Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/204-205/10
Date: 2010-10-28
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, European civil service, administrative competition, invitation to tender, public contract








CA2010292EN.01000101.xml










28.10.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 292/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS EPSO/AD/204-205/10
(2010/C 292 A/01)


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 Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising open competitions, based on qualifications and tests, to establish a reserve pool from which to recruit administrators (1).

EPSO/AD/204/10 — MANAGEMENT OF THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS/COHESION FUND (AD 6)


EPSO/AD/205/10 — CUSTOMS/TAXATION (AD 7)

The purpose of these competitions is to draw up reserve lists from which to fill vacant posts in the institutions of the European Union, and in particular the Commission.


Before applying, you should read carefully the guide published in Official Journal C 184 A of 8 July 2010 and on the EPSO website.




This guide is an integral part of the competition notice and will help you to understand the rules governing the procedure and how to apply.


CONTENTS






I.



GENERAL BACKGROUND











II.



DUTIES











III.



ELIGIBILITY











IV.



ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND INVITATION TO THE ASSESSMENT CENTRE











V.



OPEN COMPETITION











VI.



RESERVE LISTS











VII.



HOW TO APPLY





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND













1.



Number of successful candidates







EPSO/AD/204/10 = 40


EPSO/AD/205/10 = 34












2.



Remarks






You may not apply for more than one of these competitions and for more than one area in competition EPSO/AD/205/10.
You must make your choice when you apply online and you will not be able to change it after you have confirmed and validated your online application form.




II.   DUTIES
The specific profiles sought are described in the annexes.
The general profile of candidates sought by the institutions is described in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.
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 obligations imposed on you by the laws on military service.










(d)


You must meet the character requirements for the duties involved.















2.



Specific conditions









2.1




Qualifications

See the annexes





2.2




Professional experience

See the annexes





2.3




Knowledge of languages


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)










(a)


Language 1







Main language:

Thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union.




and


 










(b)


Language 2







Second language (must be different from language 1):

Satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.




IV.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND INVITATION TO THE ASSESSMENT CENTRE
1.   Procedure
Initially, compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked on the basis of the information given in your application form. The selection based on qualifications will be made on the same basis.






(a)


Your answers to the questions relating to the general and specific conditions will be processed to determine whether you can be included in the list of candidates who fulfil all the conditions for admission to the competition.










(b)


For the candidates on that list, the selection board will then carry out a selection on the basis of qualifications to identify those whose profile (particularly diplomas and professional experience) best matches the duties and selection criteria set out in the competition notice. There are two stages in this selection process:






—


according to the importance attached to each criterion set out in the annexes, the selection board will set a weighting (1 to 3) for each corresponding question. The first selection based on qualifications will be made on the basis of the answers ticked under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of the online application form and the weighting of each of the questions. The online applications of the candidates who obtain the highest number of points will then go through to a second selection stage. The number of files to be examined at this stage will be approximately three times the number of candidates who will be invited to the assessment centre,










—


in the second selection stage, the selection board will examine candidates' answers and, based on their profile, will award 0 to 4 points for each answer; the points are then multiplied by the weighting for each question.








The selection board will then draw up a list of candidates in the order of the points awarded. The number of candidates invited to the assessment centre (2) will not exceed three times the number of successful candidates indicated in the competition notice and will be published on EPSO's website (www.eu-careers.eu).
2.   Verification of information given by candidates
Following the assessment centre session, and in the light of the results, EPSO will verify the information given by candidates in their online applications for compliance with the general conditions and the selection board will do the same as regards the specific conditions and selection criteria. If verification shows that the information given is not borne out by the appropriate supporting documents, candidates will be disqualified.
Applications will be verified for candidates with the highest aggregate marks, and at least pass marks, in tests (d), (e) and (f) in the assessment centre session (see Section V), in descending order. These candidates must also have obtained pass marks in the aptitude tests (a), (b), and (c) (see Section V). Verification will continue until the number of candidates who can be placed on the reserve list and who actually fulfil all the conditions for admission reaches the threshold. The files of candidates below this threshold will not be examined.
V.   OPEN COMPETITION













1.



Invitation to the assessment centre






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 points totals (3) in the selection based on qualifications,




you will be invited to take part in the work-related case study and the other tests at the assessment centre, which will be normally be held in Brussels over one day or one day and a half.











2.



Assessment centre






You will be assessed on your reasoning competencies (4) by means of:






(a)


a verbal reasoning test;










(b)


a numerical reasoning test;










(c)


an abstract reasoning test.




You will also be assessed on your specific competencies in the field and the following general competencies:






—


Analysis and problem solving










—


Communication










—


Delivering quality and results










—


Learning and development










—


Prioritising and organising










—


Resilience










—


Working with others










—


Leadership




More information on these competencies can be found in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.
These competencies are tested by means of:






(d)


a case study in the chosen field;










(e)


a group exercise;










(f)


a structured interview.















3.



Languages for the assessment centre






Language 2 for parts (a) to (f).
Your knowledge of your main language (language 1) will also be tested during part (d) (case study).











4.



Marking







Reasoning skills







(a)


Verbal: 0-20
Pass mark: 10










(b)


Numerical: 0-10










(c)


Abstract: 0-10
Aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c): 10.




Tests (a), (b), and (c) are eliminatory, but the marks will not be added to the marks for the other assessment centre items.

Specific competencies

Marked out of 100
Pass mark: 50.

General competencies

Marking: 80 in total for all general competencies (10 per competency)
Pass mark:






 


3 for each competency and










 


an aggregate of 40 for all eight general competencies.





Knowledge of main language

0-10
Pass mark: 8.




VI.   RESERVE LISTS













1.



Candidates placed on the reserve lists






The selection board will place you on the reserve list (see the number of successful candidates, Section I.1) if you are among the candidates who satisfy all the conditions set out in Section IV (5).











2.



Classification






The lists for each competition will be drawn up by field and by merit group (maximum of four groups) and names will be listed in alphabetical order within each group.




VII.   HOW TO APPLY













1.



Online application






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

Deadline: 26 November 2010 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.











2.



Submission of application files







At a later stage, if you are one of the candidates invited to the assessment centre, you will have to submit a full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents) when requested.

Closing date: you will be informed of the closing date solely via your EPSO account.

Details: see point 2.2 of the guide to open competitions.






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

(2)  Candidates who are not invited to the assessment centre can obtain the results of their assessment and the weighting assigned to each question by the selection board by filing a request within 10 calendar days of being notified that they will not be admitted to the competition.

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

(4)  Organisational constraints may mean that the reasoning tests have to be held in test centres in the Member States, separately from the other tests at 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
EPSO/AD/204/10 — ADMINISTRATORS (AD 6)
MANAGEMENT OF THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS/COHESION FUND

Specialising in the European Regional Development Fund/Cohesion Fund/European Social Fund/European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development/European Fisheries Fund

This open competition is being held to recruit Administrators (AD 6) in the field of the European Structural Funds and related instruments.
1.   Duties
The main duties include:






—


analysing and negotiating any proposal submitted by a Member State for the approval or amendment of its reference instruments for preparing the programming of funds (1), operational programmes or major projects financed by the funds, along with the documentation necessary according to the rules applying,










—


taking part in, preparing the negotiating briefs, where necessary, and reporting on the meetings of monitoring committees,










—


examining requests for payment, analysing the annual and strategic reports, and reporting on the state of play and material progress of projects and programmes,










—


advising managing authorities and other stakeholders in the monitoring committees regarding implementation and assessment according to Union regulations, with particular emphasis on the Europe 2020 Strategy,










—


processing closure documents for programmes/projects; reporting on results; helping in the implementation of programme/project assessments both at mid-term and on completion,










—


analysing and negotiating proposed amendments submitted by Member States to their programmes and major projects for the 2007-2013 period; examining closure files for programmes and projects in the 2000-2006 period,










—


organising, preparing guidelines and reporting on annual meetings between the Commission and the competent national authorities,










—


analysing audit and inspection reports and monitoring implementation on the ground in cooperation with the competent authorities,










—


liaising between managing authorities and other partners in the implementation of programmes/projects,










—


managing Union technical assistance contracts,










—


preparing answers to written and oral questions from Members of the European Parliament, responding to petitions and complaints brought before the European Parliament and to requests for information from the authorities, stakeholders, and the general public,










—


preparing briefing notes, speeches and other documents in response to requests from the cabinet, superiors, and horizontal departments,










—


reporting on any relevant source of economic, scientific, or political information, in particular in the press and national, regional and local radio and television, concerning the Union policies in question and, more directly, the implementation of programmes, including the monitoring of State aid schemes adopted by the Member State and irregularities,










—


monitoring irregularities identified by the Member State or Union institutions, including financial corrections.




2.   Qualifications
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma in a subject relevant to the field concerned when the normal period of university education is equivalent to 4 years or more
OR
a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies equivalent to at least 3 years attested by a diploma in a subject relevant to the field concerned, followed by professional experience of at least 1 year relevant to the duties concerned.
NB: The minimum of 1 year's professional experience required counts as an integral part of the diploma and cannot be counted towards the professional experience required below.
3.   Professional experience
At least 3 years' professional experience are needed in the field of applying rules and administrative procedures, devising, administrating and implementing programmes and/or investment projects funded with public and private funds or loans. This work experience is relevant only if it has been acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.
A PhD in a subject related to the field concerned obtained in the course of full-time studies can be taken into account, counting for up to 1 year.
Periods of further training related to the required specialisation and undertaken since obtaining the required degree can be taken into account, counting for up to 1 year.
4.   Selection criteria
As part of the selection on the basis of qualifications, the selection board will take into consideration the following:






1.


In view of the nature of some of the posts to be filled, in particular in regional policy, proven command of at least one of the following languages, which must be different from languages 1 and 2 required under III(2.3):






 


(BG) Bulgarian, (CS) Czech, (EL) Greek, (ET) Estonian, (HU) Hungarian, (LT) Lithuanian, (LV) Latvian, (MT) Maltese, (PL) Polish, (RO) Romanian, (SK) Slovak or (SL) Slovenian.














2.


Additional training in one of the following fields:






—


regional development,










—


employment, training and education,










—


rural development and agriculture,










—


fisheries.














3.


Relevant professional experience in management, audit and control and in the assessment of programmes and projects backed by the Structural Funds/Cohesion Fund, as well as those supported by the EAFRD and EFF.










4.


Professional experience as described in point 3 above going beyond the 3 years required.










5.


Professional experience in one of the areas in which the funds concerned play a role, in particular:






—


transport, environmental, telecommunications and energy infrastructures,










—


the development of urban and rural areas,










—


capital expenditure,










—


research, innovation and technology transfers,










—


facilitating businesses' access to bank lending and financial services,










—


employment, training and education,










—


rural development and agriculture,










—


fisheries.














6.


Experience of conducting negotiations within a national or international organisation.










7.


Experience in academic research or teaching in one of the following fields:






—


regional development,










—


employment, training and education,










—


rural development and agriculture,










—


development and reconversion in the fishing industry.














8.


Publications on one or more of the following subjects:






—


regional development,










—


employment, training and education,










—


rural development and agriculture,










—


development and reconversion in the fishing industry.














9.


A Master's degree related to the professional experience referred to in point 3 above.










10.


A PhD related to the professional experience referred to in point 3 above.






(1)  European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund (CF), European Social Fund (ESF), European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).



ANNEX II
EPSO/AD/205/10 — ADMINISTRATORS (AD 7)
CUSTOMS/TAXATION
This open competition is being held to recruit Administrators (AD 7) in the field of CUSTOMS/TAXATION in the European Commission.
1.   Duties
Customs (17 appointments)
The general role of administrators (AD 7) in the customs field is to conduct analyses, prepare reports and other relevant tasks related to the development and management of the Customs Union and carrying out administrative, advisory and supervisory duties at a high level.
Successful candidates will be called upon to draft and analyse Customs legislation as consolidated in the Community Customs Code and in the Community Customs Tariff, corresponding implementing provisions and other pertaining rules, as well as in other specific customs domains like customs controls, the process of customs' modernisation and/or its IT applications. Together with the monitoring of legislative developments, candidates may also be required to represent and negotiate on behalf of the institution at EU and international level
Taxation (17 appointments)
The general role of administrators (AD 7) in the taxation field is to support the decision-makers in fulfilling the mission of their institution, provide legal, economic and/or statistical analysis required for the initiation, development, management and/or evaluation of EU policies in direct and/or indirect taxation, at a high level.
Successful candidates will be called upon to analyse direct and/or indirect issues, make a legal assessment under the applicable tax rules and procedures, analyse their impacts and present legal drafts or prepare economic analysis of those issues. They will also be asked to perform coordination duties and negotiation at international level, related to the tax policy of the European Union in the following areas:
Economic analysis and evaluation of taxes






—


Analysing the economic effects of national policies on statutory contributions and charges which have an impact on EU policy, with particular reference to tax reform and adoption of new finance laws.










