Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/227-228-229/11
Date: 2011-09-14
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, competition (EU), information profession, international cooperation, invitation to tender








CA2011271EN.01000101.xml










14.9.2011   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 271/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS EPSO/AD/227-228-229/11
(2011/C 271 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/227/11 — ARCHIVISTICS (AD 6)


EPSO/AD/228/11 — INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) (AD 7)


EPSO/AD/229/11 — COOPERATION AND MANAGEMENT OF AID TO NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES (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.


Before applying, you should read carefully the guide published in
Official Journal of the European Union 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 TESTS











V.



ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS











VI.



OPEN COMPETITION











VII.



RESERVE LISTS











VIII.



HOW TO APPLY





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND












1.


Number of successful candidates by competition






EPSO/AD/227/11 = 13
EPSO/AD/228/11 = 71
EPSO/AD/229/11 = 45










2.


Remarks






You may not apply for more than one of these three competitions or for more than one of the three fields in competition EPSO/AD/228/11.
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.

By signing the application form for the competition on 'Cooperation and management of aid to non-member countries', you undertake to accept service in an EU Delegation (located mainly in developing countries) if you are recruited. Recruitment to Commission posts is envisaged.





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

On the closing date for online applications, 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 point 2 of the Annexes.




2.2



Professional experience

See point 3 of the Annexes.




2.3



Knowledge of languages











(a)


Language 1







Main language:

a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union.





and



 










(b)


Language 2







Second language (must be different from language 1):

a satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.




IV.   ADMISSION TESTS

Admission tests will be organised for each open competition/field only if the number of candidates applying exceeds 600. In this case you will be informed via your EPSO account.














1.


Invitation to the tests






You will be invited to sit the tests if you have validated your application on time (see Section VIII).

NB:







1.


By validating your application you declare that you meet the general and specific conditions listed in Section III.










2.


You must reserve a date to sit the tests; this must be done by the deadline notified to you via your EPSO account.














2.


Nature and marking of tests






A series of tests comprising multiple-choice questions to assess your general aptitudes and competencies as regards:





Test (a)



Verbal reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 20.
Pass mark: 10





Test (b)



Numerical reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 10.





Test (c)



Abstract reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 10.




 


The aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c) is 10.










3.


Language of the tests






Language 1




V.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS
1.   Procedure
Initially, compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked on the basis of the information given in your online application.






(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.
If prior admission tests are organised, candidates' compliance with the general and specific conditions will be checked in descending order of their marks in those tests until a list has been compiled of the 600 candidates per competition/area who:






—



obtained the highest marks (and at least pass marks) in the admission tests, and











—



satisfy the eligibility conditions.





Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be included in the selection phase based on qualifications. Online applications of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.










(b)


The selection board will then screen the candidates who fulfil the conditions for admission to the competition on the basis of their qualifications to identify those whose profile (particularly their diplomas and professional experience) best matches the duties and selection criteria set out in this competition notice. This selection is carried out solely on the basis of the information you provided in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab and takes place in two stages:






—


A first selection based on qualifications will be made solely on the basis of the responses ticked under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of the online application form and the weighting assigned to each of the questions. The selection board will set the weighting (1 to 3) according to the importance attached to each criterion set out in point 4 of the Annexes. 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 during the second stage will be approximately three times the number of candidates who will be invited to the assessment centre for each open competition/area. The selection board will examine candidates' answers and will award 0 to 4 points for each answer. The points are then multiplied by the weighting for each question and added together to give an overall mark.




The selection board will then draw up a list of candidates in the order of the overall marks awarded. The number of candidates invited to the assessment centre (2) will not exceed three times the number of successful candidates per competition/area indicated in the competition notice. This number 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, the information given by candidates in their online applications will be verified against the general conditions by EPSO and against the specific conditions by the selection board. In assessing qualifications, supporting documents will be taken into account only to confirm the information already given under the ‘Talent Screener’ tab. 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) and (g) in the assessment centre session, in descending order. These candidates must also have obtained pass marks in the aptitude tests (a), (b), and (c). 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.
VI.   OPEN COMPETITION















1.


Invitation to the assessment centre






If you are one of the candidates who (3):






—


obtained the highest marks in the admission tests (if such tests were held, see Section IV) and at least the pass marks,

and











—


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 in the selection based on qualifications,




you will be invited to attend an assessment centre session (4) which will normally take place in Brussels over the course of 1 or 2 days.










2.


Assessment centre






You will be assessed on your reasoning competencies if they have not already been assessed in admission tests. Assessment will be by means of:






(a)


a verbal reasoning test;










(b)


a numerical reasoning test;










(c)


an abstract reasoning test.




You will be assessed on your specific competencies in the field by means of:






(d)


a structured interview on your competencies in the field, based on the information provided in the 'Talent Screener' tab of your application.





You will also be assessed 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 of how these competencies are defined are set out in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.
These general competencies are tested in accordance with the following model by means of:






(e)


a case study;










(f)


a group exercise;










(g)


a structured interview on your general competencies.








 


Case study


Group exercise


Structured interview (g)




Analysis and problem-solving


x


x


 




Communication


x


 


x




Delivering quality and results


x


 


x




Learning and development


 


x


x




Prioritising and organising


x


x


 




Resilience


 


x


x




Working with others


 


x


x




Leadership


 


x


x










3.


Languages for the assessment centre






Language 1 for parts (a), (b) and (c)
Language 2 for parts (d), (e), (f) and (g)










4.


Marking






Reasoning skills






(a)


Verbal: marked out of 20
Pass mark: 10










(b)


Numerical: marked out of 10










(c)


Abstract: marked out of 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 tests.
Specific competencies (test (d))
Marked out of 100
Pass mark: 50

Weighting: 55 % of the overall mark

General competencies (tests (e), (f) and (g))
Marks: a total of 80 for all general competencies (10 per competency)
Pass mark:






 


3 for each competency and











 


an aggregate of 40 for all eight general competencies





Weighting: 45 % of the overall mark





VII.   RESERVE LISTS












1.


Candidates placed on the reserve lists






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










2.


Classification






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




VIII.   HOW TO APPLY












1.


Online application






You must apply online by following the instructions on the EPSO website and particularly in the online application manual.

Deadline (including validation): 18 October 2011 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.










2.


Application file







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

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 must 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.

(4)  For organisational reasons, the reasoning tests and the case study (test (e)) may be organised in test centres in the Member States and/or in Brussels, separately from the other assessment centre tests.

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


ANNEXES
 

EPSO/AD/227/11 (AD 6)
ARCHIVISTICS
1.   Duties
The officials recruited will be expected to perform tasks in the field such as those described below:






—


assisting and advising the Commission on all aspects of archiving policy and its relationship with more general policy on document management,










—


leading a team of archivists,










—


managing projects in the fields of archivistics, document management, externalisation of archiving activities, acquisition and publication of sources and preservation of electronic documents,










—


coordinating the production and updating of filing plans, inventories and other archiving tools,










—


defining description standards (metadata and more comprehensive descriptions) of digital documents, in accordance with the standards laid down by the International Council on Archives,










—


helping to ensure the authenticity and long-term preservation of documents, specifically in an electronic environment,










—


helping to organise technical training for staff responsible for archive management,










—


following up the processing of requests for information from within the institutions and from external researchers,










—


managing relations with researchers or any other external entity requesting information,










—


monitoring public procurement activities relating to information/communication and drawing up specifications and other technical documents in the same field.




2.   Qualifications
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma. This diploma must:






—


include at least 1 year of training in archiving or document management, or










—


be accompanied (preceded or followed) by a diploma in archivistics or document management.




3.   Professional experience
At least 3 years' professional experience in archivistics or document management.
Such professional experience is relevant only if acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.
4.   Selection criteria
For the selection based on qualifications, the following criteria will be taken into consideration by the selection board:






1.


Professional experience in managing teams within an archive department or in document management in a public or private organisation.










2.


Professional experience in managing archive or document management projects.










3.


Professional experience in developing international standards on document and archive management.










4.


Professional experience in implementing international standards on document and archive management.










5.


Professional experience in managing customer services and communication.










6.


Professional experience in managing training courses.










7.


Professional experience in the field of public procurement and invitations to tender.






EPSO/AD/228/11 (AD 7)
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) — PROJECT AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT
1.   Duties
Administrators may be asked to carry out tasks in the institutions common to the three fields, such as:






—


translating business needs into IT solutions,










—


managing IT projects or services, taking responsibility for the quality and timeliness of project deliverables/service delivery and taking responsibility for resource consumption,










—


managing, within the context of an IT project or service, relations with the business/customer,










—


managing IT project/service teams and managing IT project/service contracts,










—


preparing briefings, reports and presentations.





Field 1. Infrastructure IT & services (31 successful candidates)
As service/project manager, participating in and taking responsibility for the definition, implementation and development of IT architecture and IT solutions in areas such as end-user infrastructure and end-user support, service-oriented and/or web-based architectures, information system hosting, virtualisation, backup and storage systems, database systems and application environments, etc., and in the operational provision of services in these areas.

Field 2. Telecommunications infrastructure & services (18 successful candidates)
As service/project manager, participating in and taking responsibility for the definition, implementation and development of solutions/services in areas such as data/voice networks, voice services, videoconference services and e-mail services. As service manager, taking responsibility for the operational provision of services in these areas.

Field 3. Information systems (22 successful candidates)
As project manager, participating in and taking responsibility for the definition, implementation, development and support of large information systems, web or multimedia applications. Participating in and leading teams responsible for liaising with business owners, business process analysis, system architecture and design, functional and technical analysis, development, quality assurance, testing, introduction of new systems into the business environment and support.
2.   Qualifications
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 4 years attested by a diploma in information and communications technologies.

OR

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma in information and communications technologies, followed by professional experience of at least 1 year relevant to the duties involved.

NB: The minimum of 1 year's professional experience required is deemed to be an integral part of the diploma and cannot be counted towards the professional experience required below.

OR

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 4 years attested by a diploma and a post-graduate diploma in information and communication technologies.
3.   Professional experience
At least 6 years' professional experience in the field of information and communication technologies, of which 4 years must be in one of the fields set out under ‘Duties’ above.
Such professional experience is relevant only if acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.
4.   Selection criteria
For the selection based on qualifications, the following criteria will be taken into consideration by the selection board:

Field 1. Infrastructure IT & services






1.


Training of at least 40 hours on service management.










2.


Training of at least 40 hours on project management.










3.


Training of at least 20 hours on IT security.










4.


Experience in managing a project relating to the architecture and/or implementation of an IT infrastructure or IT service with a total project budget of at least EUR 200 000.










5.


At least 2 years' experience in service management of an IT service with a total annual cost of at least EUR 500 000 or a service team of at least five persons.










6.


At least 2 years' practical experience in information security.










7.


At least 2 years' experience in technical consultancy in IT infrastructure or IT services.










8.


At least 2 years' experience in managing an IT infrastructure involving at least 40 servers or 500 desktops (or an equivalent combination of both).










9.


Experience of public procurement procedures (either in the role of customer or provider), with responsibility for the technical and project/service aspects of an IT infrastructure or IT services with a total value of at least EUR 125 000.





Field 2. Telecommunications infrastructure and services






1.


Training of at least 40 hours on service management.










2.


Training of at least 40 hours on project management.










3.


Training of at least 20 hours on IT security.










4.


Experience in managing a project relating to the architecture and development of a network or telecommunications infrastructure or service with a total project budget of at least EUR 200 000.










5.


At least 2 years' experience in service management for a network or telecommunications service with a total annual cost of at least EUR 500 000 or a service team of at least five persons.










6.


At least 2 years' practical experience in network or telecom security.










7.


At least 2 years' experience in technical consultancy in telecommunications or network infrastructure or services.










8.


At least 2 years' experience in managing a network with at least 100 network devices (switches, routers, firewalls, proxies, etc.).










9.


Experience of public procurement procedures (either in the role of customer or provider) with responsibility for the technical and project/service aspects of a telecommunications or network infrastructure or services with a total value of at least EUR 125 000.





Field 3. Information systems






1.


Training of at least 40 hours on project management.










2.


Training of at least 20 hours on a software development methodology.










3.


Experience in managing a project involving the architecture and development of an information system with a total project budget of at least EUR 500 000 or a total effort of at least 5 person-years.










4.


At least 2 years' practical experience in business requirements analysis.










5.


At least 2 years' practical experience in enterprise architecture.










6.


At least 2 years' practical experience in the development of web applications.










7.


At least 2 years' practical experience in the development of multimedia applications.










8.


At least 2 years' experience in technical consultancy in information systems development.










