Notice of open competitions — COM/AD/11/10 and COM/AD/12/10
Date: 2010-09-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Commission, European civil service, administrative competition, competition (EU), invitation to tender








CA2010265EN.01005401.xml










30.9.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 265/54





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS — COM/AD/11/10 AND COM/AD/12/10
(2010/C 265 A/06)


Are you interested in working for the European Institutions?




Does your profile meet our criteria?




Why not apply?




Give yourself a chance to succeed.


The European Commission is organising open competitions, based on qualifications and tests, in order to constitute reserve lists from which to appoint AD6 and AD7 Research Administrators (1).

COM/AD/11/10 — RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS (AD6)


COM/AD/12/10 — RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS (AD7)


in the following domain:


ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES



Before applying you should read carefully the instructions in the guide published in Official Journal C 184 A of 8 July 2010 and on the EPSO website [http://europa.eu/epso/apply/index_en.htm].




This guide, which forms an integral part of the notice of competition, will help you to understand the rules governing the procedure and how to make an application.


CONTENTS






I.



GENERAL BACKGROUND











II.



DUTIES











III.



ELIGIBILITY











IV.



ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITIONS AND INVITATION TO THE ASSESSMENT CENTRE











V.



OPEN COMPETITIONS











VI.



RESERVE LISTS











VII.



HOW TO APPLY











 



ANNEXES





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND
Two open competitions, an AD6 and an AD7, in the domain of Environmental Sciences are being held to appoint Research Administrators respectively for the European Commission, mainly for the Joint Research Centre (JRC).
The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.
The purpose of these competitions is to draw up reserve lists from which to fill vacant posts mainly in the Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy.
The number of successful candidates by competition and field as well as the indicative place of work are mentioned below:










 


Number of successful candidates by competition


 





Domain




Fields




AD6




AD7




Institutes/Locations






Environmental Sciences



1


Environmental Chemists and Biologists


8


2


IES, Ispra (IT)




2


Environmental Modellers


5


2


IES, Ispra (IT)




3


Environmental Risk Assessment


10


2


IES, Ispra (IT)




4


Nature Resource Scientists


5


2


IES, Ispra (IT)





Remarks



The Commission is publishing the following competitions in parallel:






—


COM/AD/01/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in chemistry, biology and health sciences










—


COM/AD/02/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in chemistry, biology and health sciences










—


COM/AD/03/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in physics










—


COM/AD/04/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in physics










—


COM/AD/05/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in structural mechanics










—


COM/AD/06/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in structural mechanics










—


COM/AD/07/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in quantitative policy analysis










—


COM/AD/08/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in quantitative policy analysis










—


COM/AD/09/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in spatial sciences










—


COM/AD/10/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in spatial sciences










—


COM/AD/13/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in energy sciences










—


COM/AD/14/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in energy sciences










—


COM/AD/15/10 — Research Administrators (AD6) in communication/information technology










—


COM/AD/16/10 — Research Administrators (AD7) in communication/information technology




If you fulfil all the general and specific conditions (see title III), you may apply for both AD6 and AD7 competitions in several domains, but within a domain, you may apply for only one field, otherwise you will be disqualified. You must make your choice when you apply online and you will not be able to change it after you have confirmed and submitted your online application form.




II.   DUTIES
The detailed duties for each field are described in the Annexes
Research Administrators (AD6) will, under the supervision of a senior scientist, carry out the relevant duties as members of a research team.
Research Administrators (AD7) will carry out the relevant duties at a high level, both individually and as scientific team leaders.
III.   ELIGIBILITY
, you must fulfil all the following general and specific conditions:















1.



General conditions














a)


You must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.










b)


You must enjoy your full rights as a citizen.










c)


You must have fulfilled any relevant military service obligation.










d)


You must meet the character requirements for the duties involved.















2.



Conditions specific to the competitions









2.1




Academic qualifications:

See point 2 of the Annexes





2.2




Professional experience:

See point 3 of the Annexes





2.3




Knowledge of languages:

You must have a main language (language 1) and a second language (language 2) as specified below. You must indicate your chosen languages on the online registration form. You will not be able to change your choices after the final validation of the application.











(a)



Language 1






Main language:
A thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union;

The official languages of the European Union are:





BG (Bulgarian)
CS (Czech)
DA (Danish)
DE (German)
EL (Greek)
EN (English)
ES (Spanish)
ET (Estonian)


FI (Finnish)
FR (French)
GA (Irish)
HU (Hungarian)
IT (Italian)
LT (Lithuanian)
LV (Latvian)
MT (Maltese)


NL (Dutch)
PL (Polish)
PT (Portuguese)
RO (Romanian)
SK (Slovak)
SL (Slovenian)
SV (Swedish)





and



 











(b)



Language 2






Second language (must be different from language 1):
A satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.




