The post of Chair of Biocidal Products Committee is located in the Biocides Unit of the Directorate of Regulatory Affairs. The Unit will be established in February 2012 and it will be responsible for the scientific and technical tasks of ECHA Secretariat. This taks are related to approval of active substances and authorisation of biocidal products, and for providing the necessary support for the BPC.

The BPC will be responsible, inter alia, for preparing ECHA opinions on applications for the approval, renewal and review of active substances; applications for Union authorisations and for their renewal, cancellation and amendment. It may also be asked to provide a scientific or technical opinion in relation to national authorisation, following the dispute settlement process under mutual recognition, and on any other question that arises from the operation of the Biocidal Products Regulation, relating to risks to human or animal health, or the environment or technical guidance. ECHA opinions will provide the basis for the European Commission decision making under the Biocidal Products Regulation.

Reporting to the Head of Unit, the Chair of BPC will be responsible for organising the work of the Committee and its Working Groups. In consultation and cooperation with the Head of Unit, she/he will be responsible for coordinating the activities related to BPC, within the framework of the overall planning of the Agency.

In particular, she/he will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Ensure the efficient and timely planning of the work of BPC in order to achieve a timely development of high quality scientific opinions;

• Chair the meetings of BPC and, when necessary, its Working Groups ensuring at all times that the rules of procedure and code of conducts are respected;

• Ensure that BPC is fully aware and follows the ECHA policy and rules regarding transparency and openness, stakeholder participation, management of potential conflicts of interest, and information security;

• Ensure at all times that legal deadlines are met;

• Ensure consistency of opinions within BPC and, where relevant, between BPC and other ECHA Committees, in particular with the Committee for Risk Assessment, and also with other relevant Committees, including those run by other Community bodies and serving other Community Regulations;

• Ensure seamless coordination and cooperation between BPC and the other ECHA Committees, in particular with the Committee for Risk Assessment;

• Cooperate effectively throughout the Agency, to ensure that ECHA delivers high quality and timely scientific and technical advice;

• Contribute to the continuous development of guidance, tools and methodologies relevant to the work of BPC and integrate them into the work of the Committee;

• Coach and support the scientific experts contributing to the work of the Committee to attain their objectives and realise their potential.

The Chair shall also support and contribute to the development of ECHA’s role in seeking consistency in scientific advice among scientific committees in the EU and in the international arena.

QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL REQUIRMENTS

To qualify for this profile you mush have at the closing date for applications:

• Successful completion of a full course of university studies attested by a degree in a relevant field, where the normal duration of university education is three or four years or more; and

• A total professional experience of at least 15 years if you have a 4 years degree or at least 16 years if you have a 3 years degree.

• Of your total professional experience you must have at least 5 years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the following fields:

• Chairmanship, coordination and/or membership of multinational or national scientific or technical committees on issues relating to the regulatory management of biocides, other chemical substances, or analogous regulatory systems;

• Hazard and/or risk assessment relating to the manufacture and/or use of biocides, other chemical substances and/or the regulation of their use;

• Development and application of methods relating to hazard and/or risk assessment of biocides or other chemicals in the fields of health or environment.

SELECTION

If you meet the formal requirements set out in section 2, you will be assessed on the basis of the selection criteria listed below. The candidates who are judged to be the most suitable on the basis of the selection criteria will be invited to an interview.

• Your academic and professional qualifications and their relevance to the main areas of work listed in section 1;

• Your professional experience: the range of fields covered; the type and level of work done and its relevance to the areas of work listed in section 1 and 2.3;

The following will be considered as assets:

• Post-graduate qualifications in a field relevant for hazard/risk assessment or risk management of chemicals;

• Involvement in biocides related activities, in particular concerning hazard/risk assessment;

• Relations and cooperation with international organisations and third countries on the regulatory risk management of chemical substances or analogous regulatory systems;

• Experience in establishing or managing stakeholder participation.

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates are invited to apply, by filling in the Application Form and ECHA CV which you can find at the following web address:

http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/about-us/jobs/open-positions

At the same web address you can find the complete vacancy notice and guide for applicants of this selection process.

The deadline for filling in the application form and submit the ECHA CV is 20 February 2012 at noon 12:00, Helsinki time (11:00 a.m.CET)