—


Evaluating economic and financial consequences of tax measures proposed by the Commission.




Direct taxation






—


Providing highly specialised technical advice on company and/or personal taxation.










—


Monitoring tax policy in the Member States and at the EU and international level, Member States' tax legislation and implementation of EU rules.




Indirect taxation:
VAT






—


Providing highly specialised technical advice in the field of VAT policy and legislation.










—


Evaluating of VAT control and fraud prevention.










—


Monitoring national VAT legislation.




Other indirect taxes (environment, transport, energy and excise duties)






—


Developing tax policy in relation to the environment, transport and energy.










—


Application of EU excise legislation (alcohol, tobacco products and mineral oils) and development of enhanced control procedures and fight against fraud.










—


Assess the economic and technical potential of new indirect taxes.




2.   Qualifications
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is equivalent to 4 years or more
OR
a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies equivalent to at least 3 years attested by a diploma, followed by professional experience of at least 1 year relevant to the duties concerned.
NB: The minimum of 1 year's professional experience required counts as an integral part of the diploma and cannot be counted towards the professional experience required below.
3.   Professional experience
Customs
At least 6 years' professional experience related to the application of rules and procedures as described under the heading ‘Duties’.
Taxation
At least 6 years' professional experience related to the application of taxation rules and procedures or to economic analysis of taxation issues. Areas of expertise shall include the analysis of national and/or EU direct and/or indirect tax legislation and relevant direct and/or indirect tax issues on the basis of a good understanding of economic aspects; their legal or economic assessment under applicable national and/or EU rules and procedures; conducting economic studies and the preparation of legal documents.
Such work experience is relevant only if it has been acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.
A PhD in a subject related to the field concerned obtained in the course of full-time studies can be taken into account, counting for up to 3 years. If the candidate obtained the PhD diploma in less than 3 years, only the actual duration of the studies will be counted.
Periods of further training related to the required specialisation and undertaken since obtaining the required degree can be taken into account, counting for up to 1 year.
4.   Selection criteria
As part of the selection on the basis of qualifications, the selection board will take into consideration the following:
Customs






1.


Professional experience in the drafting of customs legislation, rules and procedures (e.g. in central services, at a customs office etc.).










2.


Professional experience in the implementation of customs legislation, rules and procedures (e.g. in central services, at a customs office etc.).










3.


Professional experience in customs related legislation, such as the regulations on IPR enforcement, drug precursors, cash control.










4.


Professional experience in the common trade policy.










5.


Professional experience in other EU policies, such as agriculture, budget, health, product safety or environment, as applied by customs.










6.


Professional experience in the use of Customs specific databases and related statistical analysis.










7.


Professional experience in international relations in the area of customs (e.g., supply chain security, IPR enforcement, trade facilitation).










8.


Professional experience in Business Process Modelling.










9.


Professional experience in development of IT projects.










10.


Graduate or postgraduate studies with specialisation in customs law, business management or economics.










11.


Publications and articles in academic journals, related to customs.










12.


Experience in multidisciplinary and multicultural project teams.




Taxation






1.


Professional experience in the application of rules and procedures of national and/or international/EU tax law, notably in:






—


direct taxation (in particular, income taxation, corporate taxation, dividend taxation, inheritance tax),










—


indirect taxation (in particular VAT, excise duties, environmental taxation),




in any of the following:






—


a law firm,










—


as an in-house lawyer in a company or professional association,










—


a professional tax consultancy firm,










—


a national/international taxation organisation/authority or a ministry of finance/taxation,










—


a university or a research body specialised in taxation or in economics of taxation,










—


a judicial institution.














2.


Professional experience in the analysis of the impacts of tax rules on economic competitiveness, sound revenue raising and induced compliance costs.










3.


Professional expertise in drafting legislation in the field of taxation.










4.


Professional experience in negotiations at an international level.










5.


Professional experience in academic research or teaching in the field of tax law or economics of taxation.










6.


Professional experience in developing IT projects.










7.


Graduate or postgraduate studies with specialisation in direct and/or indirect, international and/or EU tax law.










8.


A professional qualification related to the nature of the duties (including a qualification issued by a tax administration or an association of tax advisors).










9.


Graduate or postgraduate studies in a law school or faculty.










10.


Graduate, postgraduate studies in economics with a focus on one or several of the following fields: taxation economics, public finance, public economics, economic modelling, econometrics or statistics.