Senior Ethics Advisor

Council for Public Health & Society

The COVID-19, energy, and climate crises have highlighted the importance of social challenges in the areas of public health and society. Vulnerable groups are being hit particularly hard, and inequality of opportunity in our society is on the rise. An aging population, labor market shortages, and the future financing of healthcare are also major challenges for the coming years—challenges that extend beyond the boundaries of existing fields and disciplines. The Council for Public Health & Society (RVS) is seeking an advisor to strengthen the RVS staff, specifically within the Center for Ethics and Health (CEG) for the theme “Limits to Healing and Improvement.” We are looking for an advisor who wants to contribute to a sustainable framework for public health and society in the Netherlands.

The & is our symbol. It represents the inseparable connection between the two aspects of our field of work: public health and society. The & is at the heart of our mission and represents the understanding that developments in our society have implications for our individual and collective health. The RVS is an independent advisory body to the government and parliament. The Council consists of 10 members, including Chair Jet Bussemaker. The Council is supported by a team of approximately 30 advisors and staff members.

We see it as our mission to introduce new perspectives, to explore them in greater depth, to broaden them, and to bring them together. In this way, we strive to make a meaningful contribution to advancing social challenges in the realms of politics, policy, and practice.

Center for Ethics and Health

The Center for Ethics and Health (CEG) is a partnership between the RVS and the Health Council of the Netherlands (GR) and was established 20 years ago. Identifying issues is the CEG’s primary task: we place topics involving ethical questions on the political and policy agenda. These are new and/or current developments whose impact or consequences are not always known or predictable. Identifying issues means addressing them as early as possible. Ethics is our disciplinary lens—with an interdisciplinary CEG committee and skilled staff, we identify where ethical questions arise and map them out through thorough analysis. The CEG identifies issues within four thematic areas: biomedical technology, e-health & AI, healthcare practice, and public health. We focus our attention on both current practice and the future. We always keep our target audience in mind—these are issues that are relevant to government policy.

The CEG’s staff consists of employees from the RVS and GR, all of whom devote part of their time to projects within this partnership. The CEG has its own committee of ethicists, philosophers, legal experts, and healthcare providers who provide substantive advice on the development of publications.

Position

We are looking for a senior advisor who can work on various projects for both the RVS and the CEG. As a senior advisor, you will typically serve as a project leader. In that role, you will be responsible, together with the members of the council or the CEG committee, for the development of recommendations/reports and other outputs. In your preparatory role, you will conduct research with your colleagues and consult with experts, stakeholders, healthcare providers, and citizens.

Conducting high-quality research, preparing a thorough ethical analysis, and clearly articulating the resulting message are the core responsibilities of this position. It is important to remain mindful of the social and political context in which we operate.

The RVS values diversity and inclusion. We are actively working to make our organization more diverse. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds and with all identities to apply.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Designing, implementing, and managing (consulting) projects and reports.
• Conducting (literature) research and other forms of knowledge gathering and synthesis.
• Organizing dialogue sessions and/or expert meetings.
• Writing reports, ethical explorations, and essays.
• Building and maintaining a broad and relevant network of expertise in policy, healthcare, society, and research.
• Identifying and actively contributing ideas on relevant developments and topics that the Council could pursue.

Job Requirements

• You think at the university level and have knowledge of (biomedical) ethical issues;
• You are capable of conceptual thinking and know how to translate that into concrete advice;
• You have demonstrable work experience in biomedical ethics
• You work well with a wide range of people, such as council members, CEG committee members, clients, and stakeholders.
• You ensure that different perspectives are incorporated into the advisory process; you think independently and also offer your own judgment;
• You are flexible and understand what it takes to operate in a complex political and administrative environment.
• You connect easily with others, communicate clearly and persuasively, and are an excellent writer.

Terms of Employment

• Salary level 12
• Monthly salary: €4,214.85 – €6,227.02 (gross)
• Contract duration: 1 year, with the possibility of a permanent position
• Minimum number of hours per week: 32
• Maximum number of hours per week: 36

Other terms and conditions of employment

In addition to your salary, you can count on a flexible spending account (16.37% of your gross salary) and time off (vacation hours beyond the statutory minimum and any age-based leave). At RVS, we place great value on flexibility and team interaction. Wednesday is the fixed office day at RVS; the CEG staff has meetings on Thursdays; other days are flexible. In addition to in-office interactions, we organize approximately four workshop days per year focused on team learning, leadership, and fostering individuality within the organization. There are also opportunities for personal growth and career development. Employee benefits include up to 55% paid parental leave (subject to conditions), educational support, an additional leave arrangement for older employees, and a commuting allowance. You can partially customize your benefits package yourself.

Details

• Please submit your application electronically by March 26, 2023, to bedrijfsvoering@raadrvs.nl or , referencing " Senior Advisor RVS 2022 Job Opening."
• Would you like to learn more first? We’re hosting a webinar about the position on Tuesday , March 14, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can register for this by 1:00 PM on March 14 by sending an email to bedrijfsvoering@raadrvs.nl. If you have any further questions after that , please contact Stannie Driessen, Director of RVS, at 06 22810107 or s.driessen@raadrvs.nl.
• The process consists of a resume screening and two rounds of interviews. We aim to complete the process within six weeks of the application deadline.