The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has begun looking for a new Executive Director to replace Emer Cooke.
The veteran Irish civil servant is due to retire in 2027.
She has been at the helm of the EMA since 2020 and oversaw the most turbulent time during the covid crisis.
The agency was responsible for authorising treatments and vaccines against the coronavirus and made strenous efforts to reassure the public that medicines it approved were safe.
At the same time, governments and the EU put pressure on the EU to speed up its approval process at a time when thousands of people were dying from covid symptoms.
Emer Cooke’s term in office was renewed last year.
The job comes with a salary of around €180,000 – €216,000 depending on experience, according to the European Union Employment Adviser’s calculation for an EU job at level AD14.
The successful applicant “will be appointed for an initial mandate of five years, with a possible mandate renewal for a maximum five years”, according to the job advert.
The EMA said that the role of Executive Director was a weighty one:
“The Executive Director is the legal representative and public face of EMA and is accountable to the Agency’s Management Board. They will lead and manage EMA and take overall responsibility for its operations”, the agency said.
Applicants for the job must be EU nationals with at least 15 years of experience.
Experience and practice in healthcare, medicine, medical sciences, pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, or veterinary sciences “would be an asset”.
Candidates should also have management experience.
In 2025, the European Medicines Agency had a budget of €600 million and a staff of 900 people.
“The recruitment process is run by the European Commission”, the EMA said.
It “will provide a shortlist of candidates to the Management Board. The Board will then appoint the successful candidate, following an exchange with the European Parliament’s SANT [health] committee.”
The closing date for applications is 19 March 2026.