Principal Expert Vaccine-preventable diseases

Contract length: 5 years (renewable)
Location: Stockholm 
Indicative number of candidates to be employed: 2

Is this job for you? 

Are you an experienced expert with a background in vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation, and are you interested in applying your skills to engage with international global health partners, internal ECDC projects and science to policy developments? 

What will you do?

You will work in the Vaccine-preventable Diseases and Immunisation (VPI) section in the Disease Programmes (DPR) unit.

Reporting to the Head of Section VPI, you will be part of a team of approximately 15 supporting the Centre’s work related to the surveillance and monitoring, scientific advice as well as prevention and control of vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation.

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

• Contribute to the planning and prioritization of activities as well as to initiate and produce technical reports or tenders; 
• Contribute to the planning, implementation and conduct of collection, analysis and dissemination of data from surveillance and monitoring, including by providing technical input to ECDC dashboards;
• Contribute to the development of a system to monitor vaccination coverage in EU/EEA, taking the existing structures into account;
• Initiate, follow up on, and/or supervise scientific studies and/or systematic evidence reviews as a basis for scientific advice, and provide Member States with elements that can inform the development of national vaccination policies;
• Contribute to day-to-day implementation of inter-EU agencies initiatives such as the Vaccine Monitoring Platform, including implementation of vaccine effectiveness studies;
• Participate in the production of risk assessments and the provision of scientific advice to Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament;
• Establish close links between ECDC and national/international bodies, and with other relevant networks, partners and stakeholders and contribute to the management and coordination of ECDC networks in the field.
• Contribute to other activities of ECDC as required, within your field of competence including the 24/7 duty system.

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, provide strategic direction to external contractors and monitoring the quality of their work. 

What are we looking for?

A. Eligibility criteria

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*;
• At least 9 years of professional experience** (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***;
• 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.

B. Selection criteria

For your application to be evaluated further, you will also need:

• A university or post graduate degree within the field of medicine, public health, epidemiology or other fields of health, relevant to the position;
• At least 8 years' of recent, hands on experience acquired in positions relevant to the job description on vaccine preventable diseases in the routine childhood, adolescent or/and older age-groups vaccination programmes;
• Solid knowledge and understanding of the regulatory aspects of vaccines, as well as of EU policies relevant to immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases;
• Experience in performing scientific studies and producing guidance/technical documents on vaccine preventable diseases and/or immunisation using evidence-based methodologies; 
• Proven experience on methodologies related to monitoring of vaccination coverage;
• Proven experience in multi-disciplinary project management;
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Strategic thinking and ability to take initiative;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multi-cultural team;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including in communicating scientific information to authorities, peers as well as to a wider audience; 
• Organisational skills and ability to manage responsibilities under routine conditions as well as under pressure. 

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 have access to the latest European-level surveillance data and dedicated expertise in your field, and 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 flexible work arrangements such as teleworking and flexible working hours, health insurance and learning opportunities. 

Depending on your experience, the basic salary usually starts at 7.977 €/month and is supplemented by various allowances, including as applicable expatriation and/or generous family allowances. Salary is exempt from national tax, instead an Agency tax at source is paid. 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 procedures include a remote written test and a video conference interview; some selection procedures 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.

See an overview of the different steps in the selection process and see the ECDC candidat guide for a detailed explanation of the selection and recruitment process. 

When starting a new contract under the EU staff regulations, all new staff have to 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.

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 procedure from within your e-recruitment account. 

We welcome your application!

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.

* 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.