EFSA – Scientific Data Steward

You will play an active role in an organisation that makes a difference to the lives of 445 million EU citizens.
EFSA employs around 550 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.
 

EFSA’s standards and values are driven by ethics and integrity and all staff is expected to act in a manner consistent with its principles, including fairness, transparency and impartiality in work practices and conduct towards other people.

EFSA is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all suitably qualified candidates without any distinction on grounds of age, gender, sexual orientation, impairment and disability, ethnic or social origin, religion or belief. All EFSA staff is committed to creating an open and inclusive environment.
 

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

 

The following competencies will be assessed throughout the different phases of the selection procedure. Candidates are also expected to demonstrate effective communication in both spoken and written English as well as strong motivation for the position.

 

1. Technical competencies

 

i. Professional experience in generation, collection, collation, validation, curation, extraction and analysis of data, preferably in the area of chemical or biological data, food consumption data, environmental data, or data from human/animal studies.

ii. Professional experience in supporting data providers and stakeholders on data preparation and data collection, conveying technical scientific concepts and/or regulatory requirements  (both orally and in writing), drafting clear and concise guidance documents, manuals, technical specifications and provide service desk support.

iii. Professional experience in data stewardship, understanding data quality concepts and techniques, data cleansing, data validation to ensure high-quality data, contributing to the development of standards for data collection and related standard terminologies and ensuring correct access to/protection of personal/confidential data. 

iv. Proven use of data management/analysis software, statistical software and programming languages used in analytics and data visualisation tools (e.g. SAS,  MicroStrategy, Power BI, R-Shiny, Python, R, Spark, or equivalent technologies).

v. Experience in successfully managing projects or coordinating activities, preferably in the context of data management and data stewardship activities.

 

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.

 

NOTE

 

[1] Before appointment, a successful candidate shall be medically examined by an institution’s medical officer in order that the European Food Safety Authority may be satisfied that the candidate fulfils the requirement of article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Communities.

 

[2] Any academic qualification mentioned in the application form shall be duly supported by evidence (original or certified copies of e.g. diplomas, certification, etc.) Only qualifications issued by EU Member State authorities and qualifications recognised as equivalent by the relevant EU Member State authorities will be accepted. In instances where diplomas are obtained from a non-EU Member State, EFSA may request the candidate to provide a relevant document of comparability issued by a recognised authority.