IV.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITIONS AND INVITATION TO THE ASSESSMENT CENTRE
1.   Admission to the competitions
The information given in your online application will be checked against the general and specific conditions to identify those applicants who satisfy the eligibility requirements for the competitions.
2.   Invitation to the assessment centre: selection on the basis of qualifications
To identify candidates who will be admitted to the assessment centre, the selection board will select candidates on the basis of their qualifications after having established the criteria by which it will assess those qualifications. Candidates will be selected on the basis of the information given in their online application forms. The selection board will select those candidates who satisfy the eligibility conditions and who possess the qualifications (especially diplomas, publications in peer reviewed journals and academic and/or professional experience) that are most relevant in terms of quality and level to the nature of the duties described in the competition notice (see point 4 of the Annexes). Selection will be on the basis of the following marking scheme:






a)


each selection criterion is weighted between 1 and 3, according to how important the board considers it to be;










b)


the selection board will give a mark of between 1 and 4 for each criterion, depending on the candidate's qualifications.




It will then draw up a list (2) of candidates in the order of the marks awarded.
The number of candidates admitted to the assessment centre will be at maximum three times (3) the number of successful candidates indicated in this competition notice and will be published on EPSO's website (www.eu-careers.eu).
3.   Verification of information given by candidates
Following the assessment centre session and in the light of the results from this session, the information given by candidates in their online applications will be verified against the general conditions by EPSO and against the specific conditions and selection criteria by the selection board. If verification shows that the information given is not borne out by the appropriate supporting documents, candidates will be eliminated from the competition.
Applications are verified for candidates with pass marks who obtained the best aggregate marks in tests (d), (e) and (f) for the AD6 competition and (d), (e), (f) and (g) for the AD7 competition in the assessment centre session, in descending order of merit (see section V). Candidates must also have obtained pass marks in the aptitude tests (a), (b), and (c) (see section V). Verification will continue until the threshold number of candidates is reached who can be placed on the reserve list and actually fulfil all the conditions for admission. The files of candidates below this threshold will not be examined.
V.   OPEN COMPETITIONS













1.



Invitation to the assessment centre






You will be invited (4) to attend an assessment centre session if:






—


the information given in your online application shows that you fulfil the general and specific conditions listed in section III;
and










—


you obtained one of the highest marks in the selection based on qualifications (see point 2 of section IV).















2.



Assessment centre






You will be invited to attend an assessment centre in Brussels for tests.
Only one Assessment Centre will be established for both competitions (AD6 and AD7). Candidates that have applied for both competitions within one domain and who fulfil the conditions foreseen under point 1, section V, will receive only one convocation.
The tests for the AD6 and AD7 competitions are the same except for an additional test in the field chosen for the AD7 competition. The marking of the reasoning tests and the tests on general and specific competencies will be adapted depending on the grade of the competition.
You will be assessed on your Reasoning skills on the basis of the following elements (see point 4 of the guide to open competitions and examples on the EPSO website [http://europa.eu/epso/apply/index_en.htm]):






a)


Verbal reasoning










b)


Numerical reasoning










c)


Abstract reasoning




You will be also assessed on your Specific competencies in the chosen field and on the following General competencies:






 


Analysis and problem solving










 


Communicating










 


Delivering quality and results










 


Learning and development










 


Prioritising and organising










 


Resilience










 


Working with others










 


Leadership




Details on these competencies are set out in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.
The specific and the general competencies are tested by means of:






d)


A written case study in the chosen field










e)


A group exercise










f)


A structured interview










g)


For AD7 only: an additional written test in the chosen field









Language of tests



Tests a) to f) and, if applicable, test g): language 2 (German, English or French)
Test d): During this test your knowledge of your language 1 (main language) will also be tested.





Marking




Reasoning skills







a)


Verbal reasoning: marked with 0-20 points










b)


Numerical reasoning: marked with 0-10 points










c)


Abstract reasoning: marked with 0-10 points










AD6:


The pass marks for tests a), b) and c) together is 20 points




AD7:


The pass mark for test a) is 10 points
The pass mark for test b) and c) together is 10 points




You have to obtain the pass mark for tests a), b) and c) but these points will not be added to the results of tests d), e), f) and, if applicable, g).

Specific competencies

Both for AD6 and AD7 competitions, your specific competencies tested in d), e) and f) will be marked with 0-100 points.
Pass mark: 50 points
For AD7 only: your specific competencies tested in the additional test g) will be marked with 0-30 points.
Pass mark: 15 points

General competencies

Your total general competencies will be marked with 0-80 points
Pass mark:






AD6:


40 points for the total of the 8 general competencies.




