Senior Scientific Specialist

Job grade: AD08 

Internal/Interagency job grade AD08 and above

Type of position: Temporary agent 

Selection procedure reference: EMA/AD/11314 

Job title: Senior Scientific Specialist 

Talent Pool: AD08 Science & Regulations

Deadline for applications: 20 April 2026 23:59 CET 

Salary: 8,911.48 Euro (including local weighting) [1] plus benefits (see calculators on the right) (based on a fulltime contract (40hrs/week))

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands (relocation to take up duties is mandatory)

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About this position:

Public Health Threats Department, (AF-HT) is looking for a Senior Scientific Specialist to support and manage high-impact activities, including preparedness and response to biological threats. In this role, you will contribute to the development and operation of European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s Emergency Task Force and the activities of the AF-HT department. In particular, you will be responsible for clinical and preclinical input in the context of specific virological health threats from basic science to medical countermeasure development, evaluation and monitoring.
You will also contribute to EMA’s extended mandated and leading role with regards to declared or potential public health threats, supporting the development and evaluation of medicinal products including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, and provide input with respect to specific virological aspects. The set of tasks to be covered includes collaboration with ECDC, WHO and clinicians, together with support to ETF including assessment of scientific advices.

In this role you will:

•  Provide scientific coordination and input in relation to the development, evaluation and surveillance of medicinal products for human use addressing viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential;
• Contribute to virological surveillance and horizon scanning of emerging scientific evidence;
• Contribute to scientific advice, pipeline review and maintenance, qualification of methodology for medical countermeasures addressing viral diseases;
• Provide scientific input to developers of medicines addressing a public health emergency and to the Emergency Task Force;
• Support the activities of the ETF including organisation of workshops and guidelines development;
• Provide training as required;
• Apply EU pharmaceutical legislation to the operations of the Agency as required;
• Represent the Agency in external meetings and contribute to EU and global activities related to emerging viral diseases;
• Respond to the requests for information received by the EMA in the scientific field.

Here is the link to the Role Description of Senior Scientific Specialist  outlining generic duties and responsibilities:

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/recruitment/role-description-scientific-senior-specialist-ad8_en.pdf

Apply if you meet these eligibility criteria:

To be eligible for consideration for this position, you are required to meet the following general and specific eligibility conditions: 

General conditions: 
1.    enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway; 
2.    have a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union (at least level B2); 
3.    have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service. 

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Specific conditions: 

1.    possess a university degree (minimum of four years) in  the field of Medicine or Life Sciences (biology, micro-biology, biochemistry, pharmacy) that must have been obtained by the closing date of this vacancy notice, and at least 9 years’ relevant professional experience after obtaining the relevant degree, that must have been obtained by the closing date, in the field of the above-mentioned areas and duties. 

or

2.   possess a university degree ( minimum of three years) in the field of Medicine or Life Sciences (biology, micro-biology, biochemistry, pharmacy) that must have been obtained by the closing date of this vacancy notice, and at least 10 years’ relevant professional experience after obtaining the relevant degree, that must have been obtained by the closing date, in the field of the above-mentioned areas and duties.  

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General Condition 1 and Specific Conditions 1 and 2 will be verified firstly based on the application form and then you will be required to provide documentary evidence at the interview stage. Failing to present these documents may result in the disqualification from the selection procedure. 

Only eligible candidates will be assessed by the Selection Committee.

You will also need to have:

Experience

• at least 5 years of experience in either a competent authority in the field of medicines regulation, the pharmaceutical industry or in a healthcare / academic setting should have been obtained in any of the following areas:
  • Virology;
  • Antiviral medicines;
  • Clinical practice in the context of viral diseases;
  • In vitro diagnostics for viral diseases.

Skills & Knowledge

• Ability to review, interpret, and draft complex scientific and regulatory documents in a clear and audience appropriate manner;
• Ability to presenting scientific, or regulatory matters at a high level (eg to experts);
• Knowledge and understanding of EU pharmaceutical legislation and the regulatory framework for pharmaceutical products in the EU, including ICH guidelines relevant to the role, or the ability to acquire and apply such knowledge quickly;
• Knowledge and understanding of current legislation and guidance in the relevant area of expertise, or the ability to rapidly develop, interpret, or the ability to acquire and apply such knowledge quickly.

 

Competencies you will need to have:

Role competencies 

• Scientific evidence management – Intermediate
• Influencing and persuading – Advanced
• Prioritising and organising – Advanced 

Sub-family competencies 

• Regulatory Framework and Strategy - Advanced
• Applied knowledge - Advanced 

Grade competencies

• Adaptability and agility – Intermediate
• Coping with pressures and setbacks – Advanced
• Analysing and problem solving – Advanced 

Core competencies 

• Ethics and integrity – Intermediate
• Team collaboration - Advanced
• Customer centricity - Advanced
• Results orientation - Advanced
• Communication - Advanced
• Cross-cultural sensitivity - Advanced
• Continuous learning and self-development -Intermediate 

The assessment of competencies forms an important part of this selection process. EMA therefore advises you to refer to its Competency Framework for more information on the definitions of these competencies and their associated levels.

