Job Advertisement: Director General for Swedac

The Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (Swedac) aims to promote an efficient and well-functioning quality infrastructure to ensure that products and services meet safety and quality requirements. The authority shall promote free trade, free movement within the EU internal market, and a strong multilateral trading system.

The authority is particularly responsible for:

• accreditation,
• regulated measurement technology,
• precious metal control,
• coordination of market surveillance,
• supervision of national measurement points,
• tasks to be performed by a GLP authority (Good Laboratory Practice) according to the regulation (1991:93) on the implementation of OECD's principles of good laboratory practice, and
• notification of notified and designated bodies to the European Commission.

The authority shall also consider the interests of businesses and consumers as well as other societal interests. Furthermore, the authority shall monitor and participate in international cooperation within its area of responsibility and ensure that the regulations for which the authority is responsible are cost-effective and simple for citizens and businesses.

Within the framework of the government's work and priorities, the authority shall assist the government with expert support through documentation and opinions, as well as, if necessary, by participating in international meetings and negotiation processes.

The authority may, if necessary and considering available personnel, conduct service exports directly related to the authority's core activities and within the scope of its mission. Within this framework, the authority may, for example, support accession countries, candidate countries, and other countries harmonizing their legislation with the EU or adapting to World Trade Organization requirements in their development of quality infrastructure.

The authority may, in accordance with its instructions, charge fees.

The authority is led by a director general. There is a supervisory board consisting of a maximum of ten members. The director general is the head of the authority and the chair of the supervisory board.

The operations are primarily financed through fees but also through grants. Swedac's revenues in 2024 consisted of 16% grants and 84% fees and other compensation. In 2026, the grant will amount to approximately 37 million SEK. The fee-financed revenues mainly come from the authority's core activity of accreditation.

In 2024, the authority had 107 full-time employees. The authority has been located in Borås since 2019.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is a proven good manager and leader and has:

• experience in leading through other managers,
• good knowledge of public administration and its decision-making processes,
• experience in leading and developing a knowledge-intensive organization,
• experience in international work,
• understanding of the political structure in which the authority operates,
• in addition to Swedish, good knowledge of English,
• academic education or equivalent.

You should also have the ability to:

• establish and develop collaborations with various stakeholders nationally and internationally,
• work results-oriented and create results in an organization,
• be communicatively skilled and analytically strong,
• engage and motivate employees,
• represent the authority both nationally and internationally,
• work strategically with competence supply,
• lead and develop the organization within the framework of a good governance culture,
• represent employer interests and, together with other agency heads, develop the state employer policy.

It is an advantage if you have:

• knowledge of and experience in the areas for which Swedac is responsible.

More Information

More information about the position can be obtained from Diana Janse, Secretary of State, and Björn Arvidsson, Unit Manager. Questions regarding employment conditions and the recruitment process can be answered by Jan Lindberg Sezer, Office for Management Supply to Authorities. You can reach them via the Government Offices switchboard, tel 08-405 10 00.

Other

Only Swedish citizens can be appointed as Director General of Swedac. The position is placed in a security class. A security review with a background check will be conducted before a decision on employment.

Expression of Interest

Welcome to register your expression of interest and CV in our recruitment tool no later than February 24, 2026.

Confidentiality applies to information about individual candidates' identities.

The Swedish public administration consists of approximately 200 authorities that are directly subordinate to the government. The government employs the heads of authorities and decides on their employment conditions. Salaries are individual and are determined based on the requirements of the position and the qualifications and experiences of the manager. Most heads of authorities are employed for a fixed term – normally, the first employment period is six years.