Seconded National Expert – Stakeholder Relations

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)¹ invites applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for the post of Seconded National Expert (SNE) – Stakeholder Relations.

The registration of applications will begin on 19 December 2022 and will close on 15 February 2023 at 13:30 Eastern European Time (EET).  The deadline has been extended to 20 March 2023 at 13:30 Eastern European Time (EET).

The role of the Institute

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU). As the EU's knowledge centre on gender equality, it is entrusted with specific objectives related to the promotion of gender equality.

To achieve its goals, the Institute 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 citizens’ 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 Description

Profile

Working closely with the Team leader for Stakeholder Relations, the SNE will support the Institute’s stakeholder engagement and outreach activities, including to Member States holding the EU Presidency, and present EIGE’s findings in relevant working groups or committees of the European Commission and the European Parliament.

The SNE will follow closely gender equality policy developments and will provide strategic guidance for EIGE’s management on national level stakeholders’ needs and the potential impact of EIGE’s work. The SNE will also support the Institute’s cooperation with EU Member States.

The selected SNE is expected to be a team player who is strategic, analytical, well-organised and structured, one who is constantly searching for improvement and who shares learning and information in a multicultural and multidisciplinary organisational setting.

Duties

The Seconded National Expert will perform the following tasks and activities:

• Support EIGE’s management in decision-making, including the application of Strategic Foresight methodology, to inform better and enable the setting of EIGE’s overall portfolio priorities.
• Support EIGE’s strategy by coordinating relevant stakeholder consultation and engagement processes, both on an organisational level as well as for particular priority themes (e.g. EU Green Deal, New push for Democracy, etc).
• In coordination with the Head of Unit, promote pro-actively EIGE’s knowledge among EU member State level stakeholders.
• Increase impact and visibility of EIGE among the Member States through presenting EIGE’s work at relevant meetings and events.
• Monitor policy developments within the EU and provide strategic guidance to EIGE’s management on matters concerning national level stakeholders’ needs and the potential impact of EIGE’s work on national level.
• Organise country visits to member States and support EIGE’s meetings with national level stakeholders.
• Perform any other tasks that could strengthen EIGE’s stakeholder relations and contribute to EIGE’s stakeholder engagement activities.
• Support other relevant duties in the interest of the Institute as assigned by the Head of Unit.

Qualifications and experience required

Formal requirements

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

• a university degree, or a level of formation which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma² and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years.
• entitlement to full rights as a European citizen or nationality of an EU candidate country or an EFTA country or a country with which the European Council has decided to open accession negotiations and which has concluded a specific agreement with the Commission on staff secondments.
• any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service.

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

Essential:

• At least four years professional experience gained after the award of the relevant qualification and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of tasks as defined under section 2.2.
• Previous experience from stakeholder relations/communications/policy work, for example at an EU institution, an international organisation, a Member State Ministry or a government agency.
• A good knowledge of gender equality policy areas and challenges at EU and/or Member State level in the area of as part of the broader equality and inclusion portfolio.
• Ability to identify critical facts in complex policy issues and connect these in relation to EIGE knowledge.
• Experience and knowledge on trends in effective and inclusive stakeholder consultation and engagement processes.
• Capacity to conceptualize, synthesize and structure information and to communicate this effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal, coordination, organisational, administrative and problem solving skills.
• Ability to work in a proactive and autonomous way and ensure accuracy.
• Ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Advantageous:

• Good knowledge of the EU institutional framework of the EU.
• Previous work experience in applying strategic foresight methodologies across an organisation’s work or in research activities.  

Selection procedure and application

Selection procedure

The selection will include the following steps:

• Only duly completed applications submitted electronically within the deadline will be taken into consideration and examined with a view to establishing that the candidate meets all eligibility criteria.
• The best-admissible candidates will be short-listed for an interview.
• Interviews will be held in English.
• A Selection Committee will assess the candidates' profiles and their relevancy for the post in question. The chosen candidate will be requested to furnish:
  • 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 as applicable, clearly indicating starting and finishing dates.

Copies of the above-mentioned 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 process.

The initial period of secondment shall be specified in the exchange of letters between the Institute and the employer of the selected SNE.

Soliciting on behalf of a candidate can lead to immediate disqualification.

Submission of applications

For applications to be valid, candidates must complete an EIGE application form, available above only in English and which is to be forwarded electronically to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu . The subject title should include the vacancy reference number. Applications may also be forwarded to EIGE on behalf of applicants by the Permanent Representations of the EU Member States.

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 shortlisted candidates 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.

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

Conditions of secondment

The purpose of the secondment is to provide the SNE with experience of the Institute's working methods and policies, to enable them to gain practical experience and understanding of the day-today work of the Institute’s work and to give them the opportunity to work in a multicultural, multilingual 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.

The secondment also serves to enable staff of national administrations to put into practice the knowledge they have acquired in their studies, particularly in their respective areas of responsibility.

The SNE shall remain in the service of his/her employer throughout the period of secondment and shall continue to be paid by that employer.  The SNE shall be entitled to daily and monthly subsistence allowances in line with EIGE Decision MB 2022/006 on the engagement and use of national experts and national experts in professional training to the European Institute for Gender Equality available here.

Each candidate should before applying obtain the assurance of the support of his/her employer for his/her candidacy as well as the commitment that they shall continue to pay a salary during the period of the secondment. The final stage to secure the secondment will be confirmed by an exchange of letters between the Institute and the employer in the Member State concerned.

Subject to a probationary period, the secondment will be for a minimum of six months but not more than two years. It may be extended further up to a maximum period of two years.  The place of secondment is Vilnius, Lithuania.

Independence and declarations of interest

The SNE 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.

Equal opportunities

The Institute applies a policy of equal opportunities in line with the eligibility 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, gender identity, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Moreover, EIGE is committed to promote diversity and inclusion in its working environment and organisational culture. This includes Reasonable Accommodation for applicants with a disability.³

​Appeals

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 pr. 16, Vilnius, Lithuania LT-01103.

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 March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27 April 2004) starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting him/her.

Applicants can submit an appeal to the European Ombudsman at the following address or directly on Ombudsman’s website.

However, before submitting a complaint to the European Ombudsman, applicants must already have contacted EIGE about the matter and used all the internal administrative options for review and/or complaints provided for in the Staff Regulations.

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 565,000 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 Gedimino avenue, the main thoroughfare of Vilnius City, with easy access to amenities, both leisure and educational. 

Further information is available from Go Vilnius and Invest Lithuania.

Footnotes

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 See EIGE’s Director’s decision 268/2022 on Reasonable Accommodation and the reference in the application form.