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DG EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Publication of a vacancy for a Principal Advisor

(grade A*14)

(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)

COM/175/04

(2004/C 234 A/05)

In the context of the enlargement of the European Union, the European Commission is recruiting a number of senior management officials from the 10 new Member States (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia).

The Commission's Directorate-General for External Relations (RELEX) seeks to recruit a Principal Advisor for Regional Cooperation.

Mission statement of the Directorate-General for External Relations

The Directorate-General for External Relations contributes to the formulation by the Commissioner for External Relations, together with his colleagues of an effective and coherent external relations policy for the European Union, so as to enable the EU to assert its identity on the international scene. This work encompasses policies falling both within the Community competence and within the Common Foreign and Security Policy. To this end the Directorate-General for External Relations works closely with other directorates-general, notably Europe-Aid, the Directorates-General for Development and Trade and the European Community Humanitarian Office.

The Principal Advisor will be attached to the Deputy Director-General who is responsible for three directorates in DG RELEX (Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asian Republics, Middle East and South Mediterranean) and the Wider Europe Task Force. Regional cooperation is an important aspect of the Commission's work in all of these areas and in the context of the EU's developing European Neighbourhood Policy, the Commission is seeking in particular to give a new boost to regional and sub-regional cooperation.

She/he will be primarily responsible for regional cooperation in the areas covered by the Deputy DG. Activities will include:

The successful candidate must have:

For work with these regions, a thorough command of English is essential and French highly desirable.

Applicants must:

Independence and declaration of interests

Candidates are required to confirm their willingness to make a declaration of their commitment to act independently in the public interest and a declaration of any interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

Appointment and conditions of employment

The Principal Advisor will be selected and appointed by the Commission according to its selection and recruitment procedures. A shortlist of candidates will be called for an interview by the Commission's Consultative Committee on Appointments and an assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants.

Salaries and conditions of employment are those laid down in the Staff Regulations for A*14 grade officials of the European Communities.

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

Equal opportunities

The European Union applies an equal opportunities policy.

Application procedure

This post is being published in parallel with a number of other senior management posts. Candidates who wish to apply for more than one post must submit a separate application for each post.

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria, particularly concerning the types of diploma and professional experience required.

If you want to apply, you must register via the Internet by going to the website http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/personnel_administration/working_en.htm and following the instructions there concerning the various stages of the procedure.

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time  (1). 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 not be able to do so.

On completion of your online registration, you will receive on screen a registration number that you must note — this will be your reference number in all matters concerning your application. When you receive this number, the registration process is finished — it is confirmation that we have registered the data you entered.

If you do not receive a number, your application has not been registered!

Please note that you must have an e-mail address. This will be used to identify your registration.

You will be required to attach a curriculum vitae in word or pdf format to your application and to enter, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Both the cv and letter must be written in either English, French or German.

If you have a disability that prevents you from registering online, you may submit your application (cv and letter of motivation) on paper by registered mail (2), postmarked no later than the closing date for registration. All subsequent communication between the Commission and you will be by post. In this case, you must enclose with your application a certificate attesting your disability, issued by a recognised body. You should also set out on a separate sheet of paper any special arrangements you think are needed to make it easier for you to take part in the selection.

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 22 October 2004. Online registration will not be possible after 12.00 noon Brussels time.

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(1)  No later than 12.00 noon, Brussels time, on 22 October 2004.

(2)  European Commission, Directorate-General ‘Personnel and Administration’, ‘Organisation Chart and Management Staff’ Unit, COM/175/04, MO34 5/105, B-1049 Brussels.

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