Notice of call for expressions of interest - Expert advice in the area of Communication, Digital and Social Science - European Food Safety Authority (Parma)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Food Safety Authority on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Designing, improving and governing knowledge organisation and knowledge repositories
• Optimising document and content workflows
• Improving search, indexing and retrieval performance
• Scoping and advising on automation and data pipelines
• Planning and conducting user research
• Analysing user behaviour and experience data
• Defining and improving user interface and interaction design
• Advising on web development and web maintenance activities

Contract and working arrangements

Hiring unit: EFSA specialised units in communication, digital and social sciences.

Position details

Reference

EOI/EFSA/COM/2026/01

Last Verified

18 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Notice of call for expressions of interest - Expert advice in the area of Communication, Digital and Social Science at EFSA based in Parma (Other). The vacancy reference is EOI/EFSA/COM/2026/01.

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

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 (Communication and Social Sciences | EFSA).

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:

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[1]. The experts will provide ad-hoc support in the form of expert advice and opinion on:

1. Designing, improving and governing knowledge organisation and knowledge repositories, including processes for creation, storage, retrieval, reuse, and lifecycle management of codified knowledge.

2. Optimising document and content workflows to improve efficiency, quality, traceability and findability of information, including recommendations for workflow redesign and quality controls.

3. Improving search, indexing and retrieval performance, including tagging and metadata strategies, to enhance accessibility and discoverability across digital environments.

4. Scoping and advising on automation and data pipelines for extracting and structuring knowledge from documents and content, including feasibility, risks, and system integration considerations.

5. Planning and conducting user research and translating findings into actionable recommendations, including interviews, usability testing, personas, journey maps and prioritised UX improvements.

6. Analysing user behaviour and experience data and translating metrics, patterns and trends into evidence-based UX insights and recommendations.

7. 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.

8. Advising on web development and web maintenance activities, including assessment and prioritization of improvements and expert review of compliance aspects such as accessibility.

9. 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.

10. Identifying, assessing and implementing artificial intelligence opportunities for communication and publishing activities, including tool evaluation, use-case selection and alignment with digital strategy. 11. Designing and reviewing experiments and evaluation approaches for AI and machine-learning solutions, including validation strategies, performance monitoring and improvement of reliability, fairness and interpretability. 12. Designing and improving conversational AI and chatbot initiatives, including requirements definition, content strategy, user experience considerations, technical integration constraints and monitoring approaches. 13. Designing and improving scientific writing and scientific publishing communication, including the development and improvement of plain language summaries and other communication content related to scientific outputs. 14. Designing and reviewing visual communication solutions, including data visualisation, information design, visual identity and branding management. 15. Supporting strategic communication planning and campaign delivery, including campaign design, message adaptation, implementation planning, coordination and evaluation of results. 16. Designing and improving social media strategy, content and community management, including campaign and event support, analytics, evaluation and innovation in brand presence. 17. Designing and improving media relations, press management and broader media activities, including editorial planning, reputation considerations and monitoring of media outcomes. 18. Providing language-quality support for communication materials, including translation and localisation, linguistic quality assurance, editing and proofreading to enhance clarity and consistency. 19. Designing, developing and reviewing self-paced digital learning and training modules, including content structuring, learning objectives, usability and accessibility considerations. 20. Supporting internal communication for digital transformation and AI initiatives, including preparation of internal materials, coordination of messaging and support to webinars, workshops and training sessions. 21. Designing and conducting qualitative research, including study design and analysis and translation of findings into actionable recommendations. 22. Designing and conducting quantitative research, including survey and experimental design, data analysis and interpretation of results for decision-making. 23. Providing econometric, marketing and impact-evaluation support, including quantitative modelling approaches and interpretation of results. 24. Providing statistical modelling support, including regression, causal inference and predictive modelling, and clear communication of assumptions, limitations and conclusions. 25. Designing and improving data and technology enablers for analytics and reporting, including databases, API-enabled workflows, dashboarding and programming practices. 26. Designing and improving KPI definition, measurement and business intelligence reporting, including the use of BI tools for insights and decision support. 27.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 29 May 2026, 114 days ago.

No closing date is published in the source feed for this position. EU vacancies typically remain open for four to eight weeks; check the official vacancy notice for the cut-off date and time.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 18 September 2026 (2 days ago).

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at EFSA see the EFSA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Parma see our Parma location page.

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