# CA2019166EN.01001701.xml

| 15.5.2019 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CA 166/17 |
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15.5.2019

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 166/17

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Directorate-General for Trade

Publication of a vacancy for the function of Principal Adviser (Grade AD 14)

(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)

COM/2019/10387

(2019/C 166 A/04)

We are

The Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE) is in charge of conducting the external trade policy of the European Union, one of the exclusive competences of the EU. Trade policy plays a critical role in growth, investment and jobs as the EU tries to meet the challenges of globalisation.

EU trade policy works along 3 main axes:

| — | Sustainable trade |
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Sustainable trade

| — | Multilateral trade cooperation |
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Multilateral trade cooperation

| — | Negotiation and implementation of bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements |
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Negotiation and implementation of bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements

DG TRADE continues to seek a dynamic, transparent and efficient policy process in the EU institutions, where the legal scope of trade policy matches the needs of EU traders, and the expectations of civil society. It works to develop through more active dialogue with all interested players a closer common understanding of the goal of sustainable trade.

For more information about DG TRADE as well as its organisation chart, please see: https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/trade_en

We propose

The function of a Principal Advisor to advise the Director-General and to ensure the overall coherence of the EU trade relations with key trading partners, as well as coherence with other areas of EU policy relevant to the current debates around trade and multilateralism.

This advice covers EU negotiations at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels based on a deep understanding of EU policies and trade policy in particular, as well as an extensive experience in interacting with EU institutions and/or Member States.

The Principal Adviser will advise the Director-General and ensure coherence on issues related to EU trade relations with key partners. In this capacity, where mandated to do so and in close cooperation with the relevant senior managers in DG TRADE, the Principal Advisor will coordinate the preparation of Commission positions related to these matters and represent DG TRADE as needed in contacts with third countries representatives, as well as in the corresponding coordination settings within the European Commission and with other EU institutions and Member States.

The Principal Adviser would further replace the Director-General in representing DG TRADE both within the European Commission or outside, with the seniority required in this context.

We look for (selection criteria)

The successful candidate should be an outstanding and dynamic professional able to demonstrate the following characteristics:

| a) | Management/advisory experience, and in particular:






  — | proven capacity to think creatively and strategically so as to generate a clear vision of the objectives to be achieved and to translate this into practical and realistic compromise solutions; |
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a)

Management/advisory experience, and in particular:

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proven capacity to think creatively and strategically so as to generate a clear vision of the objectives to be achieved and to translate this into practical and realistic compromise solutions;

| — | proven experience and well-established capacity in providing expert advice and issuing opinions at strategic level; |
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proven experience and well-established capacity in providing expert advice and issuing opinions at strategic level;

| — | excellent political judgement and understanding of a complex political environment, being able to develop a global view on DG TRADE’s policies; |
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excellent political judgement and understanding of a complex political environment, being able to develop a global view on DG TRADE’s policies;

| b) | Technical knowledge and experience, and in particular:






  — | good understanding and knowledge of EU policies, notably but not only of the EU trade policy, and proven experience in shaping and implementing policies; |
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b)

Technical knowledge and experience, and in particular:

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good understanding and knowledge of EU policies, notably but not only of the EU trade policy, and proven experience in shaping and implementing policies;

| — | good knowledge and understanding of the EU decision-making process; |
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good knowledge and understanding of the EU decision-making process;

| c) | Communication/negotiations skills, and in particular:






  — | accomplished interpersonal, decision-making and high-level negotiating skills at an international level and proven experience in representing and interacting with the European Union Institutions, Member States and third countries at a senior level; |
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c)

Communication/negotiations skills, and in particular:

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accomplished interpersonal, decision-making and high-level negotiating skills at an international level and proven experience in representing and interacting with the European Union Institutions, Member States and third countries at a senior level;

| — | an excellent capacity to communicate effectively and efficiently with different stakeholders at a senior level and to build trusted relationships with them. |
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an excellent capacity to communicate effectively and efficiently with different stakeholders at a senior level and to build trusted relationships with them.

