Specialist Pharmaceutical Policy - RIZIV

Job Content

Do you want to help decide which innovative medicines will be reimbursed in Belgium? Are you fascinated by healthcare, pharmaceutical policy, and complex societal challenges? Then this role is for you.

You are a specialist in pharmaceutical policy and play a central role in the reimbursement of medicines, particularly in the reimbursement of medicines that are temporarily included in the reimbursement system based on an agreement (contract) between the RIZIV and a pharmaceutical company.

Within this role, you will be responsible for the following tasks:

• You organize meetings and prepare the agenda for the 'Contracts' Working Group, including questions, problems, proposals, etc.
• You chair meetings of the 'Contracts' Working Group, lead discussions, formulate advice, and present analyses and technical data.
• You ensure the administrative and financial follow-up of ongoing contracts between the RIZIV and pharmaceutical companies.
• You formalize proposals and decisions, and you monitor their implementation.
• You work closely with policy departments, insurance institutions, other national and international administrations, and pharmaceutical companies. Some collaborations may be in English (Knowledge of English is considered a plus).
• You play an important role in communication between the various involved parties, ensuring that proposals, decisions, and regulations are known and can be followed by all internal and external stakeholders.
• You ensure that our data is used and stored efficiently. To this end, you process data flows and regulations into computerized databases. Thanks to your contribution, we can further improve our services and guarantee the provision of correct data and policy information at all times, and ensure that collection and payment orders are executed correctly and on time.
• You are the point of contact for answering questions regarding policy and the application of regulations from the cabinet, experts, and other external parties (e.g., pharmacy, patients, doctors, etc.).

This position involves direct and visible public contact. In this case, regulations (Articles 7 and 8 of the Royal Decree of October 2, 1937) require the employee to wear no visible signs of religious, philosophical, political, or trade union beliefs to represent the public service neutrally during these contacts.

Do you have questions about the job content?

You can find our contact details in the "Contact Us" section.

Employer

There is 1 vacancy within the department Resource and Product Management of the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Policy within the Health Insurance Service (DGV) of the National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance (RIZIV) (Galileelaan 5/01 in Brussels).

Directorate of Pharmaceutical Policy

You will be part of the team of case managers specializing in the policy of agreements (contracts) of the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Policy. The team consists of 6 Dutch-speaking employees, primarily pharmacists, as well as a team of 2 people (1 Dutch-speaking and 1 French-speaking) providing administrative support. The position reports to N+1, Vinciane Knappenberg.

The Directorate of Pharmaceutical Policy:

• organizes and manages the consultative bodies and their working groups from a conceptual, technical, legal, budgetary, and administrative perspective (including the Committee for Reimbursement of Medicines, the 'Contracts' Working Group, the Agreement Committee Pharmacists Insurance Institutions, the Advisory Committee for Temporary Reimbursement for the Use of a Medicine, etc.).
• supports the functioning of the sector and resolves its problems.
• conducts scientific and statistical research and interprets information from databases.

The RIZIV

Our mission

The RIZIV is a key player in social security with a dual mission.

We are responsible for ensuring that every insured person - regardless of their situation - effectively has access to and is reimbursed for the necessary quality medical care (accessibility), which is provided effectively and in accordance with tariff agreements (tariff security).

We also ensure that insured employees and self-employed individuals receive adequate replacement income during incapacity for work or parenthood and are offered real opportunities for reintegration after incapacity for work.

Our work culture

The RIZIV invests in a work culture where accountability, flexibility, and transparency are key. We work according to the principles of the NWOW (new way of working). Collaboration with our internal and external partners, as well as the continuity and quality of our service to our clients, are central to this. A smooth work organization characterized by consultation allows us to work healthily and sustainably (together).

The RIZIV aims to stimulate its employees in the development of their competencies and personality, and in taking responsibility: This is done through a leadership style that focuses on listening, positive appreciation, support, trust, encouragement, brainstorming, and decisive action. In this way, we want to offer a work environment where all employees can feel good and experience their job as meaningful for themselves, their colleagues, their clients, and the public good. At the same time, we expect our employees to act loyally, professionally, and with integrity.

Competencies

• Critical thinking: To assess and evaluate information based on reasonable and logical criteria to make well-considered decisions:
  • Evaluate complex information and arrive at a conclusion
• Communication: To convey and exchange information, opinions, and ideas, choosing the style and communication channels appropriate to the context and target audience:
  • Persuade and negotiate
• Collaboration: To work in a team, build professional relationships, and share knowledge to achieve common goals:
  • Encourage collaboration
• Solution-oriented: To approach problems positively and propose and implement solutions:
  • Implement solutions for continuous improvement
• Customer-oriented: To start from the customer's perspective, understand their expectations and needs, and ensure optimal service delivery:
  • Guide customers
• Self-development: To develop one's competencies according to one's own needs and the needs of one's organization:
  • Commit to developing and keeping competencies up-to-date

This vacancy is part of the thematic expert job family and is at level A2.

You can find more information about job families, evaluated competencies, and their mastery levels on the Competencies page.

• Knowledge of active pharmaceutical ingredients: To understand the characteristics, applications, and role of active ingredients in the pharmacotherapeutic treatment of conditions:
  • Have extensive knowledge of the subject matter and be able to work independently on complex issues

• Verbal reasoning skills

The competency in bold and your motivation are considered very important for the job.

If your motivation does not meet the required level, you cannot pass this selection.

The competency collaboration and your motivation weigh more heavily on the final score (x2).

• You have knowledge of French and are willing to work in a bilingual environment (French/Dutch).

• You have knowledge of English.

• You have knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook...).

Participation Requirements

Your profile:

• You hold a Master's degree in one of the required scientific fields.
• You have 2 years of experience in one of the fields.
• Good knowledge of French is a plus.

A complete description of the participation requirements and the job profile can be found in the job description.

Diploma from a basic education program of 2 cycles (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, Engineer's), recognized and issued by Belgian universities and institutions of higher education of the long type, provided the studies encompassed at least four years, or by examination committees established by the State or one of the Communities in the following fields:

• Bio-engineering, Agricultural Sciences
• Medicine
• Biology
• Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences/Pharmacy

You can also participate if you have a previously obtained diploma that is equivalent to one of the listed diplomas.

If you obtained your diploma in a country other than Belgium or in a language other than Dutch, please check our website for participation options.

Are you applying for a position in a language other than that of your diploma? Pay close attention, as in some cases you must prove your language proficiency by passing a language test! Register for the required test as soon as possible, as obtaining a language certificate is a prerequisite for selection. Check if this applies to you by consulting the information on 'foreign diploma or diploma in another language'.

Upload your diploma in the "CV" section of your online account at the time of registration. If you do not do this, you cannot participate in the selection procedure.

At least 2 years of relevant professional experience in at least 2 of the following tasks:

• Participation as a negotiator in consultations concerning market access for pharmaceutical products.

• Participation in consultations concerning pricing and/or determination of reimbursement rates for medicines.
• Involvement as a researcher in the clinical development or registration of medicines or implants.
• Performing economic evaluations of medicines.
• Working in a hospital pharmacy.
• Application of principles of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM).

Complete your online CV in the "Work Experience" section of your online account in Dutch, by the final application date.

If you do not meet the above formal participation requirements by the final application date at the latest, your application cannot be considered.

Offer

You will be hired as an attaché (level A2) with the corresponding salary scale NA21.

Minimum starting salary: € 56,982.61 (gross annual salary, already adjusted to the current index, excluding statutory allowances).

You can calculate your gross and net salary using the salary simulator by answering a few questions.

We offer you a challenging job with an impact on people and society, with numerous benefits:

• Good work-life balance
  • flexible working hours in a 38-hour week
  • possibility to take time off in lieu for overtime
  • teleworking option
  • 26 days of leave and time off between Christmas and New Year
  • easily accessible by public transport

• Numerous development opportunities
  • extensive training and learning offer (to be followed during working hours)
  • extensive career opportunities

• Financial benefits
  • meal vouchers
  • possibility of receiving a bilingualism bonus
  • advantageous hospitalization insurance
  • free commuting by public transport
  • possibility of receiving a teleworking allowance
  • possibility of receiving a cycling allowance
  • benefits and interesting offers through Benefits@Work
  • company restaurant at democratic prices

Discover all information (additional bonuses and allowances, ...) and benefits of working for the federal government on the BOSA website.

