Senior Expert for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption/Surveillance Unit - Montesquieu Institute

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Vacancy for the post

Senior Expert for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption/ Surveillance Unit

(ECDC/TA/AD/2010/SUN-SESAC)

Applications are invited for the above Temporary Agent post at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The Centre is located in Stockholm, Sweden. The legal base for the Centre is Regulation (EC) No 851/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

General description of the tasks and role of the ECDC

The mission of the Centre is to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging threats to human health from communicable diseases. Within this broad mission statement, the main technical tasks of the Centre fall into the following four categories:

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  Scientific opinions, bringing together technical expertise in specific fields through its various EU-wide networks and via ad hoc scientific panels;

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  Technical assistance and communication about its activities and results, and disseminating information tailored to meet the needs of its different audiences;

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  Epidemiological surveillance and networking of laboratories, i.e. the development of epidemiological surveillance at European level and the maintenance of networks of reference laboratories;

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  Early Warning and Response, based on `round the clock' availability of specialists in communicable diseases.

See also the Centre home page at http://ecdc.europa.eu

Working in the Centre

The work in the Centre is characterised by a high level of professionalism and efficiency. We believe each and every staff member's contribution is important in making the Centre a good place to work with a strong team spirit. We can offer an opportunity of being an important part of a young and dynamic European Agency.

The Director's Cabinet supports the Director in overseeing the strategic development of the Centre and ensuring coordination. There are four technical Units in the Centre: Scientific Advice, Surveillance, Preparedness and Response and Health Communication. The work on specific diseases or specific health issues is carried out in disease specific programmes, which include experts from all four units. The operational activities of ECDC are facilitated by the Administration Unit.

The Surveillance Unit

The main task of the Surveillance Unit is to gradually take over the responsibility for the surveillance of communicable diseases at EU level. In close collaboration with the experts of the national surveillance institutes, streamlined technical systems will be built, data analysed and the information disseminated to those who need it for the promotion of a good health in Europe. The Surveillance Unit is made up of two sections, the Data Management and General Surveillance section and the Disease Specific Surveillance section.

The Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections Surveillance Section

The main tasks of the section are to co-ordinate and further develop the European surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthcare-Associated Infections and their determinants Antimicrobial Use and Infection Control processes, by transferring and/or supporting the co-ordination of the related dedicated surveillance networks (DSN's) EARSS (antimicrobial resistance surveillance), EUCAST (standardisation of antimicrobial susceptibility testing), IPSE (surveillance of healthcare-associated infections and related indicators) and ESAC (surveillance of antimicrobial consumption).

Job description

The jobholder will report to the Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance Section in the Surveillance Unit.

The purpose of the job is to prepare and implement the transition of the European network for the surveillance of antimicrobial consumption (ESAC) to ECDC and to co-ordinate and further develop the related surveillance and networking activities in the EU.

The job holder will in particular be responsible for the following areas of work:

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  Co-ordinate ECDC's activities on surveillance of antimicrobial consumption in humans;

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  Plan, co-ordinate and conduct the implementation at ECDC of the surveillance activities on antimicrobial consumption currently carried out by the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial consumption (ESAC);

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  Co-ordinate the development of the future surveillance for antimicrobial consumption in the EU;

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  Contribute to the planning, development and implementation of systems for data management, analysis and dissemination of surveillance data on antimicrobial consumption and other relevant information from the ECDC;

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  Assist Member States in strengthening the national surveillance of antimicrobial consumption in humans;

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  Establish close links between ECDC and national/international bodies with relation to surveillance of antimicrobial consumption, and to other relevant networks, partners and stakeholders;

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  Assist in and contribute to the planning and execution of ECDC activities on the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and health care associated infections;

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  Commission studies and consultancies in relevant areas, and be prepared to initiate, carry out and/or supervise feasibility studies commissioned by ECDC;

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  Provide input regarding antimicrobial consumption to ECDC-funded projects on antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections.