Candidates must (eligibility requirements)

Candidates will only be considered for the selection phase on the basis of the following formal requirements to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:

| — | Nationality: candidates must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union. |
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Nationality: candidates must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.

| — | University degree or diploma: candidates must have:






  — | either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more; |
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University degree or diploma: candidates must have:

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either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more;

| — | or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years (this one year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below). |
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or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years (this one year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below).

| — | Professional experience: candidates must have at least 15 years postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. |
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Professional experience: candidates must have at least 15 years postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission.

| — | Management experience: at least 5 years of the post-graduate professional experience must have been gained in a high–level advisory function (1) in a field relevant for this position. |
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Management experience: at least 5 years of the post-graduate professional experience must have been gained in a high–level advisory function (1) in a field relevant for this position.

| — | Languages: candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (2) and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these official languages. Selection panels will verify during the interview(s) whether candidates comply with the requirement of a satisfactory knowledge of another official EU language. This may include (part of) the interview being conducted in this other language. |
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Languages: candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (2) and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these official languages. Selection panels will verify during the interview(s) whether candidates comply with the requirement of a satisfactory knowledge of another official EU language. This may include (part of) the interview being conducted in this other language.

| — | Age limit: candidates must not have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Union is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 52 lit (a) of the Staff Regulations (3)). |
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Age limit: candidates must not have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Union is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 52 lit (a) of the Staff Regulations (3)).

In addition, candidates have to have fulfilled any obligations imposed by law concerning military service; produce appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of their duties and be physically fit to perform their duties.

Selection and appointment

The European Commission will select and appoint the Principal Adviser according to its selection and recruitment procedures (see: Document on Senior Officials Policy (4)).

As part of this selection procedure, the European Commission sets up a pre-selection panel. This panel analyses all applications, proceeds with a first eligibility verification and identifies candidates having the best profile in view of the selection criteria mentioned above, and who may be invited for an interview with the pre-selection panel.

Following these interviews, the pre-selection panel draws up its conclusions and proposes a list of candidates for further interviews with the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA). The CCA, taking into consideration the conclusions of the pre-selection panel, will decide on the candidates to be invited for an interview.

Candidates who are called for an interview with the CCA participate in a full-day management assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants. Taking account of the results of the interview and the report of the assessment centre, the CCA establishes a shortlist of candidates it considers suitable to exercise the function of Principal Adviser.

Candidates on the CCA shortlist will be interviewed by the Member of the Commission responsible for Trade. Following this interviews, the European Commission takes the appointment decision.

For functional reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates as well as that of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in English and/or French only (5).

Equal opportunities

The European Commission applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (6).

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Staff Regulations (7).

The successful candidate will be recruited as an official at grade AD14. He/she will be classified depending on the length of his/her previous professional experience in step 1 or step 2 within that grade.

Applicants should note the requirement under the Staff Regulations for all new staff to complete successfully a nine-month probationary period.

The place of employment is Brussels.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up his/her duties, the Principal Adviser will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to declare any interests, which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

Application procedure

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all eligibility requirements (‘Candidates must’), particularly concerning the types of diploma, high-level professional experience as well as linguistic capacity required. Failure to meet any of the eligibility requirements means an automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.

If you want to apply, you must register via the internet on the following website and follow the instructions concerning the various stages of the procedure:

https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/human-resources/seniormanagementvacancies/

You must have a valid email address. This will be used to confirm your registration as well as to remain in contact with you during the different stages of the procedure. Therefore, please keep the European Commission informed about any change in your email address.

To complete your application, you need to upload a CV in PDF format and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Your CV and letter of motivation may be submitted in any of the official languages of the European Union.

Once you have finished your online registration, you will receive an electronic mail confirming that your application has been registered. If you do not receive a confirmation mail, your application has not been registered!

Please note that it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application on-line. You will be contacted directly by the European Commission regarding the status of your application.

If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an email to: HR-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 14 June 2019, 12.00 noon Brussels time, following which registration is no longer possible.

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time. We strongly advise you not to wait until the last few days before applying, since heavy internet traffic or a fault with your internet connection could lead to the online registration being terminated before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process. Once the deadline for the submission of registrations has passed, you will no longer be able to introduce any data. Late registrations are not accepted.

Important information for candidates

Candidates are reminded that the work of the different selection committees is confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with their individual members or for anybody to do so on their behalf. Any query has to be addressed to the secretariat of the respective panels

Protection of personal data

The Commission will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (8). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

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(1)  In their curriculum vitae, candidates should clearly indicate for all years during which advisory experience has been acquired: (1) title and role of positions held; (2) the exact subject area as well as at which level in the organisation the position was based (numbers of hierarchical layers above and below); (3) the reporting lines for each position held.

(2)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01958R0001-20130701&qid=1408533709461&from=EN

(3)  http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

(4)  https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/compilation-of-the-senior-official-policy-at-the-european-commission_en.pdf

(5)  Selection panels will ensure that no undue advantage is given to native speakers of these languages.

(6)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140701&from=EN

(7)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140701&from=EN

(8)  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 (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39).

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