Notice of open competition — EPSO/AD/244/12 — Administrators (AD 5) of Croat citizenship
Date: 2012-09-13
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: Croatia, EPSO, administrator, competition (EU)








CA2012276EN.01000501.xml










13.9.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 276/5





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AD/244/12 — Administrators (AD 5) of Croat citizenship
(2012/C 276 A/02)
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on tests, to constitute a reserve from which to recruit administrators (1).

EPSO/AD/244/12


ADMINISTRATORS (AD 5) OF CROAT CITIZENSHIP

The purpose of this competition is to draw up a reserve list from which to fill vacant posts in the institutions of the European Union.


Before applying, you should carefully read the guide to open competitions published in Official Journal C 270 A of 7 September 2012 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.



ASSESSMENT CENTRE











VI.



RESERVE LISTS











VII.



HOW TO APPLY





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND












1.


Number of successful candidates






124










2.


Remarks






Candidates should be aware that the main purpose of this competition is to guarantee the integration into the European Union public service of a minimum workforce in anticipation of the accession of Croatia. It is an essential guarantee that the principle of administrative continuity recognised by the jurisdictions of the Union and the efficient operation of the public service may be upheld. The intention is to commence preparatory work in view of the accession without prejudice to the ratification of the accession treaty and the regulations necessary for its effective implementation. The validity of the reserve list is therefore subject to the condition of ratification of the accession treaty by all Member States. Should the accession treaty not be ratified, or the regulations not enter into force, candidates are informed that this selection procedure may be terminated at any moment and, should the selection procedure already be completed, candidates placed on the reserve list would not derive any rights from this circumstance.




II.   DUTIES
AD 5 is the grade at which graduates begin their careers as administrators in the European Union institutions. Administrators recruited at this grade can undertake, under supervision, three main types of work: policy formulation, operational delivery, and resource management. We are particularly looking for candidates with a potential for career development.
1.   Duties
The general role of administrators is to support decision-makers in fulfilling the mission of their institution or body.
The main duties involved, which may vary from one institution to another, include:






—


design, implementation, follow-up and control of programmes and action plans,










—


management of resources including staff, finances, and equipment,










—


assisting decision-makers by means of written or oral contributions,










—


drafting policy analysis briefings,










—


external communication as well as internal reporting and communication,










—


relations with external stakeholders and with the Member States,










—


inter-service and inter-institutional coordination and consultation regarding policy,










—


coordination of working groups set up by the Member States, the institutions and other external stakeholders,










—


drafting contracts, preparing calls for proposals and tender procedures, and participating in evaluation committees for monitoring selection procedures and the allocation of proposals.




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 Croat citizen.










(b)


You must enjoy your full rights as a citizen.










(c)


You must have fulfilled any military service obligations imposed on you by law.










(d)


You must meet the character requirements for the duties involved.














2.


Specific conditions








2.1.


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




2.2.


Professional experience
No professional experience is required.




2.3.



Knowledge of languages





Language 1:


Main language:
A thorough knowledge of Croatian.




and


 




Language 2:


Second language:
A satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.




IV.   ADMISSION TESTS
The admission tests are organised by EPSO and you will take them on a computer. The selection board decides on the difficulty of the tests and approves their subject matter on the basis of proposals made by EPSO.













1.


Invitation






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






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


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




Test (b)


Numerical reasoning


This test will be marked out of 10.




Test (c)


Abstract reasoning


This test will be marked out of 10.




 


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




Test (d)


Situational judgement


This test will be marked out of 40.
Pass mark: 24










3.


Language of the tests






Language 2 (English, French or German)




V.   ASSESSMENT CENTRE
















1.


Invitation






You will be invited to the assessment centre:






—


if you have obtained the pass marks in the admission tests, and










—


if you have obtained one of the highest aggregate marks for the admission tests (2), and










—


if the assessment made on the basis of the information given in your online application (3) shows that you fulfil the general and specific conditions listed in Section III.




The number of candidates invited to the assessment centre will be approximately 2,5 times the number of successful candidates indicated in the competition notice and it will be published on EPSO's website (www.eu-careers.eu).










2.


Assessment centre






The role of the assessment centre is to assess the following general competencies (4):






—


Analysis and problem-solving










—


Communicating










—


Delivering quality and results










—


Learning and development










—


Prioritising and organising










—


Resilience










—


Working with others










—


Leadership




by means of (5):






(a)


a case study










(b)


a group exercise










(c)


an oral presentation










(d)


a structured interview




Your knowledge of Croatian language will also be tested during test (a) (case study).
You will be invited to take part in a case study (6) (an integral part of the overall assessment), and the other tests at the assessment centre, which will be normally be held in Brussels over one day or a day and a half.




Each competency will be tested, as follows:




 


Case study


Group exercise


Oral presentation


Structured interview




Analysis and problem-solving


x


 


x


 




Communicating


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.


Marking






General competencies
Each general competency will be marked out of 10.
Pass mark:






 


3 for each competency, and










 


an aggregate of 50 out of 80 for all 8 general competencies




Knowledge of Croatian language
Marked out of 10
Pass mark: 8 points
Candidates who fail this test will be eliminated; pass marks will not be added to the marks for general competencies.










4.


Language for the assessment centre






Language 2 (English, French or German)
Language 1 — Croatian-language test




VI.   RESERVE LISTS












1.


Reserve list






The selection board will place your name on the reserve list:






—


if you have obtained the specified pass marks and are one of the candidates with the highest aggregate marks in your assessment tests (7) (see number of successful candidates, Section I.1),










—


and if your supporting documents show that you meet all the eligibility requirements.




Applications will be verified in descending order of merit 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. If verification shows that the information (8) given by any candidate in their online application form is not borne out by appropriate supporting documents, they will be disqualified from the competition.










2.


Classification






The list will be drawn up in alphabetical order.




VII.   HOW TO APPLY












1.


Online application






You must apply online, following the instructions on the EPSO website and particularly in the Online Application Manual.

Deadline (including validation): 16 October 2012 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 have to bring with you (9) your full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents) when you come to the assessment centre.
Procedure: see point 6.1 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)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be invited to the assessment centre.

(3)  This information will be verified against the supporting documents before the reserve list is drawn up (see section VI.1 and section VII.2).

(4)  More information on these competencies can be found in point 1.2 of the guide to open competitions.

(5)  The content of these tests is approved by the selection board.

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

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

(8)  Information concerning the general conditions is verified by EPSO and that concerning the specific conditions by the selection board.

(9)  You will be notified in good time of the date when you have to attend the assessment centre via your EPSO account.