Qualifications and experiences required

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  Formal requirements

In order to be an eligible candidate you need to have a set of formal requirements. These requirements are:

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  A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four 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 one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years;

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  At least 9 years professional experience (following the award of the diploma) of which at least 5 years acquired in positions related to biostatistical applications;

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  Thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Communities and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Communities to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties;

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  Nationality of one of the EU Member States or of Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein;

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  To be entitled to his or her full rights as a citizen;

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  To have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;

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  Meet the character requirements for the duties involved; and

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  Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.

B. Selection criteria

To qualify for this post we have identified essential criteria in regard of professional experience and personal characteristics/interpersonal skills. These are:

Professional experience and knowledge:

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  Proven technical experience in designing, implementing, running or evaluating surveillance systems for antimicrobial consumption on national or international level;

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  Proven experience in methods to analyse data on antimicrobial consumption as well as in communicating the results of these analyses to authorities, to the scientific community as well as to a wider audience;

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  Familiarity with activities within the EU with regard to the occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance and the relation between antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial consumption;

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  Good command of English, both spoken and written, and an additional EU official language;

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  Good knowledge of the relevant EU policies and activities.

Personal characteristics/interpersonal skills:

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  Excellent oral and written communication skills;

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  Excellent interpersonal skills;

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  Ability to plan ahead; a proactive attitude;

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  Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team;

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  Ability to work under pressure.

We have also identified experiences that are advantageous for this post. These are:

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  A PhD degree in pharmacology, microbiology, infection control, public health, or related areas;

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  Degree in medicine, pharmacology or public health with training in epidemiology;

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  Experience in project management;

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  Good knowledge of policies and procedures in communicable disease surveillance and response of relevant partners;

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  Experience and knowledge of STATA.

Depending on the number of applications received, the selection committee may apply stricter requirements within the aforementioned selection criteria.

Appointment and conditions of employment

The jobholder will be appointed on the basis of a shortlist proposed by the Selection Committee to the Director. This vacancy notice is the basis for the establishment of the Selection Committee's proposal. Candidates may be requested to undergo written tests. Candidates should note that the proposal may be made public and that inclusion in the shortlist does not guarantee recruitment. The shortlist of candidates will be established following an open selection process.

The successful candidate will be recruited as a Temporary Agent, pursuant to article 2a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, for a period of five years. The contract may be renewed. The appointment will be in AD 8.

Applicants should note the requirement under the EU staff regulations for all new staff to complete successfully a probationary period.

For any further information on contractual and working conditions, please refer to the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, which are available at the following link:

http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/aboutus/jobs/Documents/tocen100.pdf

The place of employment will be Stockholm, where the Centre has its activities.

Successful candidate appointed by the Director will be required to be available at the shortest notice possible.

Reserve list

A reserve list will be drawn up by ECDC. The list may be used as a reserve for recruitment, should similar vacancies arise. It will be valid until 31 December 2011 and may be extended.

Declaration of commitment to serve the public interest independently

The jobholder will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make a declaration in relation to the interests that might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

Equal opportunities

ECDC applies equal opportunities and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race political, philosophical or religious conviction, sex or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.

Application procedure

For applications to be valid, you must submit all of the following documents by e-mail:

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  A detailed Curriculum Vitae in European format (available on http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu )- any other formats will render your application ineligible. When a position has been part-time, please indicate the exact percentage of time worked, since the formal requirements for professional experience, will be calculated on this basis ;

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  A letter of motivation;

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  The eligibility and selection criteria grid completed (see below).

You will be requested at a later stage to supply documentary evidence in original in support of the statements that you make for this application. As a candidate you are to be informed that in a later part of the recruitment process a mandatory medical analyses and physical check-up is done with selected medical service.

Applications preferably in the working language of the Centre, which is English, should be sent by e-mail in Word or PDF format to Recruitment@ecdc.europa.eu clearly indicating the vacancy reference (ECDC/TA/AD/2010/SUN-SESAC) and your family name in the Subject line. The application will be rejected if the dossier is incomplete.

