Notice of open competitions — EPSO/AD/252/13 (AD 9) and EPSO/AD/253/13 (AD 12)
Date: 2013-04-25
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: Croatia, EPSO, administrator, competition (EU), economy, legal profession, public administration








CA2013118EN.01000101.xml










25.4.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 118/1






NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS

EPSO/AD/252/13 (AD 9) and EPSO/AD/253/13 (AD 12)
(2013/C 118 A/01)
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising the following open competitions, based on tests, to constitute a reserve from which to recruit

HEADS OF UNIT (1)



WITH CROATIAN CITIZENSHIP (HR)


in the following fields:







1.



Law











2.



Economics











3.



European public administration





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 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 the 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











IV.



ADMISSION TESTS











V.



ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION











VI.



ASSESSMENT CENTRE AND TESTS











VII.



RESERVE LISTS











VIII.



HOW TO APPLY













ANNEX





I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND















1.


Number of successful candidates per competition and field









EPSO/AD/252/13 (AD 9)




EPSO/AD/253/13 (AD 12)











1.


Law






5








1.


Law






4










2.


Economics






8








2.


Economics






6










3.


European public administration






7








3.


European public administration






5










2.


Remarks






You may apply for only one competition and only one option. 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.
However, if you do not meet the conditions for admission to the AD 12 competition but do meet those for the AD 9 competition, the selection board may, with your consent, reassign your application to the AD 9 competition. This reassignment will be made on admission.
You should note in particular that this competition is primarily intended to ensure that the European Civil Service is adequately staffed to meet the needs of Croatian accession. This is essential if the principle of administrative continuity recognised by the courts of the Union is to be observed and if the smooth working of the European Civil Service is to be maintained. Preparatory steps to this end therefore need to be taken now, regardless of the outcome of the ratification process for the Accession Treaty and the regulations implementing it. The validity of the reserve list thus depends on ratification of the Accession Treaty by all the Member States. It is important to be aware that if the Accession Treaty is not ratified or if the implementing regulations do not enter into force, the selection process may be cancelled at any time and that if the process has already been completed, candidates entered on the reserve list cannot invoke any rights by virtue of that fact.




II.   DUTIES
In all these fields the main activity involves management duties as head of unit, generally under the authority of a Director-General or Director. The duties fall into three main 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.




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.




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.
Besides the main management duties, you should take note of the following duties specific to each field of this competition:
Field 1: Law






—


Devising, drafting and analysing European Union legislation and monitoring its implementation and enforcement (contacts with Member States' administrations; questions from citizens of the European Union; where necessary, examining pre-litigation files on infringements of EU law).










—


Providing legal advice to the institutions and their bodies on specific questions and on EU policies.










—


Performing various duties in the field of litigation, drawing up statements of position and representing the institutions in litigation, mainly before the Court of Justice, the General Court or the European Union Civil Service Tribunal.










—


Researching legal issues relating to the European Union, national law or international law.










—


Participating in negotiations on international agreements.




Field 2: Economics






—


Ongoing analysis and assessment of the Member States' economies and economic, budgetary, monetary and financial policies, and drawing up economic forecasts.










—


Analysis of the economies of third countries.










—


Economic analyses and advice in relevant EU policy areas (regional policy, competition, trade, regulatory and fiscal business environment, industry, research, employment, etc.).










—


Developing and implementing EU financial instruments and technical assistance, and in particular managing programmes.










—


Financial analysis of EU projects.










—


Statistical work and advice (methodology, compilation, processing, validation, analysis, project design and management of operational systems).




Field 3: European public administration






—


Overseeing the performance of administrative, advisory or supervisory duties in one or more of the institution's fields of activity; these tasks may be in fields concerning EU internal affairs (telecommunications, transport, environment, consumers, social affairs) or external affairs (development aid, trade, etc.).










—


Drawing up new approaches or actions by carrying out analyses and specialised studies.










—


Coordinating preparation of the work of various working parties at all levels, and related follow-up.










—


Coordinating, at internal, interinstitutional or international level, the application of rules and procedures, in particular in the institution's horizontal departments.




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 Croatian citizen.










(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






Field 1:


Law









(i)


You must have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies in law attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is at least four years;
or










(ii)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies in law attested by a diploma, followed by at least one year's appropriate professional experience (graduate level) when the normal period of university education is at least three years;
or










(iii)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma, followed by a postgraduate course in law attested by a diploma.









Field 2:


Economics









(i)


You must have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies in micro-/macroeconomics/statistics and/or business studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is at least four years;
or










(ii)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies in micro-/macroeconomics/statistics and/or business studies attested by a diploma, followed by at least one year's appropriate professional experience (graduate level) when the normal period of university education is at least three years;
or










(iii)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma, followed by a postgraduate course in micro-/macroeconomics/statistics and/or business studies attested by a diploma or an MBA (Master of Business Administration).









