Networking & Communications Assistant

Temporary Agent (AST4)  

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)[1] is publishing a call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for Temporary Agents for the post of Networking & Communications Assistant.

 The registration of applications will begin on 01^st May 2012 and will close on 30^th May 2012 at 23:00 Eastern European Time.

 

1.      The role of the Institute

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a regulatory agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives related to the contribution and strengthening of gender equality promotion.

To achieve its goals, the Institute shall collect and analyse objective, comparable and reliable information at Community level and develop appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all Community policies. EIGE shall equally foster the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raise EU citizen awareness of this policy area by providing technical assistance to the Community institutions, in particular the Commission as well as the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality EIGE will strive to eliminate gender discrimination.

 

2.      Job profile and duties

 Reporting to the Head of the Operations and working closely with the Networking and Communication team, the job-holder shall assist the Operations unit in identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders in the work of the Institute and communicating the results of various activities. In particular, the following tasks and activities will be undertaken:

• assist in planning the contributions of the Operations unit for meetings of the Experts’ Forum;
• support the establishment of relations and co-operation within the Experts' Forum and thematic networks;
• assist in developing the Institute’s work with stakeholders, including  analysis and the development of options for stakeholders’ engagement and networking;
• contribute to the facilitation and implementation of networking activities, consultations, conferences, printed publications and online related information;
• ensure the continuous update of stakeholders’ databases as well as the inclusion of relevant stakeholder information at the Institute’s Resource and Documentation Centre;
• contribute to the required administrative and logistical support needed for  the establishment and operation of the European Network on Gender Equality, via an electronic platform;
• process, create and keep up-to-date related dossiers, documents and data in the appropriate files;
• organise and prepare briefing files for internal use as well as for external meetings and conferences;
• contribute to the development of external communications on gender equality from a stakeholders’ perspective;
• contribute to representational work on behalf of the Institute;
• follow-up any other related tasks as assigned by the Head of Operations.

 

3.      Qualifications and experience required

3.1  Formal requirements

To be considered eligible for selection, an applicant must, by the closing date of this call:

• have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma[2], or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years;
• have a good command, both spoken and written, of at least two official EU languages;
• be a national of a member state of the EU;
• enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service;
• be physically fit to perform duties.[3]

3.2  Selection criteria

Essential

• at least six years professional experience gained after the award of the relevant qualification and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of the duties as defined in Section 2;
• knowledge of gender equality issues and EU policies on equality between women and men;
• experience of working with networking and actors/institutions engaged in gender equality issues;
• ability to draft reader-friendly documents by adapting gender equality related information to  different target audiences, including the general public;
• very good command of written and spoken English which is the predominant working language at the Institute;
• good working knowledge of databases and awareness of social networking software;
• proven experience of assisting project management and public procurement procedures;
• excellent interpersonal, organisational, administrative and problem solving skills, including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines;
• ability to work in a team and in a proactive and autonomous way.

 

Advantageous

• Previous work experience in an international and/or multicultural environment.

 

4.      Selection procedure and application

The selection procedure includes the following steps:

• Only duly completed applications submitted electronically within the deadline will be taken into consideration.
• Each duly completed application will be examined with a view to establishing that the candidate meets all eligibility criteria.
• Eligible applications will be evaluated by the appointed Selection Committee based on selection criteria defined in this vacancy notice. Depending on the number of applications received, the Selection Committee may apply stricter requirements within the selection criteria noted above.
• The best-admissible candidates will be short-listed for interview.
• Due to large volume of applications, only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted.
• Interviews will be held in English.
• During the interview session, the Selection Committee will examine the candidates' profiles and assess their relevancy for the post in question. On the day of the interview, candidates may also be required to undergo a competency assessment exercise.
• On the day of interview candidates will be requested to present , originals and copies of documents detailing citizenship, studies and professional experience, in particular:
  • a copy of identity card, passport or other official document specifying citizenship;
  • a copy of diploma certifying a required level of academic qualifications;
  • documentary evidence of professional experience, clearly indicating starting and finishing dates.