AD7:


3 points for each general competency and 40 points for the total of the 8 general competencies.








VI.   RESERVE LISTS













1.



Candidates placed on the reserve list






The selection board will draw up a reserve list for each competition (an AD6 list and an AD7 list) and will place your name on the AD6 and/or AD7 reserve list (5) if you are among the candidates who satisfy all the conditions set out in section V and if you have obtained pass marks in all of the tests and one of the highest marks in tests (d), (e) and (f) for the AD6 competition and (d), (e), (f) and (g) for the AD7 competition (see section V). The number of successful candidates per competition and per field is limited to that shown in section I, notwithstanding a possible increase in the number of successful candidates on the AD6 reserve list, up to the number of successful candidates placed both on the AD6 and AD7 reserve list in the same field.
The reserve lists will be valid until 31 December 2012.











2.



Classification






The reserve lists will be established by merit group for each field. The candidates names will be listed in alphabetical order within each merit group.











3.



Place of appointment






Candidates placed on the reserve list(s) will be eligible for appointment as Research Administrators in the European Commission, mainly at the JRC sites, as indicated in section I.
Considering the decentralised JRC site locations across Europe (Ispra, Seville, Karlsruhe, Petten, Geel, Brussels), the JRC is dedicated to aid newcomer officials to better integrate professionally and their spouses and families to better adapt to their new social environment.




VII.   HOW TO APPLY













1.



Online application






You must apply online following the instructions on the EPSO website.

Deadline: 4 November 2010 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.











2.



Submission of application files






If you are one of the candidates invited to the assessment centre, you will be asked to submit a full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents).
Closing date: You will be informed of the closing date via your EPSO account.
Procedure: See point 2.2 of the guide to open competitions.






(1)  Any reference in this notice to a person of the male sex must be deemed also to constitute a reference to a person of the female sex.

(2)  Candidates not invited to the assessment centre can obtain a copy of the selection board's evaluation sheet concerning their qualifications by submitting a request within 10 days of being notified of the results.

(3)  Notwithstanding a possible increase in the number of candidates invited to the assessment centre as part of the AD6 competition, up to the number of candidates invited as part of both the AD6 and AD7 competitions in the same field.

(4)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be invited to the assessment centre.

(5)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be placed on the reserve list.


ANNEX I
Field 1: Environmental Chemists and Biologists
1.   Duties (see section II of the competition notice)
The duties will mainly involve:






—


analysis and evaluation of experiments results










—


preparation of publications










—


presentation of results at conferences, seminars and meetings










—


laboratory work




2.   Academic qualifications
Diploma in chemistry, biology, or another corresponding university degree at the following level:
AD6 Research Administrators:






(i)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma.




AD7 Research Administrators:






(ii)


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,
or










(iii)


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




3.   Professional experience






AD6:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (i) of at least three years is required in the chosen field. Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




AD7:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (ii) and 2. (iii) of at least six years is required in the chosen field. Those six years of professional experience must be additional to the one specific year requested under 2. (iii). Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




4.   Selection based on qualifications (see point 2, section IV of the competition notice)
One or more of these experience, knowledge and ability would be an asset:






a.


Additional diploma in the field










b.


Publications in peer reviewed journals










c.


Academic and/or professional experience in the following areas:






—


analytical chemical analysis in the field of environmental fate and exposure assessment of anthropogenic pollutants










—


development of sampling strategies, screening technologies and bio-availability aspects










—


development of molecular methods to address the effects of environmental stressors on aquatic organisms at cellular and molecular levels










—


instrumental analytical measurement in organic or inorganic trace chemistry, in liaison with the application of chemo metric approaches for the investigation of organic or inorganic pollutants










—


use of molecular techniques (e.g. cloning, cell cultures) and genomic techniques (DNA microarray, primer design, labelling of RNA, Real Time PCR)










—


application of statistical methods and analytical tools for data processing and management










—


development of concepts for spatial and temporal representativeness as well as their practical application











ANNEX II
Field 2: Environmental Modellers
1.   Duties (see section II of the competition notice)
The duties will mainly involve:






—


preparation of publications










—


presentation of results at conferences, seminars and meetings










—


development of indicators










—


impact assessment




2.   Academic qualifications
Diploma in an environmental discipline (such as forestry, ecology, hydrology, transport, agriculture, atmospheric chemistry, marine science) or another corresponding university degree at the following level:
AD6 Research Administrators:






(i)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma.




