Vacancy notice COR/AD14/ 13BIS/13 concerning a post of Director (m/f) in the Directorate for Translation — Publication under Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations The post is simultaneously published under Article 29(1)(a) and (b) of the Staff Regulations
Date: 2013-06-18
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Committee of the Regions, job vacancy, translation








CA2013172EN.01000101.xml










18.6.2013   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 172/1





VACANCY NOTICE COR/AD14/ 13BIS/13
concerning a post of
DIRECTOR (M/F) (1)

in the Directorate for Translation
Publication under Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations The post is simultaneously published under Article 29(1)(a) and (b) of the Staff Regulations
(2013/C 172 A/01)
1.   Grade: AD14
2.   Brief description of main responsibilities
Directs the joint translation services of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), under the direct authority of the Secretaries-General of the aforesaid Committees, and within the limits of the powers devolved to him by the administrative cooperation agreement between the CoR and the EESC. He is a member of the Cooperation Committee which supervises and coordinates the tasks of the CoR/EESC joint services.
3.   Nature of duties
The Director's tasks consist in particular of:






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organising, coordinating, managing and supervising the work of the various departments making up the Directorate for Translation. The Directorate currently employs a total of some 520 persons and is composed of 23 language units and a translation management unit;










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performing the duties of authorising officer subdelegated to him by the CoR Secretary-General;










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maintaining the necessary contacts and relations with the various services of the general secretariats of the CoR and of the EESC;










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maintaining the necessary contacts and relations with the services of the other European institutions; when necessary representing the Committees within inter-institutional bodies;










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coordinating the management of the human and financial resources of the Directorate for Translation;










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constantly seeking to optimise working methods;










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participating in the Management Committee of each Committee and in the Cooperation Committee.




When performing his tasks, the Director for Translation shall take particular care to provide a balanced service on the basis of institutional equality between the CoR and EESC, involving a commitment to cooperation, solidarity and coordinated communication.
4.   Admission criteria
The selection process is open to all candidates who, on the closing date for filing applications, meet the following criteria. Candidates must:






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










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enjoy full rights as a citizen and produce appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of the duties of Director of Translation;










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have fulfilled any statutory obligations concerning military service;










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be below retirement age, which, for officials and other staff of the European Union, is set at the end of the month in which the age of 65 is reached;










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meet the physical fitness conditions required for the performance of the duties — to ascertain this the successful candidate will be examined by the CoR Medical Officer during the recruitment process;










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have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma where the normal period of university education is four years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year where the normal period of university education is at least three years;










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have at least 15 years of professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties after receipt of the diploma referred to in the previous indent; where the normal period of university education is three years, the year of professional experience required to complement this period of education is deemed an integral part of the diploma and shall be in addition to the number of years of professional experience required under this indent;










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have a thorough command of one of the official EU languages as main language and a satisfactory knowledge of a second official EU language;










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in the interest of the service, have at least a satisfactory knowledge of English or French. Given the nature of the duties to be performed, a knowledge of English or French which is at least satisfactory is required; the need to recruit an official with the highest qualities of competence, performance and integrity must be balanced against the interest of the service, which requires a candidate to be immediately operational and capable of communicating effectively within the institution in the course of his everyday work in one of the languages most used by officials and other staff of the Union as an internal working language. The testing of candidates' linguistic knowledge during the recruitment procedure is thus a proportionate means of verifying that they possess the highest qualities for performing the duties of Director of Translation in the working environment of the Committee of the Regions and the joint services which it shares with the EESC. A candidate having one of the two above-mentioned languages as his main language will also be called on during the oral test to express himself satisfactorily in an official language other than his main language. The ability to communicate effectively in other official EU languages will be an advantage;










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state in the signed declaration (see point 7.1 below) that they meet the requirements in the area of language skills, which will be assessed during the interview.




5.   Initial screening criteria
Initial screening will consist of two successive, eliminatory phases carried out by an administrative panel, initially by examination of the application and then by interview.
5.1   Initial screening (examination of the application)
The first phase of the screening of candidates will take the form of a comparative assessment of their professional experience on the basis of the information given in their applications.
Preference will be given to candidates possessing:






5.1.1


Leadership skills






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ability to ensure the smooth operation of an international, multilingual and multicultural organisation, requiring a command of management methods and the ability to lead teams.














