Position description

The Policy Officer will support EPF’s policy work relating to access to medicines and medical devices, including patient involvement in EU pharmaceutical and medical devices regulation and in clinical research.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitoring of the policy environment relating to pharmaceuticals and medical devices, timely and proactive provision of intelligence and analysis on:
  • The EU Pharmaceutical Strategy, including medicines shortages, access to medicines, legislation on blood, tissues and cells, orphan medicines, etc.;
  • Implementation of the EU Clinical Trials Regulation and international activities and collaborations relating to clinical trials;
  • Implementation of the EU Medical Devices Regulation and in-vitro Medical Devices Regulation;
  • European Medicines Agency, including pharmacovigilance.
• Support in consulting EPF’s membership on pharmaceutical-related topics, support with drafting policy statements and positions to ensure a patient perspective in EU policies;
• Desk research and drafting a concise policy brief for EPF’s members on biosimilar and generic medicines, and other topics if required;
• Drafting relevant content for EPF’s communication channels, drafting speaker briefs and presentations for external meetings on pharmaceutical/medical devices regulatory issues, access to medicines and clinical trials.

In addition, the candidate may be asked to support other work of the EPF Secretariat as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Academic degree in European Affairs, Public Health, or other relevant field;
• Knowledge of EU institutions and policy-making procedures;
• Knowledge of EU policy and regulatory frameworks on pharmaceuticals and medical devices;
• Knowledge of the work of the European Medicines Agency;
• Knowledge and understanding of patient advocacy, especially the added value of patient involvement in research and development of medicines and devices and in regulation;
• Outstanding capacity to conduct analysis and write clear and concise text in various formats, e.g. reports, briefings and presentations;
• Native-level written English;
• Solid communication skills;
• Advanced computer literacy.

Highly desirable

• Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies;
• Knowledge of other EU languages than English;
• Previous work experience from a patient organisation or other public health non-governmental organisation in the relevant fields.

PERSONAL QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision;
• Ability to manage a complex workload, to plan and prioritise effectively;
• Ability to work within a diverse and multicultural team;
• Understanding the importance of working within a remit and being accountable to elected officials and the membership;
• Ability to implement EPF’s core values in your work;
• Ability to be politically impartial in the application of duties.

Application instructions