European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) — Publication of a vacancy for a Director function (grade AD 14) (Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations) — COM/2012/10323
Date: 2012-02-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Anti-fraud Office, job vacancy, managing director








CA2012027EN.01000101.xml










1.2.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 27/1





EUROPEAN ANTI-FRAUD OFFICE (OLAF)
Publication of a vacancy for a Director function (grade AD 14)
(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)
COM/2012/10323
(2012/C 27 A/01)
We are
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The fight against fraud to the detriment of the European Union's financial interests is central to the credibility of the European project. OLAF is both an investigative service and the Directorate-General of the Commission responsible for the design and delivery of anti-fraud policy.
The Director-General of OLAF has statutory independence in the conduct of investigations into allegations of fraud and other illegal activities with financial consequences for the European Budget. OLAF's independent investigation powers extend to all EU Institutions and bodies, as well as to economic operators with a relationship with the EU budget both in Member States and in third countries. Outside the operational activities for which OLAF has full independence, OLAF acts like other Directorates-General within the Commission in designing and delivering policies within its area of competence.
A major reorganisation of OLAF will come into effect on 1 February 2012. This is designed to distinguish more clearly between the two core tasks of OLAF, the independent investigative function and the policy function.
Three directorates will concentrate essentially on the investigative function. Two of these will conduct investigations (A and B). A third, Directorate C, will provide essential support to the investigative process, whereas the Office's policy responsibilities will be handled by a single Directorate, D. Finally, Directorate R will deal with resources.
The role of Directorate A (Investigation I) is to conduct internal investigations within the European Institutions, bodies and other agencies within the competence of OLAF; and external investigations into allegations of fraud against those parts of the EU budget which are administered by the Commission. The objectives are to detect and deter fraud and corruption and any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests or the reputation of the European Union.
Directorate A will consist of four units, with some 95 staff, mainly specialised investigators from a variety of professional backgrounds including among others former public prosecutors, police officers and auditors:






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Unit A.1 will deal with investigations involving EU staff,










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Unit A.2 will specialise in investigations where spending has been financed by the EU through international organisations or specialised financial bodies,










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Unit A.3 will deal with investigations into spending managed centrally by EU Institutions, bodies and agencies,










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Unit A.4 will investigate allegations relating to spending on external aid and pre-accession funding.




We propose
The post of Director, responsible for providing the strategic orientation and sound management of the resources of the Directorate in accordance with the mission statement and the annual work programme. Under the supervision of the Director-General, the Director oversees the conduct of investigations that lead to the adoption of reports and recommendations which are, where appropriate, referred to national judicial authorities and/or to the disciplinary authorities of European Institutions for possible prosecution and/or disciplinary action.
The challenges are to ensure the further development of OLAF's operational activity, particularly in the highest risk areas of activity; to fight fraud and corruption within the Institutions and in the direct and indirect expenditure sector of the budget, through effective investigations and the building of relationships with partners both within the Institutions and in national authorities; and to manage resources so that they are available to meet established priorities.
We look for
The ideal candidate should have:






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a proven record in managing large teams in a complex multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment,










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experience of working in an international environment. Good knowledge of the EU Institutions and their working practices and procedures would be an advantage,










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significant experience at senior level in the conduct of anti-fraud investigations, including practical experience of criminal investigations and their management,










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proven leadership skills, capable of motivating specialist staff from a wide variety of professional and national backgrounds,










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sound judgement and ability to work under pressure,










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law degree or an equivalent professional legal qualification,










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excellent communication skills, including the ability to represent the Office at the highest levels, both inside the Institutions and externally,










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excellent networking abilities, to develop OLAF's relationship with its operational partners within Member States, third countries and international organisations.




An excellent knowledge of English is essential. Other languages would be an advantage.
Candidates must (eligibility criteria)







1.


be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union;










2.


have:






(a)


either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more; or










(b)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 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 function at high level (1) and should be in direct relation to a field relevant for this position;










4.


have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union as defined in Article 1 of Regulation No 1 of 1958 (2) and an adequate knowledge of another of these official languages;










5.


not yet have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Union 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 Director will be selected and appointed by the Commission according to its selection and recruitment procedures (see also the Compilation Document on Senior Officials Policy (3)). As part of this selection procedure, candidates who have been called for an interview with the Commission's Consultative Committee on Appointments will have to go through, beforehand, an assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants.
The successful candidate will be recruited as an official at grade AD 14; salaries and conditions of employment are those laid down in the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union. Under the Staff Regulations, all new staff have to complete successfully a 9-month probationary period.
The successful candidate will also be required to undergo security vetting on appointment if she/he does not already hold security clearance to an appropriate level. OLAF will check candidates proposed for interviews against its records.
Equal opportunities
The European Union applies an equal opportunities policy.
Application procedure

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria (‘Candidates must’), particularly concerning the types of diploma and professional experience required. Failure to meet any of the eligibility requirements means an automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.

If you want to apply, you must register via the Internet by going to the website:
https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/human-resources/seniormanagementvacancies/CV_Encadext
and follow the instructions there concerning the various stages of the procedure.
It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time (4). We strongly advise 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 registration has passed, you will no longer able to introduce any data. As a general rule, late registrations via normal e-mail are not accepted.
You must have a valid e-mail address. This will be used to identify your registration and to keep you informed of the progress of the selection procedure. Therefore, please, inform the European Commission of any change in your e-mail address.
To complete your application, you will need to upload a CV in WORD or PDF format and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Both the CV and letter must be written in English, French or German.
Once you have finished your online registration, you will see on-screen a registration number that you must write down and remember — this will be your reference number in all matters concerning your application. When you receive this number, the registration process is finished — it is a 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 it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application online. You will be contacted directly by the European Commission regarding the status of your application.
The selection process, including correspondence with selection panels during this selection procedure, will be carried out in English, French and/or German only (5).

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
 (6)
, 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.

If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an e-mail to HR-A2-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu
Closing date
The closing date for registration is 29 February 2012. Online registration will not be possible after 12.00 Brussels time.


(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. In the case of a Principal Adviser vacancy, candidates should indicate their advisory experience at high level.

(2)  OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385/58.

(3)  http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/docs/official_policy_en.pdf

(4)  No later than 12.00, Brussels time, on 29 February 2012.

(5)  The selection panels will ensure that no undue advantage is given to native speakers of these languages.

(6)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security, Unit for Executive Staff and CCA Secretariat, COM/2012/10323, SC11 08/30, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË.