Vacancy for the Head of the Operational Support Centre (Grade AD 9) in the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) REF.

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN ASYLUM SUPPORT OFFICE Vacancy for the Head of the Operational Support Centre (Grade AD 9) in the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) REF.: EASO/2011/003 Publication Title of function Parent Directorate-General / Service External Head of the Operational Support Centre (EASO) DG HOME (BXL) 1. WE ARE The European Asylum Support Office (hereinafter referred to as "the Support Office"), established by Regulation 439/2010 1, strengthens European Union (EU) Member States practical cooperation on asylum, enhances the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and supports Member States whose asylum and reception systems are under particular pressure. Specifically, the Support Office focuses on three main tasks: 1. developing practical cooperation among Member States on asylum by facilitating exchange of information on countries of origin, by providing Member States with support for translation and interpretation, training of asylum officials and assisting in the relocation of beneficiaries of international protection; 2. supporting Member States under particular pressure, in particular through the establishment of an early warning system, coordinating teams of experts to assist EU Member States in managing asylum applications and in putting in place appropriate reception facilities; 3. contributing to the implementation of the CEAS by collecting and exchanging information on best practices, drawing up an annual report on the asylum situation in the EU and adopting technical documents, such as guidelines and operating manuals, on the implementation of the EU asylum instruments. The organisation chart of the Support Office can be consulted at: 1 Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 (OJ L 132, , p.11). 1

2 The headquarters of the Support Office are located in Valletta Harbour (Malta). 2. WE PROPOSE The Head of the Operational Support Centre will manage, co-ordinate and supervise the activities of the Coordination of Asylum Support Teams Division, Resettlement and Relocation Division, and Third Country Support Division. He/she will report directly to the Executive Director and will be responsible for: Leading and managing the Unit in accordance with the Support Office's policies and advising the Executive Director thereof; Coordinating the work of the Asylum Intervention Pool, Asylum Support Teams and the Interpreters Pool; Acting as an interface between the EASO and Member States, and members of the Asylum Support Teams; Assisting the Executive Director in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Operating Plans and deployment of the Asylum Support Teams; Developing guidelines and operating manuals in the areas under his/her responsibilities; Managing support for Emergency Reception facilities; Coordinating extra-eu resettlement and intra-eu relocation and practical cooperation in these fields; Coordinating with the other Heads of Centres of the Support Office to ensure smooth cooperation on issues within his/her competence; Cooperating with the Head of Unit of General Affairs and Administration; Liaising with EU Institutions, Agencies, bodies, International Organisations, and NGOs; Contributing to the implementation of the Work Programme of the Support Office. 3. WE LOOK FOR A) Eligibility criteria Candidates will be considered eligible for selection on the basis of the following formal criteria to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications: 2

3 1. Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma, when the normal period is four years or more, or A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma, followed by professional experience in the field of at least one year, when the normal period of university education is a least three years. (Only diplomas and certificates that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration) 2. By the closing date for applications candidates must have, over and above the qualifications mentioned in Section 3.A.1, at least twelve years of professional experience of which eight years with tasks closely related to those described in Section 2 2 ; 3. Be citizens of one of the Member States of the European Union; 4. Be entitled to their full rights as citizens; 5. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service; 6. Possess a thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge of a second of these languages to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties pertaining to the post; 7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post 3. Essential B) Selection criteria 1. Excellent written and oral command of English; 2. Proven experience with the tasks outlined in the job description under Section 2; candidates are invited to briefly specify in their CV how they acquired such experience, if applicable; 3. Proven professional work experience in management of at least three years, as part of the eight years of experience mentioned under Section 3.A.2; 2 Professional experience is counted only from the time the candidate obtained the diploma required for being eligible. At a later stage, the candidate will be asked to provide supporting documents confirming the length and the level of his/her professional experience. 3 Before the appointment, a successful candidate shall be medically examined by one of the institutions' medical officers in order that the Support Office may be satisfied that he/she fulfils the requirement of article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Communities. 3

4 Advantageous 4. Experience in handling sensitive issues related to the administrative system of countries; 5. Experience of the asylum decision making system; 6. Proven experience of project management; 7. Excellent drafting skills; 8. Ability to work under pressure and manage his/her priorities; capacity to manage and co-ordinate several processes and projects simultaneously; 9. Ability to use electronic office equipment and applications (word processing, spread sheets, presentations, electronic communication, internet etc.); 10. Ability to formulate creative ideas, set objectives, inspire and encourage staff and to give constructive feedback; 11. Excellent planning and organisational skills; 12. Good analytical capabilities and problem-solving skills; 13. Knowledge of the mission and organisation of the Support Office. 1. Post-graduate degree obtained in a field relevant for the above tasks and duties; 2. Professional experience in a position related to the aforementioned duties, preferably in a European Institution, Agency or Body; 3. Excellent written and oral communication skills; candidates are invited to briefly explain in their CV or motivation letter in which positions they used such skills in the past; 3. Knowledge of other official languages of the European Union; 4. Previous experience within an international and multicultural environment. 4. SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT The Regulation which provides the legal basis for the Support Office was adopted in May 2010 (Official Journal of the European Union L 132 of ). The present publication is organised under the responsibility of the European Commission (Directorate General for Home Affairs). Eligibility of candidates will be assessed by a Selection Committee according to compliance with all eligibility criteria by the closing date for the submission of applications. The best-qualified eligible candidates whose application shows evidence of all required competences and skills listed under the Selection Criteria may be asked to undergo a preselection test and/or a written competency test. Successful candidates will be invited for an interview, which will be held for the most part in English. 4

