ABOUT US:

Founded in Brussels in 1983, CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) is a leading think tank and forum for debate on EU affairs, which has been consistently ranked among the world’s top-10 best think tanks. CEPS’ distinguishing features include its strong in-house research capacity and an extensive international network of partner institutes. CEPS’ funding comes from a variety of sources, mainly research grants, public procurement, but also from membership and conference fees.

The CEPS unit on Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation and the Digital economy (GRID) explores, among other issues, policy and regulatory challenges in the areas of regulatory governance, industrial policy, digital technology, health policy and governance, sustainable development and health policy.

Over the years, researchers at GRID have carried out diverse assignments for the European Commission (including DG CONNECT, DG GROW, DG RTD, DG SANTE), the European Parliament, EU agencies, national governments UN agencies and other international organisations. Now, GRID is busy with several longterm research projects in various fields, not only on Artificial intelligence and the digital transformation of the economy and society but also in the areas of research and innovation, development and EU and global health, and is looking to strengthen its team to further expand its remit and ambition as a leading interdisciplinary research team.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

The successful applicant will work on EU and Global Health Policy related projects within the GRID unit. The appointment will be made at the Researcher or Research Fellowlevel, depending on the qualifications and experience of the selected applicant.

The successful applicant will contribute to several activities, such as:

• Contributing to CEPS' work on EU and global health policy. Over the past few years, CEPS carried out successful projects in this domain including the EU-funded PERISCOPE (Pan-European Response to the Impacts of COVID-19 and future Pandemics and Epidemics); foresight work for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC); the EU’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA); on global health governance including the Pandemic Accord; and on the governance of health emergencies at the EU level (for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU). We are now leading an ambitious research initiative with a focus on the European Union (and in particular, HERA) as a prominent player in global health security governance. This will include tasks such as empirical research through interviews, the organisation of expert roundtables, training workshops with health professionals, and the establishment of a Health Policy Observatory among others;


• Writing policy reports and project deliverables, as well as publications, including op-eds, policy briefs, and regular contribution to CEPS events communication activities;


• Carrying out high-quality and high-impact research, both independently and in teams with CEPS as well as external researchers, on the topic of EU and Global Health Policy, or any other topic of interest when agreed with the Research Director at CEPS;


• Assisting in the preparation of research proposals and actively participating in fundraising tasks;


• Giving presentations and representing CEPS at consortium or partner project meetings.

YOUR BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Compulsory

• You have a Master’s degree in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, Law, Philosophy, other Social Sciences, or related topics;


• You have significant knowledge of health policies in the EU and beyond, and related areas;


• You have excellent English drafting and oral presentation skills;


• You are familiar with common software suites and tools (e.g. Microsoft Office, Salesforce, GPT-4);


• You have at least three years of demonstrable work/research experience in relevant fields.

Desirable

• Previous research experience on global health security governance, EU emergency preparedness and response and/or women’s health innovation;


• A PhD is an advantage, especially for being appointed at the Research Fellow level;


• Strong qualitative methods skills, for example experience with conducting interviews, and solid analytical reasoning;


• Knowledge or research experience in (or with) EU policy and institutions;


• Excellent knowledge of another EU official language would be an asset.

YOUR PROFILE:

• You are willing and able to engage in creative thinking and inter-disciplinary research;


• You can work in a research team involving junior and senior colleagues and can organise your own workload;


• You can respect deadlines and juggle with multiple tasks and changing priorities;


• You enjoy teamwork and are open to giving and receiving feedback;


• You are willing to develop insights into ongoing legislative and policy debates in the field;


• You are kind with a deep respect for diversity, and a strong sense of empathy towards colleagues;


• You are enthusiastic to contribute not only towards the success of the GRID unit but also the whole of CEPS as an organisation;


• You can confidently draft in a variety of written styles as requested;


• You can present research outputs in public.

WHAT CEPS CAN OFFER:

We initially offer full-time employment for 12 months. The contract is renewable. The salary will be in accordance with your previous experience. We also offer a benefits package (group & hospitalisation insurance, meal tickets, public transport reimbursement, 20 days legal holiday entitlement per year plus an additional two weeks during the Christmas-New Year period when CEPS is closed, as well as the possibility to telework in Belgium + 20 days per calendar year of teleworking from abroad). We would like the preferred candidate to start as soon as possible, and latest in November 2024. The job will be based in Brussels.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS:

CEPS offers a Learning and Development Programme for all staff to develop the necessary skills for their position.

MORE INFORMATION:

Further information about the position can be obtained from Andrea Renda, Director of Research at CEPS, e-mail andrea.renda@ceps.eu.

APPLICATION AND DEADLINE:

CEPS strongly values and actively pursues diversity. We encourage applications especially from female, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates belonging to ethnic groups that are under-represented at CEPS.

Applicants are requested to send

• A letter of motivation, explicitly describing point-by-point their relevant experience and linking it to the requirements for the position, indicating their salary expectations and where they came across our advert, in one page maximum;


• A CV, including a list of your publications, specifying your role in previous research projects and the names and contact details of at least two referees (including your current or last employer). For the CV, please use the Europass template (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/).

Please send the documents (drafted in English) to applications@ceps.eu by 29 September 2024, 23:59 CEST with ‘GRID Researcher/Research Fellow 2024 – Health’ in the subject line. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to produce one or two letters of recommendation.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. Pre-selected candidates are invited to a short online interview. Based on these first interviews, shortlisted candidates will be invited to an in-person interview. Short interviews will be scheduled in the week starting 7 October 2024. Full interviews will be held in the week starting 14 October 2024.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. CV and personal data of non-selected candidates are not shared with anyone outside CEPS and will be deleted immediately after the recruitment process. For more information, read our privacy policy available on the CEPS website.

Even if you do not strictly have all the necessary competences for this role but you believe your experience and skills could be valuable and would allow you to fulfil the tasks required, we would highly recommend that you still submit an application.

If you are successful but you are not an EU citizen, CEPS will work closely with you to ensure that all relevant documentation and immigration processes are completed to enable you to work in Belgium.