Notice of open competition — EPSO/AD/247/12 — Head of unit (AD 12) — Joint Research Centre (Karlsruhe, Germany)
Date: 2012-10-18
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, administrator, competition (EU), research








CA2012314EN.01000101.xml










18.10.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 314/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AD/247/12 — Head of unit (AD 12) — Joint Research Centre (Karlsruhe, Germany)
(2012/C 314 A/01)
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on qualifications and tests, to constitute a reserve list.

EPSO/AD/247/12 — Head of Unit (1) (AD 12)


Site Management and Nuclear Safety at the Institute for Transuranium Elements (Karlsruhe, Germany), Joint Research Centre, European Commission

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


Before applying, you should carefully read the guide published in Official Journal C 270 A of 7 September 2012 and on the EPSO website; points 4, 5.3, 5.4, 6.2 and 6.3 do not apply. Points 5.3, 5.4 and 6.2 are replaced by the text in Annex.




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 REQUIREMENTS











IV.



ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS











V.



ASSESSMENT CENTRE AND TESTS











VI.



RESERVE LIST











VII.



HOW TO APPLY













ANNEX





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND

Number of successful candidates sought: 3.

II.   DUTIES
The Site Management and Nuclear Safety Unit coordinates and provides support for all the activities at the Institute necessary to meet the legal requirements concerning radiation protection, physical protection, protection of the environment, and health and safety at work. The unit provides the scientific units with the technical services that they need to carry out their programmes and undertakes regular maintenance work and repairs on the buildings, the infrastructure, and the facilities.
The main duty of the Head of Unit involves performing administrative tasks under the authority of the Director of the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) in Karlsruhe (Germany), which is one of the establishments of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.
In practice the duties essentially involve organising all of the activities necessary for the functioning of the ITU:






—


overseeing the application of the rules relating to radiation protection, physical protection, environmental safety, and health and safety at work, in accordance with the relevant German legislation,










—


ensuring the safe functioning of the facilities, including accident prevention and detection, and directing intervention measures where necessary,










—


managing radioactive waste (transport, storage, accounting, etc.).




The Head of Unit is legally responsible for physical and radiation protection at the site. He/she advises the Director on the legal requirements (the Atomgesetz and the Strahlenschutzverordnung) and takes all necessary measures to ensure that the facilities operate in compliance with those rules. He/she is the designated contact person for the relevant German authorities, in particular for all matters relating to operating licences.
In order to perform all of the duties outlined above, a good command of both spoken and written German is essential.
The administrative duties can basically be broken down into three categories:






 



At operational level:







—


Defining the unit's strategic objectives and approving its operational work programme, in line with and complementing those of the Directorate/Directorate-General.










—


Deciding on and ensuring the efficient organisation and distribution of work in the unit so as to achieve the expected results.










—


Assessing the extent to which objectives have been attained, using appropriate indicators, and drafting management reports on the outcomes.










—


Checking that decisions and operations comply with the rules and official procedures.














 



In terms of resource management:







—


Ensuring efficient personnel management in the unit in line with the institution's human resources policy with a view to developing a unit that performs effectively with a strong team spirit. In particular this involves the ability to develop and make the best use of each individual's skills and to anticipate and manage any conflicts arising within the team.










—


Determining funding requirements and managing the annual budget resources allocated to the unit.














 



In terms of communication and representation:







—


Establishing and maintaining interactive dialogue in the unit so that staff are properly informed about the major policy and strategic aspects and receive appropriate feedback on their work.










—


Advising, coordinating and/or negotiating with other departments or institutions on matters relating to the unit's work.










—


Representing the unit, department or service on committees, working parties, or other bodies both within the institution and outside.








These responsibilities call for candidates who are service-minded, have a sense of organisation, and are open to new technologies. In view of the nature and requirements of the position, a good command of both written and spoken German is also essential.
III.   ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

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.


