Accounting Officer

Temporary Agent, AD 6

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

The registration of applications will begin on 24^th May 2012 and will close on 22^nd June 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 EU level and develop appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all EU 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 EU 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

The jobholder shall not only ensure the accurate management of the Institute’s financial accounts in compliance with applicable rules and procedures but also the availability of sufficient funds to cover EIGE’s cash requirements arising from the implementation of its budget.

2.2 Duties

The Accounting Officer will be responsible for the following tasks and activities:

• execute all accounting transactions and effect the necessary reconciliation of outstanding transactions;
• recover amounts established as being receivable including the recovery of VAT from the host Member State;
• prepare and present the Institute’s annual accounts and financial statements – both provisional and final - in line with the applicable financial regulations;
• develop the necessary contacts with relevant EU institutions including the European Commission (EC) as well as other services as required;
• assist the Court of Auditors and the EC’s Internal Audit Services during their control and audit missions to EIGE;
• provide monthly updates on budget implementation covering credit and carry forwards commitments, de-commitments, and payments;
• provide advice on the interpretation and implementation of the financial procedures;
• participate in the development of financial procedures and model documents, including check lists, for all of the essential financial activities;
• keep abreast of relevant accounting regulations and ensure updating of existing instruction processes and procedures;
• participate actively in the network of EU agency accountants;
• ensure that colleagues who need to use financial procedures are aware of them, understand them and correctly apply them;
• validate the Institute’s accounting systems;
• file and archive documents connected to the accounting function;
• follow-up as necessary on the European Parliament’s decision on the discharge in respect of the implementation of EIGE’s budget.

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;
• 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
• be physically fit to perform duties linked to the post.[4]

3.2 Selection criteria

Essential

• have at least three years of proven work experience following the award of the diploma[5] directly relevant to the tasks as defined under section 2.2;
• specialist accounting knowledge;
• knowledge of the financial regulation and the implementing rules applicable to the budget of the European Communities;
• very good command of English, the working language at the Institute;
• good presentation skills;
• working knowledge of ABAC and SAP;
• notable organisational and administrative skills, including the ability to manage priorities;
• the ability to work in a proactive and autonomous way.

Advantageous

• work experience in an international or European organisation as well as a good knowledge of the EU institutional framework and policies including procurement rules.

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. 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 AD6 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 a Temporary Agent consists of the basic remuneration as well as various allowances[6] 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 €4,921.28. 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 22^nd March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27^th 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^th 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^th 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.

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[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 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).

[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 (University degree for AD posts). 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.