About us

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe is a Brussels-based environmental NGO with a diverse, multidisciplinary and multilingual team. PAN Europe strives to eliminate hazardous pesticides in Europe and beyond, reduce dependency on pesticides, and promote ecologically-friendly alternatives to chemical pest control. PAN Europe is an association of 58 European organisation members.

Job description

The steady growth of the organisation requires hiring motivated and skilled personnel.

To that end, we are now looking for a Senior Policy and Science Officer with a strong scientific background and research experience, who will focus on topics related to the health and environmental regulatory assessment of pesticides, contributing to PAN Europe's overall vision of reducing pesticide dependency across Europe.

The Senior Policy and Science Officer will be reporting to our Head of Science and Policy. The objective of this role is to support PAN Europe's work, improve the implementation of EU law to better protect human health and the environment from any harm caused by pesticides.

For this specific role you will need to have a scientific background in a scientific discipline as well as sufficient knowledge on regulatory risk and hazard assessment of chemicals, such as pesticides, and experience working with European Institutions.

Key responsibilities

Follow the regulatory assessment of pesticides and their residues in Europe, with respect to human health and environmental toxicity;
Evaluate European guidelines and methods used in the risk assessment of pesticides, and their implementation at EU and national level;
Carry out scientific literature research on the health and environmental impacts of pesticides, as well as new risk assessment methodologies;
Represent PAN Europe in expert meetings, advisory working groups, conferences and workshops at the European Commission, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others;
Support PAN Europe's work on PFAS pesticides, endocrine disruptors, and pesticides causing neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity and other emerging issues;
Design scientific, EU-wide project strategies for testing, and coordinate and closely supervise their execution;
Provide scientific expertise when needed to PAN Europe's legal work;
Liaise with independent scientists from academia and our network to strengthen PAN Europe's advocacy for a scientifically robust and independent risk assessment of pesticides;
Publicly represent PAN Europe's relevant positions to policy makers, European and international NGO coalitions, and media;
Provide high-quality data analysis and reporting as needed, and compose briefings, letters, press releases and blog articles;
Support the organisation of scientific-oriented events by PAN Europe and its network;
Work closely with PAN Europe NGO members;
Collaborate with PAN Europe colleagues on joint projects and activities, and support their work as needed;
Supervise junior staff;
Support the communications team in developing communication materials.

Location

This position is based in Brussels. Other EU locations may be considered on an exceptional basis, depending on the candidate's experience, provided the candidate is willing to travel to Brussels regularly without producing a significant travel carbon footprint.

Person Specification

Qualifications

University Scientific degree and a Master's or higher diploma in toxicology, environmental science, biology, life-sciences, biochemistry, or similar; possessing basic knowledge on toxicology is a pre-requisite
At least eight years experience in scientific assessment of the toxicity of chemicals on human health (and environment), including scientific research, data collection and analysis, statistics and report writing;
Experience with regulatory risk assessment of chemicals is welcome;
Experience in working with networks and coalitions;
Be familiar with the work of EU agencies such as EFSA, and ECHA and preferably with the EU institutions (European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council).

Key competences

Fluency in English and preferably other European languages;
Strong motivation and commitment to protecting human health and the environment;
Resilient and determined attitude;
Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical and regulatory content into clear language tailored to non-technical audiences;
Strong analytical mindset, with the ability to research and interpret complex regulatory dossiers;
Experience supervising projects and staff;
Ability to work independently and proactively;
Good advocacy and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to strengthen PAN Europe's network and visibility;
Well organised, with strong multi-tasking skills and great attention to detail.

What this job opportunity will offer

Part-time work (80% - 4 days/week);
Initially a 24-month (fixed-term) contract with a possibility of a permanent contract extension upon positive performance appraisal and budget availability;
Monthly salary in line with the seniority/experience of the successful candidate's level and aligned to PAN Europe's salary grid;
Flexible working hours, teleworking, extra benefits (eg. extra annual leave on top of the Belgian statutory leave entitlement et al.);
Pleasant, supportive and inclusive work environment, with an experienced, multilingual and multicultural team;
Exposure to policies, science, agriculture, communication, law and democratic aspects of EU institutions in a team of skilled colleagues;
Opportunities for professional growth and development.

How to apply

Please send an email with subject the Job Title and your Full Name (eg. "Senior Policy Officer - John Smith") and attach your CV and Cover Letter, in English to Katerina Iordanopoulou at [email protected] explaining how you meet the above qualifications. The deadline is Sunday, 20th September 2026. Due to the low administration capacity, we regret that only candidates invited to an interview will receive a reply.

*PAN Europe values diversity and inclusion and the benefits these bring. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from different backgrounds, ethnic origins and gender.*