Head of Section Procurement

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

Is this job for you?  

Are you interested in being responsible for the procurement activities of a leading European public health agency, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), based in Stockholm, Sweden and to deliver and develop solutions-oriented services that ultimately benefit European citizens?

What will you do? 

Reporting to the Head of Unit Resource Management Services (RMS), you will lead, manage and guide an international team of 10 procurement professionals, organise the section's day-to-day work and monitor the fulfilment of their mission and objectives.

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

• Plan and supervise the work of the procurement section;
• Lead the planning, development, and high-quality delivery and reporting of the Agency’s procurement and grant activities;
• Provide advice and support to project managers and authorising officers in the area of procurement, grants and contract management, including advice on the most appropriate outsourcing strategy in line with the legal and procedural framework and principles of sound financial management;
• Drive continuous evaluation, standardisation and improvement of the function, such as procurement plans, processes, procedures, working methods and tools to ensure efficient and effective procurement across ECDC to efficiently meet changing objectives and priorities;
• Coordinate procurements, oversee all types of tender procedures, including all steps of the procurement cycle, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and sound financial management;
• Coordinate and oversee the preparation and implementation of contracts with external service providers and suppliers;
• Line manage the staff of the section, including performance management;
• Develop the section’s competencies in line with the Agency’s competency framework;
• Collaborate with internal and external auditing/controlling bodies;
• Act as the Agency’s knowledge expert in terms of the purchasing process, ensuring it is fit for purpose, quality reviewing procurement documentation before launch and approval as part of the quality management process;
• Provide strategic advice to middle and senior management, as well as service owners on financial, operational or legal risks arising from procurement planning, procurement procedures and contract management, including exception management;
• Prepare required reports and statistics to key stakeholders (e.g. Management Board) and contribute to the preparation of documents and reports, including the implementation of internal control standards;
• Contribute to the creation of procurement training plans, training and other awareness raising activities on procurement-related matters;
• 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 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 years[1];
• At least 9 years of professional experience[2] (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 duties[3];
• 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[4]; 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 recent professional experience acquired in positions relevant to the job description;
• Experience in performing public procurement and contract management tasks in the service of a European Union institution, agency or body, or in an international organisation, or in a national body performing procurement;
• Very good knowledge and understanding of the EU financial regulations and internal control standards of the European institutions, agencies or bodies, or equivalent legislative frameworks;
• Proven experience in providing advisory functions to management and clients;
• Proven experience in managing a team;
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Excellent customer and service orientation;
• Solution-oriented approach and a proactive way of working;
• Excellent managerial skills, including coaching and managing performance;
• Strong capacity to promote change and innovation;
• Excellent planning, coordination and priority setting abilities.

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 € 8 553.32 EUR 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