EEA/AD/2020/15

Please send us your application by no later than 8 January 2021 at midnight (Copenhagen time), following the instructions in the ANNEX.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is organising an open competition with a view to recruiting a temporary agent to work as Expert – Human Resources and Legal Advice and further with a view to establishing a reserve list.

THE AGENCY:

The EEA is an Agency of the European Union (EU) and one of the decentralised Union bodies. The EEA aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe’s environment, through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policymaking agents and the public.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Under the responsibility of the Head of Human Resource Management Group, reporting to the Head of Administrative Services Programme (EEA Organisational chart), the Expert shall be responsible for policy work within the area of human resources.

The position will entail the following tasks:

• Leading in the further development and implementation of integrated HR policies, procedures and tools; 
• Leading in the drafting of implementing rules in compliance with the Staff Regulations and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union and setting up or further developing procedures for the implementation of these;
• Contributing to the drafting and implementation of the Agency’s strategic HR-related plans, e.g. Multiannual staff policy plan, incl. budgetary aspects;
• Providing advice on the interpretation of rules in relation to Staff Regulations and provide guidance to ensure a consistent application of staff rules, incl. legal consultations where required;
• Providing legal advice in complaint and similar contentious procedures under the Staff Regulations;
• Acting and leading on specific HR-related projects (e.g. implementation of HR databases and applications);
• Establishing and improving existing reporting mechanisms on HR data for general reporting purposes as well as specifically for the management of resources and staffing planning, in due compliance with data protection rules for personnel data;
• Drawing up statistics and reports to help in decision-making processes related to staffing requirements;
• Supporting in establishing processes ensuring quality, accuracy and integrity of personnel data, analysis and reporting;
• Participating in selection and recruitment procedures;
• Providing support on organisational development and facilitate organisational change processes;
• Monitoring and follow up on agreements and contracts with Commission services or other counterparts, e.g. service-level agreements and framework contracts in HR-related areas, incl. input to procurement procedures;
• Handling specific personnel management tasks and provide support on other HR-related and administrative matters, as required. 

CONTRACTUAL CONDITIONS:

The successful candidate will be offered a Temporary Agent contract in accordance with Article 2f) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union. The selected candidate will be employed for an initial time period of four years, renewable. 

Successful candidates who are recruited undergo an initial probation period of 9 months.

Should the successful candidate currently hold a Temporary Agent 2(f) contract and qualify for a transfer under the terms of the CEOS, the band width for this position which can be accommodated is in accordance with Annex I of the Staff Regulations. 

For information on salary, please see information published under Temporary Agents. 

The place of work will be Copenhagen, Denmark. 

It is brought to the particular attention of candidates that the provisions of Articles 11 to 26 of the Staff Regulations, concerning the rights and obligations of officials, shall apply by analogy to Temporary Agents. These rules specify that: 

“An official shall carry out his duties and conduct himself solely with the interests of the Union in mind. He shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government, authority, organization or person outside his institution. He shall carry out the duties assigned to him objectively, impartially and in keeping with his duty of loyalty to the Union.

An official shall not without the permission of the appointing authority accept from any government or from any other source outside the institution to which he belongs any honour, decoration, favour, gift or payment of any kind whatever, except for services rendered either before his appointment or during special leave for military or other national service and in respect of such service.

Before recruiting an official, the appointing authority shall examine whether the candidate has any personal interest such as to impair his independence or any other conflict of interest. To that end, the candidate, using a specific form, shall inform the appointing authority of any actual or potential conflict of interest. In such cases, the appointing authority shall take this into account in a duly reasoned opinion. If necessary, the appointing authority shall take the measures referred to in Article 11a(2).”

For further information on the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union see: 

Staff Regulations

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

A Selection Committee is set up for the selection procedure. It consists of members designated by the Appointing Authority and the Staff Committee. The Selection Committee is bound by the principle of confidentiality as enshrined in Article 6 of Annex III to the Staff Regulations. This works in two ways: first, it imposes obligations to ensure equal treatment for candidates; and second, it seeks to protect the Selection Committee to ensure that its decisions are totally impartial. 

The Selection Committee adheres strictly to the conditions of admission laid down in the vacancy notice when deciding whether or not candidates are eligible. Candidates admitted to a previous selection procedure will not automatically be eligible. Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the Selection Committee, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure.  

In a spirit of transparency, and in order to align our working methods with current practice in certain Member States, the administration has decided to proceed with the publication of names of Selection Committee members. 

Should the Selection Committee discover at any stage in the procedure that the candidate does not meet one or more of the general or special conditions for admission to the selection procedure, the candidate will be disqualified. 

The Selection Committee decides on those candidates who are admitted to the selection procedure in accordance with the requirements as specified under eligibility criteria. The applications of the candidates admitted to the selection procedure are reviewed to establish whether or not they show evidence of all requirements as specified under selection criteria. The Selection Committee will invite for an interview up to a maximum of 10 candidates that they deem best qualified. The interview will be held in English and the candidate’s knowledge of other languages will also be assessed during the interview. Candidates invited for an interview will be asked to undergo a written test in the area of expertise required for the post. The test and the interview will take place in Copenhagen (Denmark) where the EEA has its seat and where the place of employment is.

At the end of the interviews the Selection Committee will submit the list of suitable candidates to the Appointing Authority who will decide on the appointment of the successful candidate and the establishment of a reserve list for the post advertised or similar posts that may become available. This usually follows from follow-up recruitment interviews conducted by the Appointing Authority with the suitable candidates. Candidates shall note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. Recruitment will be based on availability of posts and budget.

The reserve list for this post will be valid until 31 December 2022 and may be extended at the discretion of the Appointing Authority. 

Prior to contract signature, the successful candidate will be asked:

• to provide original or certified copies of all relevant documents proving his/her eligibility, including a police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record; 
• to undergo a compulsory medical examination to establish that he/she meets the standard of physical fitness necessary to perform the duties involved.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Candidates applying must satisfy the following eligibility criteria on the closing date for the submission of applications:

1. Successful completion of university studies attested by a degree relevant to the field concerned, where the normal duration of university education is 4 years or more OR successful completion of university studies attested by a degree relevant to the field concerned, where the normal duration of university education is 3 years OR where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level; and                                  
2. A minimum of 6 years (with a 4 year diploma) OR 7 years (with a 3 year diploma) of relevant professional experience after award of the university degree.

In addition, in order to be eligible a candidate must:

• Be a national of one of the member countries of the EEA (Member States of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey);
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by law concerning military service;
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the EEA member countries and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these languages (corresponding to level B.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages CEFR);
• Meet the character requirements for the duties involved; •   Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post. 

Candidates should assess carefully and check before submitting their application whether they fulfil all the conditions for admission laid down in the vacancy notice, particularly in terms of qualifications and relevant professional experience.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Essential:

(In your application, please provide examples from current or past work experience where these competencies have been applied)

• Thorough knowledge of the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union and its implementing rules;
• Demonstrated experience with implementing rules and procedures related to HR management and individual rights;
• Proven capacity for written production of professional HR texts (policies, guidelines, instructions, etc.);
• Thorough knowledge and expertise with recruitment procedures and relevant implementing rules;
• Thorough knowledge and expertise with drafting of and advising in complaint procedures and similar contentious matters under the Staff Regulations;
• Ability to interact with a wide range of people and management levels;
• Excellent command of written and spoken* English language, at least at level C1 in all categories according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language.

Advantageous:

• University degree or certification in Human Resources or related field;
• Good knowledge of French, at least at level B2 in all categories according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language;
• Experience with HR database systems (Sysper 2, Systal, Taleo, etc)

* will only be tested at interview stage