JOB DESCRIPTION

Vacancy Notice

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is launching this call for expressions of interest in order to establish a reserve list for the following Temporary Agent profile:

Reference number	ECHA/TA/2025/03
Job Title	Data Officer
Function Group/Grade	Temporary Agent, AD 5 (see the Guide for Applicants for more information)
Location	Helsinki, Finland
Publication Date	13 November 2025
Deadline for Applications	4 December 2025, at noon, 12:00 Helsinki time (11:00 CET)
Indicative number of candidates on the reserve list	15

 

1. Who we are

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is a multicultural and multidisciplinary organisation of about 600 professionals from 28 countries. Our everyday work is shaped by our values of integrity, transparency, collaboration and innovation. ECHA is one of Finland’s most inspiring workplaces, based on our staff survey results. We empower our people to develop together and facilitate high performance, engagement and flexibility.

Our purpose is to protect health and the environment through our work for chemical safety, by means of science, collaboration and knowledge. We implement EU chemicals laws and policy through technical, scientific, and administrative tasks and provide independent, high- quality scientific opinions and decisions to serve as basis for EU measures on chemical safety. We collaborate with EU institutions, EU countries’ authorities and other bodies, and support companies in fulfilling their duties under chemical legislation, and we make relevant, reliable and objective information available to our stakeholders.

ECHA welcomes job applications from qualified professionals all over the European Union and the European Economic Area. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, aiming to secure equal opportunities at every step of the career, including selections and recruitment. Candidates who are judged to be the most suitable, based on the assessment in the selection process, will be placed on the reserve list, from which they may be recruited.

2. Is this job for you?

Are you looking for a challenge in a leading organisation at the EU and international level?

Would you like to work with one of the largest chemicals databases in the world and harness its full potential for the protection of the environment and the health of European citizens and workers?

Are you ready to play a role in the implementation of the EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and, in particular, become a key player in establishing the Common Data Platform on Chemicals (CDPC)?

Don’t miss this opportunity to join our multidisciplinary team and shape the vision of how chemicals data is used to safeguard human health and the environment.

Databases on chemicals, chemical identifiers and data related to the regulatory processes are at the core of the work done at ECHA. With the ever-increasing number and type of data sources managed by the Agency, and the ambition to bring together EU chemicals data into one common platform, sound and sustainable management of data on chemicals is fundamental. The data officer responsibilities will primary be linked to cross functional activities related to the implementation of the CDPC, but may relate to other data management, tools, or governance activities as well.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic data manager who has a successful record in a managing, contributing or leading role in large-scale, data-driven IT projects. The data manager interacts effectively with IT, scientific and regulatory colleagues, and masters several of the following competencies: data architecture and integrations, data management, data analytics and engineering, data mining, data presentation and user experience, data integration, data governance and management of chemical identifiers as well as use of AI techniques in production grade use cases.

Together with highly skilled and motivated colleagues (including chemists, regulatory officers, product managers, data architects, and IT managers), you will have the opportunity to work in an exciting time for ECHA and EU chemicals management by facing leading-edge scientific and regulatory questions, including integration of information with other regulations and agencies in a modern technological landscape that fosters innovations (e.g. Cloud, AI, etc.).

The successful candidate will be expected to interact with a wide range of colleagues at all levels of the Agency, Commission, EU agencies, Member State representatives, and other stakeholders.

3. Key responsibilities

As a data officer, your work will primarily be in the context of the project implementing the Common Data platform on Chemicals, but may relate to other data management, tools, or governance activities as well. This work is by definition multidisciplinary and executed under the direct responsibilities of several units in ECHA. Together with other operational units, you will design and develop an information system on chemicals, offering a comprehensive range of data contributed by and shared amongst regulatory bodies and wider audience as laid out in the soon to be adopted Regulation establishing a Common data platform on chemicals.

You will oversee the implementation of this vision into an IT system supported by clear and uniform governance and processes to manage the scope under ECHA’s remit, while ensuring coordination of the activities of dependent systems and contributing parties.