Diplomas
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma in an area/areas of relevance to the duties, if the normal period of university education is equivalent to four years or more.

or

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma in an area/areas of relevance to the duties attested by a diploma, followed by at least one year's appropriate professional experience, if the normal period of university education is equivalent to at least three years.

NB: The minimum of one 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 attested by a diploma, followed by a postgraduate course in an area/areas of relevance to the duties attested by a diploma.




2.2.


Professional experience
You must have at least 12 years' professional experience relevant to the duties, including five years in management and/or staff coordination roles involving genuine personnel management responsibilities as described in this notice of competition (Section II).
In order to evaluate experience in management positions, the selection board will take into account relevant information provided by candidates, such as:






(1)


title and exact description of positions held and their duration;










(2)


numbers of staff overseen in these positions;










(3)


numbers of hierarchical layers above and below, and number of peers.




Such professional experience is relevant only if acquired after the diploma giving access to the competition was obtained.




2.3.



Knowledge of languages





Language 1



Main language







 


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








Language 2



Second language







 


A satisfactory knowledge (level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)) (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads/CEF/LanguageSelfAssessmentGrid.csp) of English, French or German (must be different from language 1).





The interests of the service require a satisfactory knowledge of German, either as language 1 or as language 2, or as a third language.


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)




IV.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS
1.   Procedure
Initially, a check for compliance with the general and specific conditions, and the selection based on qualifications, will be carried out on the basis of the information given in your online application.






(a)


Your responses to the questions concerning 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)


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 3 below, before examining the applications. 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 nine times the number of successful candidates sought that is indicated in this notice. 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 score.








The selection board will then draw up a list of candidates in the order of the overall scores awarded. The number of candidates invited to the assessment centre and to the oral and written tests (2) will not exceed three times the number of successful candidates sought (3). This number will be published on EPSO's website (http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eu-careers.info/).
2.   Verification of information given by candidates
Following the oral and written tests and in the light of the results, EPSO will verify the information given by candidates in their online application for compliance with the general conditions on the basis of the supporting documents provided by candidates, while the selection board will do the same as regards the specific conditions and the criteria for selection. 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 (4).
Applications will be verified for candidates with the highest aggregate marks, and at least pass marks, in both the oral and written tests, in descending order. 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 the threshold will not be examined.
3.   Selection criteria

For the selection based on qualifications, the following criteria will be taken into consideration by the selection board:







1.


Professional experience of at least 10 years in radiation protection.










2.


Professional experience of at least five years in physical protection.










3.


Professional experience of at least five years in the management of radioactive waste, the transport of radioactive materials, and the storage of and accounting for fissionable materials.










4.


Professional experience of at least five years in health and safety at work.










5.


An excellent knowledge of German legislation on the nuclear sector (Deutsches Atomgesetz) and German rules on radiation protection (Deutsche Strahlenschutzverordnung), backed up by appropriate and sufficient professional experience so as to be granted approval by the relevant German authorities.










6.


A scientific background attested to by a doctorate in one of the main areas of activity of the unit.










7.


Any other training, other than that required under Section III, point 2.1, in one of the main areas of activity of the unit (as defined in Section II — Duties), attested to by a certificate, qualification or diploma.










8.


Professional experience of at least five years in managing nuclear facilities.










9.


Professional experience of at least five years in negotiating and communications.










10.


An excellent level of German (level C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)).




V.   ASSESSMENT CENTRE AND TESTS

The tests comprise:







—


the assessment centre session,










—


an oral test,










—


a written test.




For organisational reasons, the tests held at the assessment centre and the oral and written tests will be held in Brussels, normally on consecutive days.












1.


Assessment centre






The assessment centre tests will be held exclusively in the candidates' language 2. The report on the tests will be communicated to the selection board as a specialist aid and technical contribution to the decision-making process.
The tests will include:






—


an exercise to assess your management skills,










—


an interview with a human resources expert to assess your skills profile.




The report produced by the assessment centre is not covered by the rules on secrecy governing the selection board's deliberations and will be given to you at the end of the oral test.










