Notice of call for expressions of interest
EOI/EFSA/COM/2026/01
Expert advice in the area of Communication, Digital and Social Science (Operational Support Advisor - OSA scheme)
1. INTRODUCTION
CONTRACTING AUTHORITY:
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
Via Carlo Magno 1A
Parma
43126
Italy
E-mail: EFSAProcurement@efsa.europa.eu
More information about EFSA can be found here: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
Background information
EFSA is an agency of the European Union set up in 2002 to serve as an impartial source of scientific advice to risk managers and to communicate on risks associated with the food chain. We cooperate with interested parties to promote the coherence of EU scientific advice. We provide the scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from food-related risks – from farm to fork. A detailed description of all our activities can be found on EFSA's website.
The core of our activities is to collect, appraise and integrate scientific evidence to answer questions about risks. The outcome of our work is scientific advice to risk managers, jointly produced by independent experts and EFSA staff. Everything we do is guided by our values of Excellence, Independence, Openness, Accountability and Cooperation. The transparency of our processes, together with our engagement activities, allows for interested parties to scrutinise our work and interact with us in an open dialogue on equal terms. We communicate about risks in the food chain independently and in a way that meets the needs of our audiences. Together with our Member States partners, we build the European food safety knowledge ecosystem, ensuring safe food as the basis for healthy diets and sustainable food systems.
EFSA, through its specialised units, communicates, engages and cooperates with audiences, stakeholders, organisations and institutions within a strategic partnership framework, to improve reputation and ensure preparedness and relevance for the future. These units:
* Ensure clear, timely and impactful risk communication, corporate communication and internal communication that are targeted and coordinated with relevant partners.
* Devise multilevel partnerships, engagement, community management and cooperation frameworks in line with ecosystem thinking.
* Facilitate knowledge and innovation management, and shares and develops sustainable scientific partnership solutions that can support EFSA's mission.
* Inform EFSA's scientific outlook through horizon scanning, emerging risk identification, and emergency management preparedness.
* Promote capacity building informed by the definition of strategic competencies.
EFSA activities in the realm of social sciences for risk communication are summarised in its Social Science roadmap and the Future directions for risk communication editorial.
This procedure has its legal basis in Article 242 of the EU Financial Regulation, 'Remunerated external experts'.
2. OBJECTIVE OF THE CALL
The objective of this call for expressions of interest is to establish a list of individuals (natural persons) with expertise to assist EFSA in communication, digital and social sciences activities. The delivered work will be reviewed by EFSA staff and/or ad hoc experts for its use in digital and social sciences activities and communications.
3. FIELDS OF EXPERTISE
Individuals who are interested in applying to this call are required to ensure that their area of expertise is among the ones listed in Annex V.
A call for expressions of interest covering scientific and social science tasks was published in October 2022 (reference EOI/EFSA/2022/01). However, a need emerged to expand the portfolio of external experts in the areas of Communication, Digital and Social Sciences, resulting in the present call.
If you are a candidate already shortlisted in the social science knowledge areas under the call EOI/EFSA/2022/01, please note the following:
* Shortlisted candidates in the social science knowledge areas under the call EOI/EFSA/2022/01 will be invited by EFSA (via written communication within 2 months of launching this call) to apply to this new call.
* The list of shortlisted candidates in the social science knowledge areas from the call EOI/EFSA/2022/01 will expire six months after the launch of this new call. During these 6 months transition period (starting from the publication date of this new call) the candidates already shortlisted can still be contracted by EFSA under the call EOI/EFSA/2022/01. After expiration of this 6 months period, the experts shortlisted in the social science knowledge areas will no longer be eligible to be contracted under the call EOI/EFSA/2022/01.
4. EXPECTED TASKS
The selected candidates will be requested to provide expert advice and opinion in specific cases. The experts will provide ad-hoc support in the form of expert advice and opinion on:
* Designing, improving and governing knowledge organisation and knowledge repositories, including processes for creation, storage, retrieval, reuse, and lifecycle management of codified knowledge.
* Optimising document and content workflows to improve efficiency, quality, traceability and findability of information, including recommendations for workflow redesign and quality controls.
* Improving search, indexing and retrieval performance, including tagging and metadata strategies, to enhance accessibility and discoverability across digital environments.
* Scoping and advising on automation and data pipelines for extracting and structuring knowledge from documents and content, including feasibility, risks, and system integration considerations.
* Planning and conducting user research and translating findings into actionable recommendations, including interviews, usability testing, personas, journey maps and prioritised UX improvements.
* Analysing user behaviour and experience data and translating metrics, patterns and trends into evidence-based UX insights and recommendations.
* Defining and improving user interface and interaction design, including information architecture, user flows, interaction patterns, and the production or review of wireframes, prototypes and design specifications in line with accessibility and brand standards.
* Advising on web development and web maintenance activities, including assessment and prioritization of improvements and expert review of compliance aspects such as accessibility.
* Strengthening the communication of geospatial information and map-based outputs, including review of products intended for publication and advice on workflows, checklists and internal guidance.
* Identifying, assessing and implementing artificial intelligence opportunities for communication and publishing activities, including tool evaluation, use-case selection and alignment with digital strategy.
For complete job description and to apply, visit:
https://careers.efsa.europa.eu/jobs/notice-of-call-for-expressions-of-interest-expert-advice-in-the-area-of-communication-digital-and-social-science-453