Information and Communications Officer

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)[1] is organising a call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for Temporary Agents for the post of Information and Communications Officer.

 

The registration of applications will begin on 20 April 2012 and will close on 20 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.      The Job

2.1  Profile

Under the supervision of the Head of Operations, the jobholder will design, plan and implement internal and external communication strategy aimed at increasing a general knowledge and interest in gender equality and informing stakeholders and wider audiences about gender equality and the work of the Institute.

 

2.2  Duties

In particular the jobholder will perform the following tasks and activities:

• contribute to development and implementation of EIGE’s internal and external communications strategy.
• organise internal communications activities, including the content of intranet and develop other internal communications channels.
• plan and administer public procurement procedures necessary for communications activities.
• contribute to the conceptualisation and production of communications materials for various activities and events of the Work Programme of the Institute.
• assist operational colleagues to integrate communication methods and tools in all focal areas of the Institute’s work, in particular, gender research, statistics and gender mainstreaming.
• draft and/or edit content for printed publications, the Internet and audio-visual productions.
• contribute to the planning and development of Institute’s publications.
• support management and colleagues in drafting targeted messages, media releases and general communications for key stakeholders.
• contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of EIGE’s communications activities.
• contribute to the collection of good practices and success stories, with a view to channel them to appropriate practitioners and media, in coordination with the Institute’s spokesperson.
• support and optimise the work of the media networks in the Member States of the EU.
• ensure high quality documents and files (substance and presentation) by reviewing earlier publication.

 

3.      Qualifications and experience required

3.1  Formal requirements

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

• completed post-secondary education attested by a diploma[2] or a secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education and appropriate professional experience[3] of at least three years;
• be physically fit to perform duties linked to the post.[4]
• nationality of a Member State of the European Union;
• a good command, both spoken and written, of at least two official EU languages;
• entitlement to full rights as a citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service, and 

 

 3.2  Selection Criteria

Essential:

• a minimum of 18 months professional experience in  communications function at a level corresponding to performance of tasks as defined under section 2.2.
• proven experience in information, communications and campaigning tasks.
• the ability to use modern audio-visual techniques and communications tools.
• a good knowledge of gender equality issues.
• the ability to draft reader-friendly documents by simplifying research reports for different target audiences, including the general public.
• proven project management experience.
• excellent English which is the predominant working language at the Institute.
• evidence of the ability  to communicate technical or specialised information.
• excellent organisational and administrative skills, including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• the ability to work in a proactive and autonomous way.
• a good knowledge of EU procurement rules and procedures.

Advantageous:

• a proven record of successful work with wide range of target groups.
• knowledge of the EU institutional framework and policies.
• creativity and innovative thinking.

 

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 available here. 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. For reasons related to the Institute’s operational requirements, the chosen candidate will be expected to be available at short notice. A Temporary Agent contract at an AD5 grade under Article 2 (a) pursuant to the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities shall be offered, subject to a six month probation period. The duration of the initial contract will be five years and the initial contract may be renewed.

The pay of the Community temporary agents consists of the basic remuneration as well as various allowances[5] depending on personal situation of the jobholder. For information, the current gross basic salary of the first step in the applicable grade, before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 72.5% for Lithuania, is €4,349. 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/her independence. Candidates must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

 

7.      Equal opportunities

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

 

8.      Appeal procedures

If a candidate considers that s/he has been adversely affected by a particular decision, s/he can lodge a complaint 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 life in Vilnius

Lithuania is a member of the Schengen Area and it 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