5 The interview will consist of the following components: - General aptitude and language abilities to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties in accordance with Article 12.2(e) of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Communities (CEOS); - Knowledge of European integration, the institutions and in particular of the domain of the Support Office; - Specific competences with reference to the applicants' profiles in line with the selection criteria of the present Vacancy Notice. Candidates invited to an interview will be required to bring with them originals and copies or officially certified copies of the documents listed below: A document proving their citizenship (e.g. passport) Certificates attesting their educational and professional qualifications, in particular those giving access to the profile in question, including an extract from their police file; Documentary evidence of their professional experience after the date on which the candidate obtained the qualification giving access to the profile in question, clearly indicating the starting and finishing dates, whether full or part time, and the nature of the duties carried out; The Selection Committee will propose a short list of successful 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. 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 30 April 2012 and may be extended at the discretion of the Appointing Authority. Prior to contract signature, the successful candidates will be asked to undergo a compulsory medical examination by one of the institutions' medical officers in order that the Support Office may be satisfied that he/she fulfils the requirement of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Communities. Newly appointed Heads shall be required to follow a management preparation course before or within three months of taking up their duties. Management courses listed in the Commission s/agency's training catalogue and followed by an applicant during the five years prior to publication of the post may be validated by the appointing authority as management preparation courses. As an alternative, the temporary agent may demonstrate to the appointing authority that he or she has already acquired the management qualifications required by successfully completing other courses of training for management functions. 5

6 5. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES The Support Office applies an equal opportunities policy and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation. 6. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT The Head of Operational Support Centre will be appointed by the Executive Director, upon recommendation of the Selection Committee, following the selection procedure. He/she will be recruited as a temporary agent pursuant to Article 2(a) of the CEOS for a period of five years which may be renewed. The temporary agent post in question will be placed in group AD 9. Successful candidates, who are recruited, shall undergo an initial probation period of six months and a management trial of nine months, running concurrently. For reasons related to the Agency's operational requirements, the successful candidate will be required to be available at the shortest possible notice. The pay consists of a basic salary in EURO weighted by the correction coefficient (for Malta currently 82.2%) supplemented with various allowances, including family allowances. The salaries of staff members are subject to a Community tax deducted at source. Staff members are exempt from national tax on salary and are members of the Community social security and pension schemes. For further information on working conditions of temporary staff please refer to CEOS: The place of employment is Valletta Harbour (Malta). 7. APPLICATION PROCEDURE For applications to be valid, candidates must submit: a detailed curriculum vitae in Europass CV format in English; a letter of motivation (1 page maximum). Applications, preferably in English, should be sent solely by to HOME- SELECTIONS-EASO@ec.europa.eu quoting the reference number of the vacancy notice. Incomplete applications will be disqualified and treated as non-eligible. Candidates who use the same application to apply for more than one post will also be disqualified. Please note that the selection process may take several months. Supporting documents (e.g. certified copies of degrees/diplomas, references, proof of experience, etc.) should not be sent at this stage but must be submitted at a later stage of the procedure when requested. 6

7 In order to facilitate the selection process, all correspondence to candidates concerning this vacancy will be in English. Under no circumstances should candidates approach the Selection Committee, directly or indirectly, concerning this recruitment. The authority in charge of concluding contracts reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards this instruction. Closing date: The closing date for submission of the applications is 18 May 2011 at 13:00 (Local time). The Support Office will disregard any application received after that date. If at any stage in the procedure it is established that any of the information provided by a candidate is incorrect, the candidate in question will be disqualified. 8. DATA PROTECTION The purpose of processing of the data you submit is to manage your application(s) in view of a possible pre-selection and recruitment at the Support Office. The Support Office does not make public the names of successful candidates on reserve lists. However, it is possible that, for the purposes of recruitment and related planning purposes, members of the Support Office management team may have access to reserve lists and, in specific cases, to the application form of a candidate (without supporting documents, which are kept in confidence by the personnel department). Application files are kept for five years from the establishment date of the reserve list after which time they are destroyed. The personal information we request from you will be processed in line with Regulation (EC) N 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 EU institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. 9. APPEAL PROCEDURES If a candidate considers that he/she has been adversely affected by a particular decision, he/she can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and the CEOS, at the following address: The Executive Director European Asylum Support Office c/o European Commission DG Home Affairs M / Brussels Belgium 7

8 The complaint must be lodged within three months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting him/her. 8