Field 3:


European public administration









(i)


You must have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is at least four years;
or










(ii)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma, followed by at least one year's appropriate professional experience (graduate level) when the normal period of university education is at least three years.








2.2



Professional experience





 








—


Since obtaining the qualification required under (i) or (iii),
OR










—


since obtaining the qualification and professional experience required under (ii),









Grade AD 9



you must have at least 10 years' professional experience relevant to the duties, including three years in management and/or staff coordination roles involving genuine personnel management responsibilities as described in this notice of competition (see 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 management positions held;










(2)


number of staff overseen in these positions;










(3)


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









Grade AD 12



you must have at least 10 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 (see 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)


number of staff overseen in these positions;










(3)


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








2.3


Knowledge of languages


Following the judgment given by the Court of Justice of the European Union (Grand Chamber) in Case C-566/10 P, Italy v Commission, the EU institutions must state the reasons for limiting the choice of the second language in this competition to a small number of official EU languages.




Candidates are therefore informed that the second language options in this competition have been defined in the interests of the service, which require new recruits to be immediately operational and capable of communicating effectively in their daily work. Otherwise the efficient functioning of the institutions could be severely impaired.




It has long been the practice to use mainly English, French, and German for internal communication in the EU institutions and these are also the languages most often needed when communicating with the outside world and dealing with cases. Moreover, where candidates for competitions are free to choose their second language, these three are by far the most common choices. This confirms what is currently expected of candidates for European Union posts in terms of their level of education and professional skills, namely that they have a command of at least one of these languages. Therefore, in balancing the interests of the service and the needs and abilities of candidates, and given the particular field of this competition, it is legitimate to organise tests in the three languages so as to ensure that all candidates are able to work in at least one of them, whatever their first official language.




To ensure equal treatment for all candidates, everyone — including those whose first official language is one of the three — must take the test in their second language, chosen from among these three. Assessing specific competencies in this way allows the institutions to evaluate candidates' ability to be immediately operational in an environment that closely matches the reality they would face on the job. None of this affects the possibility of later language training to enable staff to work in a third language, as required under Article 45(2) of the Staff Regulations.







Language 1









—



main language

a thorough knowledge of Croatian,

and










Language 2









—



second language

satisfactory knowledge of either DE (German), EN (English), or FR (French).








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 to the tests






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

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


Marking: this test will be marked out of 50.




Test (b)


Numerical reasoning


Marking: this test will be marked out of 50.




 



The combined pass mark for tests (a) and (b) is 50.











3.


Language of the tests






Language 2 (English, French or German)




V.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION
After the admission tests, supporting documents will be examined for candidates who have obtained the pass mark for the tests, in descending order, to verify that they satisfy the general and specific eligibility conditions laid down in the competition notice. Verification will continue until the threshold number of candidates is reached who can be admitted to the competition and actually fulfil all the conditions for admission. The files of candidates below this threshold will not be examined.
The number of candidates admitted to the competition will not exceed, by competition and field, 3 times the number of successful candidates that is indicated in the competition notice and will be published on EPSO's website (http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eu-careers.info/). These candidates (2) will be invited to participate in the next stage.
VI.   ASSESSMENT CENTRE AND TESTS







The tests comprise:







—


assessment centre tests,










—


an oral test.




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










1.


Assessment centre






Before your interview with the selection board, you will be asked to take part in tests at an assessment centre. You will take the tests in language 2 (English, French or German).
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:






—


a written exercise in which you will be asked to deal with various documents,










—


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 day following the assessment centre tests, you will be invited to an interview with the selection board (in language 2) to enable it to complete its assessment of:






—


your specialist knowledge in the field in question,










—


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,










—


your general knowledge of the European Union, its institutions and its policies,










—


your knowledge of your main language (language 1).




The test will be marked out of 100 (pass mark: 60).




VII.   RESERVE LISTS












1.


Candidates placed on the reserve lists






The selection board will place your name on the reserve list (3) (see Section I.1. ‘Number of successful candidates per competition and field’) if you are one of the candidates who obtained the pass mark and one of the highest aggregate marks in the oral test.










2.


Classification






The lists for each competition will be drawn up by field and names will be listed in alphabetical order.




VIII.   HOW TO APPLY












1.


Online application






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

Deadline: 28 May 2013 at 12.00 (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/252/13 or EPSO/AD/253/13




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË





Closing date: 28 May 2013 (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.

(3)  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 take account of 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 will be published (1) in the Official Journal of the European Union and on the EPSO website. The validity of the list may be extended in some cases. The decision extending the validity of the 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.’