Copies of these documents will be retained by the Institute.

• If at any stage of the procedure, it were established that information in the application has been knowingly falsified, the candidate shall be disqualified from the selection process.
• Successful candidates will be included in a reserve list which will be valid for 12 months. The validity of this list may be extended. Each candidate will be informed by letter whether or not s/he has been placed on the reserve list. However inclusion of candidates on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment.
• The Director of the Institute will appoint the selected jobholder from the reserve list, taking into account the establishment of a gender balanced, geographically diverse organisation.

 

The internal proceedings of the Selection Committee are strictly confidential and any contact with its members is strictly forbidden. Soliciting on behalf of a candidate can lead to immediate disqualification.

 For applications to be valid, candidates must complete an EIGE application form.

EIGE application form (.doc, 195KB)

It is to be forwarded electronically to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu . The subject title should include the vacancy reference number.

Applicants are requested not to attach any supporting documents at this stage (e.g. copies of ID cards, diplomas, evidence of previous professional experience, etc). Only candidates invited to an interview will be asked to present copies of these documents for verification. Applications will not be returned to candidates but will be kept on the file by the Institute in line with its data protection guidelines.

 Please note that the time period between the closing date for the submission of applications and the end of the process to short list candidates for the interview may take several weeks.

Due to the large volume of applications, the Institute regrets that only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted.

 

5.      Appointment and conditions of employment

The place of employment shall be Vilnius, Lithuania. The new recruit will be offered a Temporary Agent's contract under Article 2 (a) of the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities and will be engaged at grade AST 4 subject to a six month probation period. The duration of the initial contract will be five years. The initial contract may be renewed.

The pay of the Community Temporary Agents consists of the basic remuneration as well as various allowances[4] depending on personal situation of the jobholder. For information, the current gross basic salary of AST 4 (first step) before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 72.5% for Lithuania, is €3,844.31. The salary will be paid in the local currency: LTL. All remuneration is subject to a Community tax at source. Deductions are also made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance. Salaries are exempt from national taxation.

 

6.      Independence and declarations of interest

The job holder will be required to enter into a commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make complete declarations of any direct or indirect interests that might be considered prejudicial to his or her independence. Candidates must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

 

7.      Equal opportunities

EIGE applies a policy of equal opportunities and accepts applications without distinction on any grounds.

 

8.      Appeal procedures

If a candidate considers that she or he has been adversely affected by a particular decision, a complaint can be lodged under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, by writing to The Director, European Institute for Gender Equality, Svitrigailos g. 11m, Vilnius, Lithuania LT-03228.

The complaint must be lodged within three months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure (see Staff Regulations as modified by Council Regulation No 723/2004 of 22nd March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27th April 2004 – http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex ) starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting him/her.

 

9.      Protection of personal data

As the body responsible for organising the competition, the EIGE ensures that applicants’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (Official Journal of the European Communities, L 8 of 12 January 2001). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Personal data shall thus be processed solely for the purpose of the selection procedure.

 

10.      Lithuania and living in Vilnius

A member of the Schengen Area, Lithuania borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. Its western coastline - noted for its fine beaches, dunes and majestic pines - straddles the Baltic Sea. Lithuanian summers are sunny and warm with an average temperature of +17 C. Winter is white and generally cold with average temperatures that hover around – 4 C.

Vilnius is Lithuania's capital with an estimated population of just over half a million citizens. It has impressive Baroque and Gothic architecture as well as one of Europe's largest medieval old towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994.  A university city since the Middle Ages, Vilnius is the centre of the country's politics, business, science, culture and entertainment and it attracts an increasingly varied assortment of local and international events. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, it has a well developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans. 

Further information is available here - http://www.lithuaniatourism.co.uk/index.php?id=333