Call for National Health Expert – Waterborne Diseases: Contribute to the Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture Study in Moldova (Sep-Dec 2025)
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is currently seeking a highly qualified, dynamic professional to fulfil the role of a National Health Expert in Moldova. The expert will contribute critical data and analysis on epidemiology, public health risk assessment, and food safety in three targeted areas: Causeni, Cahul, and Cantemir. This initiative is part of a broader study examining potential wastewater reuse in agriculture and effective water resource management practices, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum requirements for water reuse.
Job Duration: Immediate hire through December 2025.
Project Overview:
The Stockholm Environment Institute’s Green Agenda Moldova project works with governments of Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine along with experts to implement policy changes for greener economies, improved environmental governance, innovative technologies, and green job creation. To meet EU accession demands and international commitments, Moldova works to transition to a more sustainable economy, which includes applying EU regulations on minimum water reuse requirements. The EU regulation offers guidelines for safe water reuse, encourages a circular economy, supports climate change adaptation, and aims to manage water scarcity across the EU.
Wastewater Reuse Study
The research investigates the potential reuse of wastewater in agriculture in Moldova. It's part of the Green Agenda project, executed in cooperation with Moldova's Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture. The goal is to determine if and how to utilize reclaimed wastewater for irrigation, addressing water scarcity and improving resource management in light of climate change.
Stage 1, completed in March 2025, provided a foundation for this strategy by exploring the state of wastewater treatment and irrigation in Moldova.
Stage 2, from May to December 2025, will delve deeper, with an in-depth assessment of technical capacities, scenario calculations and socio-technical feasibility analysis at three pilot sites.
Consultancy Purpose: The chosen candidate will assist in decision-making pertinent to how to implement the use of reclaimed wastewater for agricultural irrigation within Moldova, supporting the promotion of circular practices and responding to anthropogenic pressures on water resources. The successful candidate will join a team of experts comprehensively assessing the feasibility of this initiative.
Role and Responsibilities: The expert will join a team working on the feasibility of wastewater reuse in agriculture in Moldova, providing epidemiological analysis and public health assessment related to waterborne diseases in Causeni, Cahul and Cantemir.
Tasks & Deliverables: Main tasks include providing baseline epidemiology data, conducting health risk assessments for wastewater reuse scenarios, and maintaining effective communication with the project team.
Deliverables include written epidemiological and risk assessment reports, meeting participation, and responsive contributions to team inquiries and feedback.
Qualifications and Skills:
Candidates should have a university degree in a relevant field such as public health, epidemiology, or environmental health, with substantial technical expertise in the epidemiology of waterborne diseases and risk assessment methods, including familiarity with chemical risk assessment.
At least five years of experience conducting health risk assessments or similar studies is required, along with proven ability in data collection and analysis. Familiarity with EU and WHO food safety standards is a plus, as is local expertise in the project districts.
Language Skills: Excellent proficiency in Romanian is obligatory, and working knowledge of English will facilitate communication with international team members.
Soft Skills: The candidate should have robust analytical, reporting, and writing skills, along with effective communication and teamwork capabilities. Flexibility and responsiveness are also necessary.
Consultancy Duration: The National Health Expert will be contracted immediately through to the end of 2025, with potential extension considerations. The anticipated effort for this assignment is 20 working days during Stage 2 of the project implementation. Compensation will be determined based on qualifications and experience.
Application Guidelines: Candidates should submit an updated CV, a detailed cover letter describing relevant experiences and previous work related to the assessment, a financial offer indicating the proposed daily fee (in EUR, gross amount). Please email your application materials to Tatiana Echim, Senior Expert, Green Agenda Moldova, at [email protected].
For a detailed Terms of Reference (ToR) concerning this external contractor position, please reach out to Tatiana Echim at [email protected]. Please note that only applicants who meet the required qualifications will be contacted.
The deadline for applications is 3 October 2025. All submissions will be assessed on a rolling basis, ensuring early applications are considered promptly.