Your responsibilities and tasks will include:

• Data focussed activities: establishing agreed vocabularies and common data formats, and ensuring the consistent handling, quality and lineage of data on chemicals, as well as the regulatory processes and outcomes concerning them;
• Business analysis work aimed at translating the obligations set out in regulation into clearly scoped requirements, epics or story points for the technical teams responsible for the implementations;
• Managing and operating work relations with platform data providers and contractors. This includes active participation in the governance activities foreseen for in the implementation of the CDPC;
• Engaging with platform users to collect their needs and try out concepts, deriving inputs for user experience, and for data delivery and access methods;
• Defining, organising and contracting work packages within the given procurement frameworks and in compliance with the EU financial regulation;
• In conjunction with more technical profiles and functions (e.g. domain architects, data stewards, etc.), maintaining a solid oversight on technical activities related to the execution of project work;
• Contribute to the maintenance and documentation of procedures to manage chemical data, in view of its multiple uses by dependent systems, including the definition and introduction of quality control mechanisms;
• Throughout the work, liaise with product and project managers and other relevant

parties to ensure that regulation provisions and their implementation are             aligned and

correctly prioritised within dependent project, product or solution plans or roadmaps.

To be successful in their job, the data officer possesses the following                                skills and

competencies:

• Technical proficiency as knowledge and experience of databases, data management, data flow and data architectures;
• Outstanding problem-solving, modelling and analytical skills;
• Experience in designing and implementing processes and data flows;
• Eagerness in understanding scientific and/or regulatory needs and ability to translate them into fit for purpose data solutions meeting legal constraints;

• Eagerness for innovation and interest in staying updated with the latest technologies and best practices;
• Understanding of the challenges related to centralising registers management of chemicals;
• Strong organisation and coordination skills;
• Good collaboration, interpersonal skills and communication skills – both written and verbal – having experience taking an active role in multidisciplinary networks;

• Able to work effectively at all levels in an organisation and influence others and move toward a common vision or goal, rather than through direct authority;
• Flexible working style, characterised by fast pace and willingness to accept uncertainty in initial analyses;
• Proficient management of project risks in a context of conflicting interests;
• Very strong aptitude for teamwork.

 

4. Eligibility criteria

The selection procedure is open to applicants who satisfy the following eligibility criteria, on the closing date for application:

1. General requirements

The applicant must:

• Be a national of a Member State of the European Union, or a national of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway)^[1];
• Enjoy the full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;
• Produce the appropriate character references as to the suitability for the performance of the duties^[2];
• Be physically fit to perform the duties^[3];
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union^[4] and a satisfactory knowledge of another such language to the extent necessary to perform your duties;
• Be able to communicate well in English as this is the working language of ECHA;
• Be below the age at which staff of the EU is automatically retired, i.e. currently on the

last day of the month in which he/she reaches the age of 66^[5].

1. Qualifications

Successful completion of a full course of university studies attested by a degree, where the normal duration of university education is three (3) years or more.

Only qualifications issued by EU Member State authorities or EEA authorities and qualifications recognised as equivalent by the relevant EU or EEA Member State authorities will be accepted.

 

1. Professional experience

There is no minimum professional experience requirement to be eligible for this profile.

5. Selection criteria

If you meet the eligibility criteria set out in section 4, you will be assessed on the basis of the following selection criteria. The candidates who are judged to be the most suitable on the basis of the selection criteria will be invited to a (remote) written test and/or interview. The selection committee will decide whether succeeding in the written test is a prerequisite to be invited to the interview.

• Your academic and professional qualifications and their relevance to the main areas of work listed in section 3;

o Preference will be given to qualifications obtained in project management, engineering, IT or Data architecture or modelling, business analysis.

• Your professional experience: Preference will be given to candidates having experience in functions similar to those outlined in section 3. The Selection Committee will assess the range of fields covered, the type and level of work done, and its relevance to the areas of work listed in section 3.