2.


Oral test






The interview with the selection board is designed to assess:






—


your specific knowledge of the field, in particular your technical expertise in the field of radiation protection (in your language 2),










—


your professional experience, ability to organise and coordinate the work of an administrative unit, and your ability to adapt, negotiate, take decisions, and more generally perform the duties of a head of unit (in your language 2),










—


your general knowledge of the European Union, its institutions, and its policies (in your language 2),










—


your command of German,










—


your knowledge of your main language (language 1).




This test is marked out of 100 (pass mark: 60).










3.


Written test (5)


Nature and marking of test







The written test is designed to assess your command of German. It involves drafting a note in which you will be required to address some documents, after consulting extracts from German legislation on the nuclear sector and/or the German rules on radiation protection.
This test is marked out of 60 (pass mark 30).
Time allowed (subject to change): 1 hr 30 min.

The written test will be marked only if you obtain a pass mark in the interview with the selection board.





VI.   RESERVE LIST












1.


Reserve list






The selection board will place your name on the reserve list if you are one of the candidates who obtained a pass mark and one of the highest aggregate marks in the oral and written tests (6).










2.


Classification






The list will be drawn up in alphabetical order.




VII.   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): 20 November 2012 at 12 noon, Brussels time.










2.


Submission of application files







In parallel with your online application, you must print out a copy of your validated online application form, sign it and send it together with the relevant supporting documents to the following address:





European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)




C-25




Open competition EPSO/AD/247/12




1049 Brussels




Belgium





Closing date: 20 November 2012 (date of the postmark).


Details: 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 admitted to the assessment centre session and to the oral and written tests.

(3)  Applicants who are not invited to take the assessment centre tests and the oral and written tests will be sent the results of the assessment of their applications and the weighting applied to each question by the selection board.

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

(5)  The content is validated by the selection board.

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


ANNEX
Please note that points:






—


5.3,










—


5.4, and










—


6.2,




of the guide to open competitions published in Official Journal C 270 A of 7 September 2012, do not apply to this competition.






—



Point 5.3 ‘Assessment centre methodology’ is replaced by the following:


‘5.3.   Assessment centre and oral test
If the competition notice provides for tests organised by an assessment centre before the oral test, the selection board will be informed of the result of these tests solely with a view to helping it to reach a decision. The test(s) will not be marked and will be returned to you at the end of the oral test.
In cases of force majeure, and by way of an exception, it may be possible to consider a request to change the date for an oral test on duly substantiated grounds, in the light of which the selection board can decide as it sees fit. However, any decision to postpone a test will bear in mind the need to ensure the uniform assessment of candidates' performance in the oral test and to guarantee the smooth running of the competition without jeopardising the interests of the service.’











—



The text of point 5.4 ‘Reserve list’ is replaced by the following:


‘Following the competition procedure, the selection board draws up a reserve list containing the names of the successful candidates. The list is then sent to the institutions, since responsibility for recruitment rests solely with them.
The reserve list and its expiry date are published in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EPSO website (1). The validity of the list may be extended in some cases. The decision extending a list will be published only on the EPSO website.











—



The text of point 6.2 ‘Access to information’ is replaced by the following:

‘After the selection board has drawn up the reserve list:






—


If you are placed on the reserve list, you will be informed that you are a successful candidate and you can, on request, be given the marks you obtained in the oral test.










—


If you are not on the reserve list, you will automatically be informed of your marks in the oral test. You can also obtain, on request, a copy of the individual evaluation sheet drawn up by the selection board for your oral test.
Candidates must send requests for information to EPSO, using the contact page on EPSO's website, within 10 calendar days of being notified of their results in the competition.
Requests will be dealt with taking account of the confidential nature of selection board proceedings under the Staff Regulations (Annex III, Article 6) and in compliance with the rules on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data.’










(1)  A successful candidate may explicitly request that his/her name not be published. Any such request must reach EPSO no later than two weeks after candidates are notified of the results.’