Project coordinator - IPA

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)¹ is organising a call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for the post of Project Coordinator – IPA.

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)² provides financial support to pre-accession countries aiming to help prepare for their potential future EU membership. The project currently covers cooperation with Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo³, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) and Türkiye.

The registration of applications will begin on 13 June 2025 and will close on 11 July 2025 at 13:30 Eastern European Time.

The Agency

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives envisaged to contribute and strengthen the promotion of gender equality.

To achieve its goals, the Agency collects and analyses comparable and reliable information at EU level and develops appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all EU policies. It fosters the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raises EU citizen awareness of this policy area by providing technical assistance to EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, as well as the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality, EIGE supports policy-makers with high quality research and comparable data relevant to their work.  

Job profile and duties

The Agency’s IPA project aims at including the IPA beneficiaries in EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database, engaging the candidate countries with the developing and maintaining Gender Equality Indices, promoting work on standardised administrative data on violence against women, providing technical support on gender mainstreaming methods and tools and collect and exchange good practices on gender mainstreaming. This will strengthen the capacity of IPA III beneficiaries to monitor and mainstream gender equality and facilitate their gradual integration into EIGE core work areas, while contributing to further regional cooperation, a prerequisite for a successful integration of EU candidate countries and potential candidates.

Reporting to the Head of the Outreach & Engagement Unit and working in close collaboration with colleagues from the Research and Policy Support Unit and external contractors, the jobholder will coordinate the management and implementation EIGE’s initiatives under this programme until 30 June 2029.

The Jobholder will be required to develop contacts and collaborate with partners in the respective countries for capacity building and engagement purposes.

The post demands a proactive team player who shares learning and information as part of a multicultural and multidisciplinary team and brings the ability to manage multiple tasks with attention to detail.

The following are relevant to the duties of this post:

• Plan, manage, implement and follow-up the Agency’s activity on IPA initiatives within specific areas of gender equality;
• Develop and maintain good relations and contact with the European Commission (DG  ENEST) and the European External Action Service (EEAS), concerning the implementation of the project and its budget;
• Together with management and relevant colleagues, identify and propose areas of the Agency’s work which may be of benefit to the IPA countries;
• Manage procurement procedures and prepare terms of reference to contract relevant support for the planned activities;
• Develop and maintain regular contacts with the beneficiary institutions, and partners in the candidate countries through on-site visits and technical advice;
• Ensure sound financial management, through planning via timely commitments and payments, and monitoring of budget expenditure;
• Draft as required, financial reports and other related administrative documents (e.g. intermediate and final reports) for the project;
• Contribute with timely and qualitative information to the Agency’s planning and reporting documents;
• Respond to information requests concerning IPA from participating countries as well as from the European Commission;
• Perform any other related tasks assigned by EIGE’s management.

Formal requirements & selection criteria

Formal requirements

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

• have a university degree⁴ which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is 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 an EU citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service, and
• be physically fit to perform duties⁵.

Selection criteria

Essential

• At least three years’ professional experience⁶ gained after the award of the relevant qualification and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of tasks as defined above.
• A track record in contract or project management and programme implementation;
• Past experience of institutional capacity building complementary to the post;
• Good understanding of gender equality issues and relevant actors in this field, particularly in candidate countries;
• High level competence in drafting and editing papers and reports in English.
• Excellent organisational and communications skills with the ability to synthesize information;
• Ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• A proactive and engaging approach to work; initiative, flexibility, reliability and willingness to accept responsibilities;
• A very good command of English, the working language at the Agency;
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation and problem-solving skills, including ability to work with multiple stakeholders in a multicultural environment, at all levels of the organisation;

Advantageous

• Knowledge of the EU’s pre-accession assistance programmes;
• Knowledge of one of the languages of the pre-accession countries;
• Knowledge of EU public procurement and the preparation of tendering procedures;
• Good knowledge of EU integration policy, the institutions of the EU and EIGE;
• Knowledge of EU decision-making procedures relevant to the pre-accession activities;
• Relevant work experience in an EU institution or an intergovernmental organisation.

Selection procedure

The selection procedure includes the following:

• 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 interviews.
• Interviews and written tests will be in English.
• During the interview, 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 interviews, candidates will be requested to present valid documents detailing citizenship in particular a copy of identity card, passport or other official document specifying citizenship.
• If at any stage of the procedure, it is 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.
• EIGE’s Director will appoint the selected jobholder from the reserve list, taking into account a gender balanced, geographically diverse organisation.

The internal proceedings of the selection committee are 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 at the bottom of this page. 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. Only candidates invited to an interview will be asked to present copies of documents for verification. Applications will not be returned to candidates but will be kept on file by the Institute in line with its data protection obligations.

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

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

Conditions of employment

The place of employment is Vilnius Lithuania. EIGE operates from a modern and fully computerised office space based in the city’s Old Town.

The jobholder shall work in a multicultural environment where social dialogue is considered very important. EIGE applies a participatory approach to its work and encourages an open dialogue between management and staff. Colleagues work closely together as much of the work is organised around cross-unit project teams. EIGE is committed to the principle of zero tolerance towards harassment at work.

Working time is based around flexitime and core working hours, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations. In addition to training opportunities, EIGE offers various support and well-being measures for staff members and their families such as contributions to schooling costs.

For reasons related to the Institute’s operational requirements, the chosen candidate will be expected to be available at short notice. An FG IV Contract Agent contract under Article 3a pursuant to the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union shall be offered, subject to nine months’ probation. The duration of the contract will be three years and may be renewed until 30 June 2029 in line with when this IPA programme closes.

Remuneration consists of the basic salary as well as various allowances⁷ depending on personal situation of the jobholder. For information, the current gross basic salary before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 86.7% for Lithuania, starts at approximately €4,319 for grade 13, €4,887 for grade 14 and €6,256 for grade 16, depending on years of documented experience. Salaries are exempt from national taxation and subject to tax at source. Deductions are also made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance.

Independence & declarations of interest

The jobholder 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.

Equal opportunities

The Agency applies a policy of equal opportunities in line with the formal requirements noted above.

Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

EIGE is committed to promote diversity and inclusion in its working environment and organisational culture. This includes Reasonable Accommodation for applicants with a disability⁸.

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 Union and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, by writing to The Director, European Institute for Gender Equality, Gedimino Prospektas 16, Vilnius, Lithuania LT01103.

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) starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting her/him.

Pursuant to Article 195(1) of the Treaty establishing the European Community and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Decision of the European Parliament of 9 March 1994 on the Staff Regulations and the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties, published in Official Journal of the European Union L 113 of 4 May 1994, it is also possible to write to: The European Ombudsman, 1 Avenue du Président Robert Schuman, CS 30403 67001 Strasbourg Cedex, France.

Further details on appeals

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 (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC. 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.

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.

Vilnius has an estimated population of just over 542,000 people. In addition to ample green spaces, it is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Neris, offering excellent opportunities for outdoor activities. Vilnius has impressive Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Russian architecture as well as one of Europe's largest medieval old towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994. It has been a university city since the Middle Ages.

Today it 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. The city centre of Vilnius is compact, clean and safe. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, Vilnius has a well-developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans.

The city is easy to get around, has a good standard of living and an excellent working environment. EIGE’s premises are situated in the Europe House on the main thoroughfare of Vilnius City, Gedimino Prospektas, with easy access to amenities, both leisure and educational.

Further information is available from the websites of Go Vilnius, Vilnius Tourism and Invest Lithuania.