities, in particular familiarity with the EU external relations policies and/or EU public health policies;
• Work experience providing an understanding of the context in which national public health institutes (in the EU) operate;
• Hands-on experience in project management, including budget monitoring, and timely and accurate reporting;
• Excellent level of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Very good oral and written communication skills, including briefing and report writing and oral presentation skills;
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural team and to build strong working relationships;
• Very good diplomatic and negotiation skills;
• High degree of political awareness and sensitivity;
• Ability to work under pressure and manage responsibilities; results oriented and quality driven.

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.  

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 € 4 319 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.

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.

See an overview of the different steps in the selection process and 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 in the E-recruitment guide. 

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!