Vacancy Note: BBMRI-ERIC ELSI Helpdesk Coordinator

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities of the Role

The Common Service ELSI is setting up a federated ELSI Helpdesk for the member states of BBMRI-ERIC. It’s going to be a federated model where ELSI experts from the National Nodes and/or Common Service ELSI will provide customized assistance to scientists when setting up and conducting biobank-related research projects. Requests will be forwarded to the ELSI Helpdesk Coordinator through BBMRI-ERIC’s request tracking system. Depending on the complexity of the questions, the coordinator will answer directly and/or organize the response with the support of one or several National Node/Common Service ELSI experts. Questions requiring input from national ethical and legal regulatory frameworks will be directed to the National Nodes. The Coordinator of the BBMRI-ERIC ELSI Helpdesk is thus responsible for coordinating the federated BBMRI-ERIC Common Service ELSI Helpdesk. He/she organises an ELSI team with representatives from the National Nodes and/or the Common Service ELSI including different kinds of expertise (e.g., law, ethics, and societal issues). He/she works under supervision of the Director of the Common Service ELSI. He/she manages and edits the information on the BBMRI-ERIC website as regards to the ELSI Helpdesk and its tools.

Requirements of the Role

The BBMRI-ERIC ELSI Helpdesk Coordinator is expected to have experience regarding the specific ethical, legal and societal issues of European biobanks, especially knowledge about both European and national laws. Hence, a legal background is considered a plus. Interpersonal skills, the ability to liaise with ELSI colleagues and stakeholders in a distributed, international, interdisciplinary environment are essential requirements. As English is the common working language of BBMRI‐ERIC applicants must be fluent in English. The jobholder will be asked from time to time to work outside normal working hours and occasionally to undertake national and/or international travel. We are seeking for highly motivated people with a minimum of a master’s degree and preferably with a PhD, (especially in law).

Employment Terms and Conditions

The BBMRI-ERIC ELSI Helpdesk Coordinator will be directly employed by BBMRI‐ERIC in its Central Executive Management Office in Graz, Austria. For jobholders coming from BBMRI-ERIC member states a secondment against reimbursement is possible. Details are subject to negotiation. The employment follows the Austrian employment law. BBMRI‐ERIC offers fringe benefits like complementary health insurance, and a private pension scheme, relocation and travel grant as well as local support for housing. It is a part‐time position (50%).

Salary

According to European/international standards for similar role and responsibilities and requirements of this function (2.400.-€ as minimum monthly gross salary; final salary dependent on terms of qualification and experience).

Application Procedure

For applications to be valid, candidates must submit:

• A Curriculum Vitae [CV] with photo;
• A letter of motivation;
• Supporting documents (for example, certified copies of degrees, references, etc.).

In case of any questions, please contact:

Michaela Th. Mayrhofer PhD, Senior Project Manager/Chief Policy Officer Common Service ELSI, michaela.th.mayrhofer@bbmri-eric.eu, +43 664 88 72 18 74 (not available between the 23rd of December – 8th of January 2017)

Please send the required documents via e‐mail to the following address:

Markus Pasterk, Administrative Director, admin.dir@bbmri-eric.eu

Deadline for application is the 13^st of February 2017; anticipated start of work 1^st of March 2017.