These are considered nice to have:

Education

• PhD in virology or infection diseases

Experience

• In information analysis and reporting on scientific/ regulatory matters;
• In researching, analysing and presenting scientific data including scientific writing;
• In working for a regulatory body, clinic or medical organisation, academic institution or similar, in medicines development;

Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of legal, regulatory and procedural aspects of EU Medicines Regulatory framework;
• Knowledge of general methodology for quality, non-clinical, or clinical development;
• Knowledge of trends and innovative developments in pharmaceutical manufacturing and bordering legislation (e.g. medical devices);
• Knowledge of analytical methods and research skills.

Selection procedure timelines - Please note that the timelines may change

Deadline for applications

20 April 2026 23:59 CET 

Preliminary Assessments

Foreseen: 04 June 2026

Final assessments

Foreseen: Week of 22 June 2026

Decision expected

Foreseen: Last week of June 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selection process

Only eligible candidates (see eligibility criteria) will be assessed by the selection committee.

Suitability and qualifications of eligible candidates will be assessed against the assessment criteria and competences in different steps of the selection procedure.

Note:  Candidates who fail any assessment linked to any Need to Have requirement, Sub-family, Grade specific competencies, Role competencies and Core Competencies at any stage of the process are disqualified, despite getting points on other criteria.

Before the start of the selection procedure, it is decided which criteria and competences will be assessed at each stage of the process. Certain criteria / competences will be assessed / scored only for shortlisted candidates during interviews (and/or tests). Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (section 1.3. selection procedure) for an overview of the criteria and competences assessed at each stage of the process.

Shortlisting

To allow the selection committee to carry out an objective assessment of all candidates in a structured way, as part of their application, all candidates must answer the pre-defined set of questions based on Need to have criteria, role competencies and sub-family competences. 

The Selection Committee will therefore assess eligible candidates using the information provided in the responses to those questions and in their application. When answering a question, you should include all relevant information, even if it is already mentioned in other sections of your application form.

To carry out this assessment, each of your responses will be awarded points (0 to 10). The points are added up to identify those candidates whose profiles best match the duties to be performed as advertised in the vacancy notice.

Only the candidates with the highest total marks at the shortlisting stage will progress to the next stage. The Selection Committee will decide to limit the number of candidates invited to the next stages. Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (table on section 1.3.6 Preliminary and final assessments) for an overview of the thresholds.

Assessments

Next steps of selection may include a preliminary assessment. Most assessments will be conducted remotely (i.e. Webex/Teams, remote test, etc.). All assessments are based on the assessment criteria listed in this vacancy notice.

Shortlisted candidates will participate in personality assessments (e.g. SHL occupational personality questionnaire OPQ32) to assess their Core Competencies (pass score is 26 out of 100 points and above). In addition, selected Core Competencies may be assessed throughout the process.

Additional assessments, such as cognitive (e.g. deductive reasoning) assessments might also be foreseen as part of the selection process. Furthermore, motivation and overall fit for the job and knowledge of EU relevant to role may be assessed.

Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (section 1.3.3 selection procedure) for an overview of the criteria and competences assessed at each stage of the process and the type of assessment tools used.

Reserve list and/or job offers

The aim of this selection procedure is to create a reserve list of qualified and suitable candidates. Each candidate having reached the final step of the selection procedure will be notified via e-mail whether she/he has been placed on the reserve list, and relevant Talent Pool. Candidates should note that the placement on a reserve list and/or Talent Pool does not guarantee an employment offer.

We strongly encourage that candidates do not apply for the vacancies that are at the same grade and the same subfamily as the Talent Pool they have been placed on, as this will not improve their chances of being considered for a vacant post within the Agency.

When a vacancy becomes available, candidates on the reserve list may be contacted for an additional interview.

More information about selection and recruitment (including administrative complaint procedure) at the EMA is available at our careers website.

Conditions of employment

In principle, the Agency offers a five-year renewable contract. Contracts of a shorter duration may be offered to the candidates.

The successful candidate(s) will be required to relocate to the Netherlands to pick up duties.

[1] The local weighting adjusts salaries to the cost of living in the Netherlands compared to Brussels. The current weighting for the EMA's location in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is 114.6. Please consult the Eurostat and Commission websites for more information on weightings.

 

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Domenico Scarlattilaan 6 - 1083 HS Amsterdam - The Netherlands

Telephone +31 (0)88 781 6000 - Email recruitment@ema.europa.eu

 

© European Medicines Agency, 2025. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.