AD7 Research Administrators:






(ii)


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,
or










(iii)


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




3.   Professional experience






AD6:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (i) of at least three years is required in the chosen field. Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




AD7:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (ii) and 2. (iii) of at least six years is required in the chosen field. Those six years of professional experience must be additional to the one specific year requested under 2. (iii). Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




4.   Selection based on qualifications (see point 2, section IV of the competition notice)
One or more of these experience, knowledge and ability would be an asset:






a.


Additional diploma in the field










b.


Publications in peer reviewed journals










c.


Academic and/or professional experience in the following areas:






—


modelling of air pollutants and green-house gas emissions related to transport, energy production, agriculture and other sectors (local, regional and global)










—


transport modelling and analysis of traffic data










—


hydrological, meteorological or climatological modelling related to flooding and droughts for forecasting and scenarios development










—


modelling forest resources under future climate scenarios and or impacts from fires and other disturbances










—


ecosystem modelling for linking aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems for management of resources, including disturbance and futures scenarios










—


modelling and assessing the current status of European rivers and seas, and the global ocean










—


development and application of models, such as atmospheric or climate models, air quality models, land management models, transport models, hydrological and ecosystem models










—


cross checking model results with real cases studies










—


construction and management of large (regional, global) databases/inventories










—


collaboration with economic modellers to perform integrated environmental assessments











ANNEX III
Field 3: Environmental Risk Assessment
1.   Duties (see section II of the competition notice)
The duties will mainly involve:






—


preparation of publications










—


presentation of results at conferences, seminars and meetings










—


development of indicators










—


impact assessment




2.   Academic qualifications
Diploma in geography, environmental engineering/management, earth sciences, applied economics, or another corresponding university degree at the following level:
AD6 Research Administrators:






(i)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma.




AD7 Research Administrators:






(ii)


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,
or










(iii)


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




3.   Professional experience






AD6:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (i) of at least three years is required in the chosen field. Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




AD7:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (ii) and 2. (iii) of at least six years is required in the chosen field. Those six years of professional experience must be additional to the one specific year requested under 2. (iii). Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




4.   Selection based on qualifications (see point 2, section IV of the competition notice)
One or more of these experience, knowledge and ability would be an asset:






a.


Additional diploma in the field










b.


Publications in peer reviewed journals










c.


Academic and/or professional experience in the following areas:






—


risk-based decision approaches and ecological risk assessments in different regulatory contexts










—


integration of natural and socio-economic interests in thematic sectors such as land use, climate change, hydrology, meteorology and macro-economics










—


assessment of environmental/socio/economic vulnerabilities and risks from natural hazards and to the definition of risk-reduction (or adaptation) strategies










—


definition of general environmental thresholds at various spatial scales, from European to regional and local scales










—


application of risk based decision approaches and risk assessment methods related to the environment










—


application of multi-criteria decision analysis methodologies, uncertainty indices and quantitative modelling










—


application of socio-economic modelling techniques at various scales











ANNEX IV
Field 4: Nature Resource Scientists
1.   Duties (see section II of the competition notice)
The duties will mainly involve:






—


preparation of publications










—


presentation of results at conferences, seminars and meetings










—


development of indicators










—


impact assessment










—


laboratory work




2.   Academic qualifications
Diploma in forestry, ecology, hydrology, soil science, agriculture or another corresponding university degree at the following level:
AD6 Research Administrators:






(i)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma.




AD7 Research Administrators:






(ii)


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,
or










(iii)


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




3.   Professional experience






AD6:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (i) of at least three years is required in the chosen field. Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




AD7:


a professional experience gained since obtaining the first qualification required under 2. (ii) and 2. (iii) of at least six years is required in the chosen field. Those six years of professional experience must be additional to the one specific year requested under 2. (iii). Doctoral studies can be counted as working experience up to a maximum of three years.




4.   Selection based on qualifications (see point 2, section IV of the competition notice)
One or more of these experience, knowledge and ability would be an asset:






a.


Additional diploma in the field










b.


Publications in peer reviewed journals










c.


Academic and/or professional experience in the following areas:






—


analysis of forest resources and identification and monitoring of forest or ecological disturbances, due to fire, deforestation, natural disasters or climate change










—


impact assessment of farming practices on the environment and analysis of relationships between agriculture, environment and impacts of climate change scenarios










—


advanced techniques of digital soil mapping and geo-statistical analysis of soil data, including soil classification










—


analysis of water allocation in the context of multiple objectives (industry, agriculture, ecosystems, human consumption)










—


analysis of pathways and transformations that control the delivery of water (and associated solutes and pollutants) to freshwater and coastal ecosystems










—


development and testing of aquatic bio-indicators and metrics for assessing ecological status of coastal, transitional and surface waters, contributing to the assessment of biodiversity










—


management of databases, information systems and models in climate change, energy, biodiversity and transport










—


remote sensing and GIS tools










—


environment laboratory measurement