Junior Scientific Officer - Animal Health & Welfare/Animal Nutrition & Production EFSA European Food Safety Authority Germany

Job description

Please note that the location of this vacancy is in Parma, Italy.
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The deadline for submitting applications is 20 May 2020.
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IS THIS JOB FOR YOU?

EFSA is looking for motivated scientists with a passion for animal health & welfare topics and/or animal nutrition & production with excellent skills in data collection and data management, able to contribute to a positive environment for scientific cooperation.
If you are looking for an interesting and challenging opportunity in an international, scientifically-driven organisation, then do not hesitate and send us your application still today!

Your key responsibilities

The successful candidate will work under the responsibility of the Team Leader or Head of Unit and will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Contribute to the delivery of EFSA scientific outputs via working groups, grants and procurements in the field of animal health & welfare and/or animal nutrition & production in accordance to the administrative rules and procedures of the Authority;
• Contribute to analyse and evaluate data for preparing working documents related to the scientific assessment of dossiers on feed additives, in particular the characterisation of the additive and studies for the safety and efficacy of feed additives (including studies on target animals);
• Contribute to analyse and evaluate data for preparing working documents related to the scientific assessment in the area of animal welfare, such as welfare during transport, slaughter or on-farm welfare and involving animal based measures (ABMs) or alternatively experience in animal disease monitoring and control;
• Provide administrative and scientific support to the activities of EFSA’s Scientific Panels and their Working Groups in the relevant area (e.g. preparation of working documents, scientific opinions, etc.);
• Interact with European, national and international stakeholders related to the scientific activities of the organisation;
• Keep abreast of scientific and regulatory developments in the field of animal health & welfare and/or animal nutrition & production to drive continuous process improvements and innovation initiatives;
• Communicate and present scientific outputs by conveying the right messages and by making scientific concepts understandable to the public

WHY EFSA?

You will play an active role in an organisation that makes a difference to the lives of 500 million EU citizens.
EFSA employs approximately 450 staff members, and its Scientific Committee and Panels engage highly qualified and independent scientific experts. Every position within EFSA plays an important part in creating an inspirational environment in which to work and develop.
You will be joining EFSA at an exciting time as we are preparing for the implementation of the Transparency Regulation: EFSA will expand its mandate and grow considerably over the next few years.
To find out more about EFSA, visit us at www.efsa.europa.eu.

WHAT CAN WE OFFER YOU?

Life in Parma

Parma is a lively city of around 200.000 inhabitants located in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Its centre is rich in art, there are parks and architecture from different periods. Parma is famous for its food, wine and its varied surrounding landscape with small villages, rich in history, medieval castles, and picturesque countryside. Parma is strategically located between major Italian cities like Milano and Bologna, and also within reachable distance of ski resorts, natural parks, the seaside and wonderful mountains.

Salary and benefits

EFSA can offer the selected candidate a contract of 5 years with the possibility of renewal.
The successful candidate will be recruited as Contract Agent Function Group IV with the basic salary starting from € 3.531,26 monthly, subject to an annual review of remuneration provided for in Article 65(1) of the Staff Regulations.

In addition to the basic salary, EFSA offers a range of benefits:

• Various allowances to which the successful jobholder may be entitled, such as a household allowance, expatriation allowance (16% of basic salary), dependent child allowance and education allowance. The salary is subject to a Community tax deducted at source and staff members are exempt from national taxation;
• A comprehensive welfare package including pension scheme, medical, accident and occupational disease insurance coverage, unemployment and invalidity allowance, and travel insurance. Further information regarding rights, conditions of employment and benefits can be found at the following links:

Desired skills and experience

WHAT ARE THE SELECTION REQUIREMENTS?
You must satisfy the following requirements on the closing date for submission of your application:

I. Eligibility criteria

1. General requirements

• Be national of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland or Norway;
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by laws concerning military service;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post;[1]
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the EU official languages and a satisfactory knowledge of another EU language;
• Meet the character requirements for the duties involved.

2. Qualifications

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three (3) years attested by a diploma.[2]In case you do not fulfil all the eligibility criteria, your application will not be taken into consideration.

II. Selection criteria

1. Technical competencies

i. At least 1 year of professional experience in one or more of the following areas:

1. Animal health & welfare;
2. Animal nutrition, animal production, feed production and/or feed technology.

ii. Experience in performing scientific risk assessment in one or both of the following areas:

1. related to animal welfare topics such as welfare during transport, slaughter or on-farm welfare and involving animal based measures (ABMs) or alternatively experience in animal disease monitoring and control;
2. related to feed additive applications and in particular the characterisation of feed additives and studies for the safety and efficacy of feed additives (including studies on target animals).

iii. Experience in generating, collecting and collating data, using relevant methodologies and ability to understand and interpret reports in order to compile the evidence;
iv. Experience in drafting clear, concise and structured scientific reports, opinions and guidance documents using appropriate scientific terminology;
v. Experience in communicating scientific outputs to different target audiences, conveying technical scientific concepts to internal and external stakeholders (both orally and in writing) and make them understandable to the target audience;
vi. Experience in managing scientific projects, ensuring on-time delivery of project outputs;
vii. Communication and English: strong ability to communicate clearly and effectively in both spoken and written English.

2. Behavioural competencies

i. Deal with ambiguity: Able to work constructively within unexpected and unpredictable situations and show resilience and composure, even in difficult or adverse circumstances; able to decide and act without having the total picture; accept constructive feedback in a positive manner;
ii. Demonstrate political savvy and strategic agility: Look beyond the current situation and visualise what the future can bring with a keen sense for arising opportunities and good understanding of how and when to best pursue them; able to think in a creative and innovative way;
iii. Focus on stakeholder needs: Committed to meet the expectations and requirements of internal and external stakeholders; establish and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders and gain their trust and respect;
iv. Plan and measure for results: Set ambitious goals that exceed the targets and create plans to achieve them; ensure an efficient and responsible planning and management of resources;
v. Work with others: Work confidently within a group and contribute to achieve the common goals, understanding own role and how it supports the team and the organisation; able to cooperate, listen actively, manage conflicts and motivate colleagues.

Areas of Research

• Animal Ecology
• Veterinary Medicine
• Life Sciences