Closing date for the submission of applications is 26 April, 2010, at 24:00 CET.

Due to the large volume of applications only applicants selected for interviews will be notified.

Important information for applicants

Applicants are reminded that the work of the selection committees is confidential. It is forbidden for applicants to make direct or indirect contact with members of these committees or for anybody to do so on their behalf.

When making appointment decisions, the Appointing Authority considers geographical and gender balance.

Protection of personal data

Please note that the personal information ECDC requests from applicants will be processed in line with Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data.  The purpose of processing of your personal data is to support the selection procedures at ECDC. This processing may involve distribution of this data to other Community institutions. For further information or exercise of your rights (such as the right to access or the right to correct my data), contact can be taken with the Human Resources section.

Eligibility and selection criteria grid

Senior expert for surveillance of antimicrobial consumption/surveillance unit

(ECDC/TA/AD/2010/SUN-SESAC)

Last Name (in capitals):

First name:

Gender: Male:

Female:

A. Eligibility criteria

(1)	I have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four 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 one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years;	Yes	No
(2)	I have at least 9 years, following the diploma, of professional experience of which at least 5 years acquired in expert positions related to antimicrobial consumption;	Yes	No
		Number of years of professional experience following the award of my diploma	Specify:
		Number of years in positions related to the aforemen­tioned duties	Specify:
(3)	I have a thorough knowledge of at least two official languages of the European Union.	Yes	No
(4)	I am a national of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.	Yes	No
(5)	I am entitled to my full rights as citizen.	Yes	No
(6)	I have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service.	Yes	No
(7)	I meet the character requirements for the duties involved.	Yes	No
(8)	I am physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.	Yes	No

(1 = slight; 2 = good; 3 = very good; 4 = excellent)

B. Selection criteria

(9)	My technical experience in one or more of the designing, implementing, running or evaluating surveillance systems for antimicrobial consumption on national or international level is:	1 2 3 4
(10)	My experience in methods to analyse data on antimicrobial consumption as well as in communicating the results of these analyses to authorities, to the scientific community as well as to a wider audience is:	1 2 3 4
(11)	My familiarity with activities within the EU with regard to the occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance and the relation between antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial consumption is:	1 2 3 4
(12)	My command of English, both spoken and written is:	1 2 3 4
(13)	My command of another EU language is:	1 2 3 4
(14)	My knowledge of the relevant EU policies and activities is:	1 2 3 4
(15)	My oral and written communication skills are:	1 2 3 4
(16)	My interpersonal skills are:	1 2 3 4
(17)	My ability to plan ahead and my proactive attitude is:	1 2 3 4
(18)	My ability to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team is:	1 2 3 4
(19)	My ability to work under pressure is:	1 2 3 4
(20)	My knowledge of policies and procedures in communicable disease surveillance and response of relevant partners is:	1 2 3 4
(21)	My experience in project management is:	1 2 3 4
(22)	My experience and knowledge of STATA is:	1 2 3 4
(23)	I have a PhD degree in pharmacology, microbiology, infection control, public health, or related areas;	Yes	No
(24)	I have a degree in medicine, pharmacology or public health with training in epidemiology:	Yes	No

Official Journal No. L 142 of 30 April 2004, page 1

In addition, in order to be eligible for a promotion through an annual promotion exercise the staff members have to have a working knowledge of a third EU language, as described in the applicable Staff Regulations and Implementing Rules.

Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a certificate from the police file to the effect of non-existing criminal record.

Before being engaged, a member of the temporary staff shall be medically examined by the Centre's medical office in order that the institution may be satisfied that he fulfils the requirements of Article 12 (2)(d).

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Op basis van een schriftelijke reactie (sollicitatiebrief, CV en motivatie) vindt een selectie plaats. Als je voor de volgende ronde wordt uitgenodigd voert een sollicitatiecommissie een gesprek met je.

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