9.


Experience in public procurement procedures (as either customer or provider) with responsibility for the technical and project/service aspects of an information systems development with a total value of at least EUR 125 000.






EPSO/AD/229/11 (AD 7)
COOPERATION AND MANAGEMENT OF AID TO NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES
1.   Duties
The officials recruited will be expected to perform tasks in the field of development cooperation such as those described below:






—


helping to formulate development policies, including sector policies, and conducting policy dialogues with relevant partners and stakeholders,










—


participating in the identification and formulation of development cooperation projects and programmes, including preparation of financing proposals and agreements,










—


operational management of development cooperation projects and programmes, including drafting terms of reference, tendering, contracting and supervision of implementation of contracts, including approval of reports payments and closure of contracts,










—


operational management of budget support programmes (general and sector) for development cooperation,










—


monitoring and evaluating development cooperation projects and programmes,










—


liaising with all the relevant actors in the field of development cooperation, such as government counterparts, international and regional organisations, Member States and civil society,










—


leading a small team of co-workers,










—


work on development cooperation in an operational section in an EU Delegation.




By signing the application form, you undertake to accept service in an EU Delegation (located mainly in developing countries) if you are recruited. Recruitment to Commission posts is envisaged.
2.   Qualifications
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 4 years attested by a diploma in one or more of the following fields: engineering, rural development, agricultural science, fisheries, forest management, environment, natural resources, climate change, energy, education, health, economics, law, social science, business administration, and development.

OR

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma in one or more of the following fields: engineering, rural development, agricultural science, fisheries, forest management, environment, natural resources, climate change, energy, education, health, economics, law, social science, business administration, and development, followed by at least 1 year's professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties.

NB: The minimum of 1 year's professional experience required is deemed to be an integral part of the diploma and cannot be counted towards the professional experience required below.
3.   Professional experience
Minimum 6 years' professional experience in the field of development cooperation in one or more of the following sectors: macroeconomics, public finance management, public sector reform, private sector, trade, regional integration, environment and natural resources, climate change, energy, infrastructure, transport, water, rural development, food security, disaster risk reduction, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, governance, human rights, elections, parliament, judiciary, health, education, social cohesion, gender, children, indigenous peoples, decentralisation and local authorities.
At least 4 of the 6 years' experience must have been gained by working on a project or programme in a developing country, including 2 years as team leader.
Such professional experience is relevant only if acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.
4.   Selection criteria
For the selection based on qualifications, the following criteria will be taken into consideration by the selection board:






1.


Knowledge of one or more of the following languages (this can include your main and/or second language): English, French, Portuguese or Spanish (minimum level required: B2 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF)).










2.


Additional degree or certificate in one of the following areas relevant to the duties: engineering, rural development, agronomy, food security, disaster risk reduction, fisheries, forest management, environment, natural resources, climate change, energy, education, health, economics, law, social sciences, business administration, and development studies.










3.


Experience working in the headquarters of an international organisation or a bilateral aid agency/ministry.










4.


Additional proven working experience in managing projects or programmes in developing countries (beyond the 4 years required in point 3 ‘Professional experience’ above).










5.


Experience of working in a country representation of a bilateral or multilateral organisation (EU Delegation, EU Member State Embassy/development agency office, UN regional office or equivalent).










6.


Additional proven working experience of work as team leader (beyond the 2 years required in point 3 ‘Professional experience’ above).










7.


Experience of working with different aid delivery modalities such as project approach, sector policy support programmes and/or budget support.










8.


Experience of drafting policies and guidelines for bilateral and/or multilateral organisations.










9.


Experience of working with cross cutting issues: democracy, gender equality, environmental sustainability and climate change, good governance and human rights, the rights of the child and indigenous peoples, and HIV/AIDS in development cooperation projects and programmes.










10.


Experience of working in several of the following sectors: macroeconomics, public finance management, public sector reform, private sector, trade, regional integration, environment and natural resources, climate change, energy, infrastructure, transport, water, rural development, food security, disaster risk reduction, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, governance, human rights, elections, parliament, judiciary, health, education, social cohesion, gender, children, indigenous peoples, decentralisation and local authorities.










11.


Practical experience with monitoring and/or evaluating development cooperation projects and programmes.










12.


Experience working with the private sector in a development context and/or international development banks.