Appointment Conditions

If you are successful in this selection, you must - in order to be appointed - on the date of appointment:

• be Belgian or a citizen of another country belonging to the European Economic Area (or an equivalent citizen under certain conditions) or a citizen of Switzerland
• enjoy civil and political rights
• have conduct that is in line with the requirements of the intended position
• not be in a situation of conflict of interest
• not have been dismissed for urgent reasons or dismissed ex officio or removed from office as a result of a disciplinary procedure in the recruiting federal service, calculated from three years after the dismissal decision or after the final ruling of the disciplinary sanction

Are you not yet a appointed civil servant? Then you will be appointed after successfully completing the probationary period.

Are you an appointed civil servant and do you meet the conditions to be hired through federal mobility? Then you can choose how to be hired:

• either you start a 3-month trial period during which you and the organization can decide if it's a match. If you or the recruiting organization are not convinced, you return to your previous employer. If it clicks from the start, you can decide together to make the definitive transition more quickly.
• or you start a new 1-year probationary period. If you successfully complete the probationary period, you will be appointed to the recruiting organization.

Procedure

In short:

1. We screen your diploma
2. We screen your experience
3. You take multiple computer-based tests at the FPS BOSA in Brussels. Note! If there are few candidates, this step will not be organized.
4. You undergo an interview with a case study at the RIZIV (Galileelaan 5/01 in Brussels)

A complete description of the procedure can be found in the full job description.

As the duty of neutrality is an essential part of the role, this will be discussed during the interview (cf. Articles 7 and 8 of the Royal Decree of October 2, 1937).

Please note:

• Regularly check the 'My Selection Procedures' tab in your online account to see if the registration period for the tests is open or not.
• The tests can be organized in physical presence (face-to-face) or remotely (via videocall). This information will be indicated at each step.
• You can register for a test only during the registration period as indicated in the 'My Selection Procedures' field. If you are not registered by the end of the registration period, your application can no longer be considered for this selection.
• If you are unable to attend the session for which you have registered, you must deregister at least one hour before the start of the test. However, for organizational reasons, we ask you to deregister by the day before the test at the latest. You do this by clicking on the cancellation link next to the date you have chosen in your online account. You can then register for another session if other sessions are available.
• If you experience problems registering for a test, please contact the contact person for the selection procedure (see 'Contact' section). Do this as soon as possible and at the latest within two working days before the test date.
• We will not consider your application for the continuation of the procedure if you do not register for a test and/or if you are absent.
• If you fail a specific step, the procedure stops, and you will not be invited for any subsequent tests in the same selection.

Equal opportunities and reasonable accommodations:

The Federal Government actively pursues a diversity policy.

Do you have a disability, learning disorder, or illness? Then you may be eligible for an adjustment of the selection procedure. See our page on reasonable accommodations for more information.

Possible provisions for pregnant or breastfeeding individuals:

Are you pregnant or breastfeeding? You may also be eligible for provisions. More information can be found on this page about equal opportunities.

You will only be admitted to the selection if you possess the required diploma. This screening is based on the documents to be uploaded (see 'Participation Requirements') in your online account by the final application date.

You will only be admitted to the selection if you have the required relevant professional experience. The screening of experience is based on your CV as filled out in your online account by the final application date. We will not consider any documents uploaded in the "My Extras" section of your online account for this screening.

What to pay attention to?

Complete the CV in Dutch. CVs in other languages will not be screened. Pay sufficient attention to the description of work experience in the CV. Our selection officers use this information for qualitative CV screening.

Also applied for a French-language selection?

