The (EIB), the European Union’s bank, is seeking to recruit for its Projects Directorate (PJ), Innovation & Competitiveness Department (INCO), Life Sciences & Health Division (LSH), based in its headquarters in Luxembourg, a (Senior) Life Sciences Specialist*.

This is a full time position at grade 5/6 for which the EIB offers a permanent contract.

Panel interviews are anticipated for the end of May 2023.

*Internal benchmark: (Senior) Officer

Purpose

The Projects Directorate’s (PJ) mission is to provide independent advice to the EIB’s decision makers on applicable sector policy and on the quality of investment projects submitted to the Bank, as well as advising promoters on the development and implementation of their projects. To accomplish its role, PJ is mainly staffed with sector experts (Engineers, Economists, Environmental and Social experts, Procurement experts), who work together in multi-disciplinary project teams, and in close contact with the other EIB operational services.

The successful candidate will join the Life Sciences and Health Division, which covers the health sector, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, diagnostics, medical device technology and the wider life sciences industries. This Division supports and actively develops the Bank’s strategy with respect to its lending programmes on Innovation, Digitalization and Human Capital.

As the (Senior) Life Science Specialist, you will assess, within multi-disciplinary teams, the technical and economic viability and environmental and social sustainability of Life Sciences projects in accordance with the EIB’s policies and procedures. Upon approval of these projects, you will have an active role in the technical monitoring of the project until its completion.

You will be required to travel regularly to project locations within and outside of the EU (normally short trips of up to a week, depending on the project location) and maintain effective relationships with external parties, including but not limited to, the European Commission, EIB partners and project promoters.

Operating Network

You will report to the Head of Division for the Life Sciences and Health team and work in collaboration with project teams, sector experts as well as other internal and external stakeholders.

You will work with a high degree of autonomy, maintaining external contacts with companies, organisations, public authorities and EU institutions, as appropriate and represent the EIB at high level meetings with promoters and EU counterparts as well as at external events. To ensure the efficient and timely execution of deliverables to internal and external counterparts, the post requires strong organisational, relationship and communication skills, as well as the ability to multi-task. Participation in horizontal tasks within the team may also be required.

Accountabilities

As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the (Senior) Life Science Specialist will:

• Evaluate, document and report on the strategic consistency, technical feasibility, commercial viability and economic sustainability of innovative Life Sciences companies and their products or services. This is a core task of the successful applicant;
• Co-operate closely with other services in the EIB Group to identify and inform new financing opportunities in the sector;
• Prepare comprehensive and clear sector-relevant (Life Sciences) communications (including summaries of emerging news and innovation trends, as well as policy briefings) that translate technical knowledge for a wider audience;
• Maintain professional technical knowledge and keep abreast of any financial, industry best practice, legislative and macroeconomic trends in the Life Sciences sector; ensure that any relevant information is disseminated internally to interested parties;
• Provide expert advice and support to internal and external stakeholders, including promoters throughout the project cycle;
• Monitor the project implementation, to verify its alignment with the agreed objectives and EIB safeguards. Document any findings in the corresponding monitoring reports;

Qualifications

• Advanced academic degree (Minimum of a Masters degree) in a relevant engineering or life sciences discipline;
• Minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience expertise (candidates with more senior experience would be highly preferred) in a private sector environment gained within a pharmaceutical or biotech company, a consulting firm or a research institute focused on the life sciences industry;
• In depth understanding of the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, including the business environment and the processes and procedures required to bring a product from the bench to the bedside;
• Excellent knowledge of the life sciences sector including the relevant EU policies, global priorities and current trends that are shaping the sector;
• Practical knowledge in financing innovation within the biotech or pharmaceutical sector, would be an advantage;
• Excellent knowledge of English and/or French (*) with a good knowledge of the other. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an advantage.

Competencies

Find out more about EIB core competencies here

(*) Unless stated explicitly as a required qualification, a good command of French is not a pre-requisite for hire. As both English and French are however official working languages of the EIB, proficiency in both languages is a pre-requisite for your future career development. Any language clause in your contract must be fulfilled in order for you to be eligible for a promotion (either via the annual appraisal cycle or via an internal selection process). Proficiency is understood to mean the attainment of level 5 of the Inter Institutional language courses, corresponding to B1.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The Bank offers appropriate training support.

We are an equal opportunities employer, who believes that diversity is good for our people and our business. We encourage all suitably qualified and eligible candidates to apply regardless of their gender identity/expression, age, racial, ethnic and cultural background, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation/identity, disability or neurodiversity.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact the EIB Recruitment team [email protected] who will ensure that your request is handled.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of the Information of the EIB Group. In case of selection for the position you agree to comply with all measures (policies, controls, document classification and management) implemented by the EIB Group to prevent unauthorised disclosure of any information or any damage to the EIB Group reputation.

Deadline for applications: 25^th April 2023

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