Principal Expert Respiratory Viruses

Is this job for you?  

Are you an experienced expert in the field of respiratory viruses? Are you interested in applying your skills to ECDC projects and scientific activities, such as liaising with focal points on respiratory viruses in the EU Member States to improve reporting and monitoring of respiratory viruses in the EU? 

What will you do? 

You will work in the Respiratory Virus and Legionella section in the Disease Programmes 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 Respiratory viruses and Legionella, you will be part of a team of approximately 12 staff.

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

• Lead and contribute to the production of scientific evidence-based guidance and advice in response to questions from the EU Member States, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and other stakeholders as well as advice initiated by ECDC on the topic of respiratory viruses;
• Lead the technical work aimed at improving reporting and monitoring of respiratory viruses at EU level and at better and timely understanding of the respiratory virus occurrence, trends and burden in the EU;
• Lead analytical work using surveillance data concerning respiratory viruses to provide insightful information for decision-making and for defining public health priorities;
• Work with EU Member States and international stakeholders to further develop surveillance activities related to respiratory viruses;
• Provide input for the annual work plan, including prioritisation of activities and technically coordinate activities in the area of surveillance of respiratory viruses;
• Establish close links between ECDC and national/international bodies, and with other relevant networks, partners and stakeholders;
• Assist Member States in strengthening their communicable disease surveillance in the area of respiratory viruses;
• Assume leadership roles in public health emergencies caused by respiratory viruses.

Administrative and operational tasks in the job mostly relate to developing public procurement procedures for outsourcing research and analysis tasks, such as scientific studies and technical reports, providing strategic direction to external contractors and monitoring the quality of their work. 

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 (following the award of the diploma) [2]
• 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 professional experience (following the award of the diploma), acquired in positions relevant to the job description;
• Proven experience in working on surveillance of respiratory viruses at national or international level;
• Proven experience in working with a statistical software such as R or similar;
• Advanced understanding of different surveillance systems and of data sources (e.g. electronic health records) that can be used for public health surveillance of respiratory viruses;
• Proven experience in responding to respiratory viruses' outbreaks and in conducting analysis of surveillance data; 
• Proven experience in developing evidence-based public health scientific advice; 
• Proven experience in communicating scientific information to professionals, scientists as well as to a wider audience, especially through oral presentations, technical reports and by publishing scientific articles; 
• Experience in project management and in working with multidisciplinary teams of experts; 
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Good organisational skills: a planned approach to tasks and ability to prioritise, work under pressure and manage responsibilities; 
• Ability to work collaboratively and build strong working relationships; 
• Results oriented; 
• Quality driven and service minded. 

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 work on 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 € 8.216 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 2025 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.

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!