The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is the financial instrument for the European Union (EU) pre-accession process whereby assistance is provided on the basis of the European Partnerships of the potential candidate countries and the Accession Partnerships of the candidate countries, i.e. the Western Balkan countries, Turkey and Iceland. IPA assistance is subject to the progress made by the enlargement countries and their needs as shown in the European Commission’s evaluations and strategy papers.
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)[1]is organising a call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for Contract Agents for the post ofAdministrative Agent – Gender Equality & EU EnlargementCountries.
The registration of applications will begin on10 Augustand will close on26 September 2012 at 23:00 Eastern European Time.
1.The role of the Institute
Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a regulatory agency of the EU entrusted with specific objectives related to the contribution and strengthening of gender equality promotion.
In 2013, like other EU agencies, EIGE will participate in IPA in order to strengthen the capacity of EU candidate countries and potential EU candidate countries to comply with EU acquis in the field of gender equality.
The principal initiatives that EIGE will undertake will be addressed to the competent public administrations in the IPA countries or other relevant bodies working on gender equality on behalf of the associated country, either at central or local level on the development, implementation and enforcement of the relevant legislation on gender equality.
2.Job profile and duties
Under the supervision of the Head of Operations and working in close collaboration with other colleagues, the jobholder will participate in the management and implementation of the Institute’s first pre-accession activity to ensure an effective preparation for a possible later accession. The jobholder will be involved in the following tasks and activities:
- Develop contacts, provide advice to, and collaborate with, partners in the enlargement country in connection with institutional capacity building support;
- Plan, manage and implement the Institute’s activity on pre-accession support to IPA countries within the area of gender equality;
- Maintain contact with the European Commission (DG ENLARG) concerning the budget and details of the activity;
- Manage procurement procedures and prepare contracts with for example translators, conference organisers, webmasters etc. in connection with the pre-accession activity;
- Develop and maintain regular contacts with the beneficiary institutions, and partners in the enlargement countries through missions and technical advice;
- Plan and monitor the activity budget in collaboration with the Institute’s Administration Unit;
- Draft the required technical and financial reports and other documents (typically technical specifications, intermediate and final reports) for the activity;
- Respond to information requests concerning the IPA activity in specific enlargement countries
3.Qualifications and experience required
3.1Formal 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;
- nationality of a Member state of the EU;
- a good command, both spoken and written, of at least two official EU languages;
- entitlement to full rights as a citizen;
- to have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service, and
- to be physically fit to perform duties linked to the post.[4]
Candidates are required to have a level of education that corresponds to a completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year.
3.2Selection criteria
Eligible candidates will then be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
Essential:
- At least three years professional experience following the award of a diploma[5];
- A track record in project management and programme implementation;
- Excellent knowledge and experience in institutional capacity building relevant to the post, and how to make networks work;
- Fluency in English, both spoken and written;
- Knowledge of the EU’s pre-accession assistance programmes;
- Good knowledge of gender equality issues and relevant actors in this field, particularly in the pre-accession countries;
- Experience with EU public procurement and the preparation of calls for tender;
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including negotiation skills and ability to liaise effectively with people at all levels of the organisation and externally;
- Ability to manage different pan-European projects concurrently and to coordinate the work of a range of external contractors;
- Good sense of initiative, flexibility, reliability and willingness to accept responsibilities;
- Ability to work in an international environment and to deal with diversity.
Advantageous:
- Knowledge of one of the languages of the pre-accession countries;
- Good knowledge of the EU integration, the institutions of the EU and EIGE;
- Knowledge of EU decision-making procedures relevant to the Institute’s pre-accession activities;
- Relevant work experience in an EU institution.
4. Application and selection procedure
The application and 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 toeige.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 take up the responsibilities of the post during the first quarter in 2013. A Contract Agent contract at a Function Group III level under Article 3 (a) pursuant to the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities shall be offered, subject to a nine month probation period. The duration of the initial contract will be for one year and the initial contract may be renewed.
The pay of the Community temporary agents consists of the basic remuneration as well as various allowances[6]depending on personal situation of the jobholder which may represent a significant percentage of the total remuneration. For information, the current gross basic salary of the first applicable step in Function Group III before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 72.5% for Lithuania, is €2,457. The salary will be paid in the local currency: LTL. All remuneration is subject to a 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
EIGE 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.
[1]Established by the European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006 (OJ L 403/9 of 30.12.2006).
[2]Only qualifications issued by EU Member State authorities and qualifications recognised as equivalent by the relevant Member States authorities will be accepted.
[3]Professional experience will be counted from the date on which the applicant acquired the minimum qualification for access to the profile in question. Only duly documented professional activity (i.e. remunerated employment or self-employment) is taken into account. Part-time work will be taken into account in proportion to the percentage of full-time hours worked. Periods of education or training and unremunerated traineeships are not taken into account Fellowships, grants and PhDs can be counted as professional experience up to a maximum of 3 years. Any given time period can be counted only once (e.g. if the applicant had a full-time job and did freelance consultancy work in the evenings and weekends, the days spent on the latter will not be added to the period of the former).
[4]Prior to recruitment, the successful candidate will be medically examined for the purposes of Article 12(2) (d) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities.
[5]Professional experience will be counted from the date on which the applicant acquired the minimum qualification for access to the profile in question. Only duly documented professional activity (i.e. remunerated employment or self-employment) is taken into account. Part-time work will be taken into account in proportion to the percentage of full-time hours worked. Periods of education or training and unremunerated traineeships are not taken into account Fellowships, grants and PhDs can be counted as professional experience up to a maximum of three years. Any given time period can be counted only once (e.g. if the applicant had a full-time job and did freelance consultancy work in the evenings and weekends, the days spent on the latter will not be added to the period of the former).
[6]For example: expatriation allowance, household allowance, education allowance, dependent child allowance etc.