# CA2009106EN.01000101.xml

| 8.5.2009 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CA 106/1 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

8.5.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 106/1

---

EuropeAid Cooperation Office (AIDCO)

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

(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)

COM/2009/10183

(2009/C 106 A/01)

We are

EuropeAid manages the implementation of most of the external aid instruments of the European Commission funded from the Community Budget and from the European Development Fund (EDF), in an effective and efficient way, ensuring a high level of quality and rapidity in the use of the available finances (more than EUR 8 billion per year) through the execution of the projects and other implementing activities, while actively contributing to the visibility of the community external aid.

In this context EuropeAid also contributes to the formulation of development and cooperation policies as well as to the Commission sector policies from its knowledge of the field, and it puts in place those policies by establishing innovative implementing instruments and mechanisms. It also oversees and supports the cooperation activities of the Commission's Delegations, among others by providing expertise, guidelines and instructions.

We propose

The Principal Adviser, directly attached to the Director-General, will be expected to provide strategic orientation for streamlining and keeping up to standards and best practices the system of identification and management of the risks inherent to the implementation of external assistance. This includes questions on the optimisation of effectiveness and efficiency (including clarity and speed) of the control systems in place for mitigating these risks, in particular audits, verifications and ex-post controls. Special attention will be needed for the functioning of those systems in cases where aid is implemented through and/or together with bilateral and multilateral donors.

In this way he/she should contribute to improve the accountability of the Commission towards the other Institutions (EP, Council, Court of Auditors).

We look for

Candidates should:

| — | have a proven track record in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of external assistance, as well as in the promotion of transparency and accountability, in particular a solid knowledge of risk management and control concepts, |
| --- | --- |

—

have a proven track record in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of external assistance, as well as in the promotion of transparency and accountability, in particular a solid knowledge of risk management and control concepts,

| — | have a proven knowledge of and experience in the functioning of development cooperation in general and the role of the Commission in the international context, both within and outside the EU, |
| --- | --- |

—

have a proven knowledge of and experience in the functioning of development cooperation in general and the role of the Commission in the international context, both within and outside the EU,

| — | have a good knowledge of Community policies in the field of external relations in general, |
| --- | --- |

—

have a good knowledge of Community policies in the field of external relations in general,

| — | have an adequate knowledge of the external policies and external action instruments, |
| --- | --- |

—

have an adequate knowledge of the external policies and external action instruments,

| — | have a solid understanding of the financial regulations applicable to the Budget of the European Communities and to the EDF, |
| --- | --- |

—

have a solid understanding of the financial regulations applicable to the Budget of the European Communities and to the EDF,

| — | have a good understanding of interinstitutional relations, in particular with the EP and the Court of Auditors, |
| --- | --- |

—

have a good understanding of interinstitutional relations, in particular with the EP and the Court of Auditors,

| — | have good communication skills in international fora, |
| --- | --- |

—

have good communication skills in international fora,

| — | be able to work in English and French. |
| --- | --- |

—

be able to work in English and French.

Applicants must

| 1. | Be a citizen of one of the EU Member States. |
| --- | --- |

1.

Be a citizen of one of the EU Member States.

| 2. | Have:






  (i) | either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more; |
| --- | --- | --- |

2.

Have:

(i)

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

| (ii) | or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years. |
| --- | --- |

(ii)

or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years.

| 3. | Have at least 15 years' postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must have been gained in a management or advisory function at high level (1) and should have some direct experience in a field related to this post. |
| --- | --- |

3.

Have at least 15 years' postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must have been gained in a management or advisory function at high level (1) and should have some direct experience in a field related to this post.

1

| 4. | Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and an adequate knowledge of another of these official languages. (Candidates should note that the selection procedures will be carried out in English, French or German only. As this might give an advantage to native speakers, these will be tested also in one or more other languages). |
| --- | --- |

4.

Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and an adequate knowledge of another of these official languages. (Candidates should note that the selection procedures will be carried out in English, French or German only. As this might give an advantage to native speakers, these will be tested also in one or more other languages).

| 5. | Not yet have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Communities, is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 65 years (see Article 52(a) of the Staff Regulations). |
| --- | --- |

5.

Not yet have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Communities, is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 65 years (see Article 52(a) of the Staff Regulations).

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

The remuneration and conditions of employment are those laid down in the Staff Regulations that are applicable to AD 14 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.

The recruitment will be made in Brussels.

Equal opportunities

The European Union applies an equal opportunities policy.

Application procedure

This post might be published in parallel with a number of other senior official posts. In this case, 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 following website

https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/personnel_administration/seniormanagementvacancies/CV_Encadext/index.cfm

and follow the instructions there concerning the various stages of the procedure.

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time (2). 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. Late registrations via normal e-mail will not be accepted as a general rule.

2

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 as well as to inform you about the outcome of the procedure. You will be required to inform the Commission about any change in your e-mail address.

You will be required to attach a CV 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 English, French or German.

Please note that it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application online. You will be contacted directly by the recruiting DG regarding the status of your application.

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 (3), 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.

3

Should you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an e-mail to ADMIN-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu.

Contacts

Constantin Stathopoulos, tel. 52463, e-mail: Constantin.Stathopoulos@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 5 June 2009. Online registration will not be possible after 12.00 noon Brussels time.

5 June 2009

---

(1)  In their CVs applicants should indicate at least for these 5 years during which high level management experience has been acquired: 1. title and role of management positions held; 2. numbers of staff overseen in these positions; 3. the size of budgets managed; and 4. numbers of hierarchical layers above and below and number of peers.

1

(2)  No later than 12.00 noon, Brussels time, 5 June 2009.

2

(3)  European Commission, Directorate-General Personnel and Administration, Unit for Organisation Chart and Management Staff, COM/2009/10183, MO34 5/105, 1049 Brussels, BELGIUM.

3

---