Then, in your online CV under 'Work Experience -> Edit', also enter the information in the field 'Describe in detail the different tasks and responsibilities of the job' in French. If there is insufficient space in that field? Then type the further information into the next two fields ('Describe what you learned in the job' and 'Why change jobs') under a heading: 'Continuation of tasks and responsibilities'. At the bottom of the previously filled-in field for tasks and responsibilities, indicate which field you typed the further information into.

Whether this test is organized depends on the number of candidates remaining after the previous step.

Through a situational judgment test and a verbal reasoning test, the following competencies or reasoning skills are measured:

• Collaboration
• Verbal reasoning skills

This test will take place around late September and early October 2026 (subject to change). You can register for the test via the 'My messages and tasks' inbox in your online account. You can only register if you have passed the previous step. Choose the day and time to take the test online from the available test slots. It is best not to wait until the last moment to register for the test, as you risk there being no space left.

You will pass this test if you achieve at least 30 points out of 60 (for the total of these 2 tests). Considering the number of jobs, only the first 16 successful candidates will be admitted to the next test. In case of a tie in points, this number may be increased in favor of the candidate.

Please note: These tests are mandatory. You must therefore take all computer-based tests within the imposed deadline. If you do not, you will not be able to continue participating in the selection procedure.

The interview assesses whether your behavioral competencies and technical competency (see 'Competencies' section) align with the job requirements. Questions will also be asked about your motivation, interest, and affinity with the field of work.

Before the interview, you will be given a case study and sufficient time to prepare it. The case study will be discussed during your interview.

Your CV in your online account will be used as additional information for the interview.

You will pass if you achieve at least 50 points out of 100.

This test will take place around late October 2026 (subject to change).

Via the 'My messages and tasks' inbox in your online account, you can register for the test yourself online. You can only register if you have passed the previous step. Choose the day and time to take the test online from the available test slots. It is best not to wait until the last moment to register for the test, as you risk there being no space left.

Final Result

The ranking of successful candidates will be based on the results of Step 3 - interview. If there are successful candidates with equal points, the person with the highest number of points for the motivation section will be given priority. If there are candidates with equal points in this section, the ranking for these individuals will be determined randomly.

If you cannot start immediately, you will be placed on a list from which candidates can be drawn whenever a position becomes available for this role. Based on your ranking, you may also be offered contract positions.

A list of all successful candidates will be drawn up, which will remain valid for 1 year.

If this or another organization is looking for a similar profile, they can use this list. Depending on your result, you will be invited for an additional test, which often consists of an interview. It is possible that extra diploma and/or experience requirements will be asked.

In addition to this list of successful candidates, a special list will be drawn up (which remains valid for 4 years) for individuals with disabilities who have passed. You will only be included on this list at your request and if you have a certificate recognizing you as a 'person with a disability'. More information about priority for people with disabilities can be found on our website.

Government services that have not yet reached 3% of the quota are obliged to consult candidates from these reserves first.

Do you have a disability and wish to use workplace adjustments? You can request this at the time of recruitment. More information can be found on our Workplace Adjustments page.

Applying

Applying? Complete your online CV and consult the full job advertisement to have all the necessary information and prepare yourself as well as possible.

You can apply until September 14, 2026.

You must apply online through your online account. We will screen the CV that is in your online account by the final application date. We will also screen your diploma, which you must upload at the time of registration.

You cannot apply by fax or email.

Uploading diploma
You can upload your diploma in your online CV (before the final application date) in PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, or TIF format. The file should not exceed 8 MB. If you are unable to upload the diploma, you may send a copy to the contact person for the procedure (see 'Contact Us' section). Please include your national registry number, last name, first name, and the job code.

Additional Information

All information about the concrete progress of the procedure, your results, and the next steps can be found in your online account.

Your online account is the only place where this information is centralized with full reliability. Therefore, check your online account regularly to find all important information about your applications.

Feedback on your results?

After each screening step, you can receive a justification of your results. For some tests, this appears automatically in your online account; for others, you can request it from the contact person for the procedure.

Questions about the tests and scoring?

Our website provides more information about the progress of the tests and how you can prepare. You will also find more explanation about the scoring of our tests.

Not satisfied with the selection procedure?

Submit your complaint here.