The following will be considered as assets:

• Proven experience as IT data architect and/or development team lead, including requirements analysis, data modelling, and software design;
• Experience in delivering large scale IT solutions serving complex needs, ideally based on modern cloud-based (Azure) technologies and/or utilising AI capabilities;
• Experience in designing data availability solutions serving a wide range of customers and needs;
• Work experience gained in a similar multicultural environment. Preference will be given to work experience abroad.

Your academic and professional qualifications, professional experience and knowledge and experience considered as an asset must be described as precisely as possible in your application.

6. Written test and Interview

If selected for a written test and/or interview, you will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Specific knowledge related to the post:

• Knowledge and understanding in your areas of experience that are most relevant to the tasks set out in section 3.
  • General competencies^[6] and conduct required for the job:
• Competencies listed in the Job Profile under Section 3;
• Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Your ability to communicate in spoken/written English, and the knowledge, skills and competencies related to the job will be assessed throughout the written tests and interviews.

For native English speakers, your ability to communicate in your second EU language will be tested during the selection process. As this forms part of the general requirements stated under section 4.a General Requirements from above, any failure in proving the satisfactory level of your second EU language would lead to your exclusion from the selection.

Written tests and interviews may be organised remotely.

7. Placement on the reserve list

If you are judged to be among the most suitable candidates, on the basis of the criteria listed in sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, you will be placed on the reserve list. The reserve list will be valid for a period of two years, with the possibility of extension.

It should be noted that inclusion on the reserve lists does not imply any entitlement to employment in the Agency.

At ECHA, we believe in continuous learning and flexible work assignments to ensure the best use of our human resources and to maintain a high level of staff motivation and expertise. Hence, your career at ECHA, once recruited, may lead you to another role within ECHA in the future.

8. What we offer
9. Engagement and conditions of employment

Successful applicants may be offered an employment contract for five years as a temporary agent, in the grade AD 5. This contract may be renewed for a definite period. If renewed for a second time, the contract becomes indefinite. If the successful applicant from the external selection procedure is already a member of temporary staff 2(f) in the relevant function group or another function group, the Agency shall offer the person, in writing, the opportunity to be assigned to the post by means of mobility under the provisions of Article 6(2)^[7] or, subject to the establishment plan availabilities, Article 10⁷ respectively, if the person prefers to ensure continuity of contracts.

The successful applicant will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make an annual declaration with respect to any interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence. Moreover, before recruiting a member of staff, ECHA’s Executive Director will examine whether the applicant has any personal interest which may impair their independence or any other conflict of interest. To that end, the applicant, using a specific form, shall inform the Executive Director of any actual or potential conflict of interest. Applicants must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

1. Salary & benefits

The successful candidate will be recruited as a Temporary Agent Grade AD 5 with the basic monthly salary starting from € 5905,36 EUR, subject to an annual review of remuneration provided for in Article 65(1) of the Staff Regulations. To reflect the higher cost of living in Finland, the basic salary is weighted by applying a coefficient (currently at 112%). The basic salary indicated above is the amount before the adjustment.

In addition to the basic salary, ECHA offers a range of benefits which include allowances, such as a household allowance, an expatriation allowance (16% of the basic salary) and a dependent child allowance, as well as a welfare package including pension scheme, medical and accident coverage.

For more information on the salary and on the allowances, please visit our website at: http://www.echa.europa.eu/about-us/jobs/what-we-offer.

9. Other information

For more information on the selection process of Temporary Agents and on the contractual and working conditions, please refer to:

• Guide for Applicants:

https://www.echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17100/general guide for applicants en.pdf/c d910e74-63ba-4cdd-b87f-29f0a77d0fea?t=1646396767190

• Implementing rules concerning temporary agents:

https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17100/MB DECISION 03 2018 4 MB49 FINAL.pd f/7087cc5b-2dee-aade-0de0-bcdb47aa605d

• Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUnServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:P DF

Protection of personal data: The European Chemicals Agency will ensure, on its part, that your personal data is processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection of personal data.