5.1.2


Negotiating and communication skills






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negotiating skills;










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communication and public relations skills.














5.1.3


Knowledge relevant to the nature of the duties






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familiarity with European Union policies;










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familiarity with the European Union's decision-making processes and interinstitutional cooperation;










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familiarity with the administrative and budgetary procedures, as well as the legal framework, governing the activities of the European institutions.








5.2   Initial screening of candidates will also be conducted in the light of their reasons for wishing to assume the duties of Director of Translation and their vision of the future challenges that will face the Directorate, as set out in their covering letter.
5.3   First interview
The second phase of the screening will be by means of an interview, during which the administrative panel and a representative of the EESC will ask the candidates a number of similar questions in order to carry out a comparative assessment of the various candidacies being considered at that stage.
The questions will in particular concern:






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oral communication skills;










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knowledge of the specific features of the CoR/EESC cooperation agreement;










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knowledge of the challenges and impact of multilingualism in the field of translation.




The language skills required for performance of the duties will also be assessed during the interview, in particular a satisfactory knowledge of English or French.
The ability to communicate effectively in other official EU languages will be an advantage.
6.   Selection criteria
Selection will take place at a second interview in the course of which a political panel (see point 7.3.5 below) will ask the candidates a number of similar questions in order to carry out a comparative assessment of the various candidacies being considered at that stage.
The questions will in particular concern:






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candidates' ability to draw up and implement innovative strategies, to identify future objectives for the Translation Directorate, and to set out and report on the results to be achieved;










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candidates' ability to represent the interests of the Committee of the Regions and the CoR/EESC joint services at interinstitutional level.




In the course of the interview the panel will in particular assess candidates' managerial skills, ability to communicate, accessibility and open-mindedness, negotiating skills and breadth of interests.
7.   Application procedure
7.1   Filing of applications
Applications must be sent, solely by email, in pdf format to the following address: Directeur.DT@cor.europa.eu
Candidates with a disability which makes it impossible for them to submit their application online may send it by registered post with proof of delivery to the following address: Committee of the Regions, for the attention of the Director of Administration, 101 rue Belliard, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, marked Confidential — vacancy notice — not to be opened by the mail department, at the latest by the closing date for applications stipulated in point 7.2 below, as indicated by the postmark. Any subsequent communication between the Committee of the Regions and these candidates will be conducted by post. Candidates applying by post must attach to their application a certificate, issued by a competent body, attesting to their disabled status. They are also asked to indicate, in their own words, any arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate their participation in the recruitment procedure.
Applications must mention the reference number of the vacancy notice in the subject line and include:






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a covering letter setting out their reasons for applying for the post (maximum 5 pages), signed and dated;










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an up-to-date curriculum vitae (Europass format);










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the curriculum vitae and covering letter must be written in English or French (2);










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a declaration, signed and dated (form in Annex 1), that the admission criteria set out in point 4 above are met;










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the check-list in Annex 2, signed and dated;










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a copy of one of the candidate's official identity documents;










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a copy of the diploma giving access to the grade (see point 4 above);










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a copy of the professional documents certifying the candidate's experience, in line with the criteria set out in point 4 above. The documents must clearly state the length of employment and, if possible, the level of responsibility held.




It is not necessary for the copies included in the application to be certified.


Any applications which are incomplete, are filed after the closing date or fail to comply with these provisions on filing applications will not be considered. Any false declaration will automatically invalidate the application.


7.2   Closing date for filing applications: 17 July 2013 at midday (Brussels time)
Candidates will receive confirmation of receipt of their application by email. Any applications received by registered post with proof of delivery, as referred to in point 7.1 above, will be duly acknowledged.
7.3   Examination of applications and initial screening and selection files
The appointing authority will first consider applications submitted under Article 29(1)(a) of the Staff Regulations (transfer, appointment or promotion), then applications submitted under Article 29(1)(b) (inter-institutional transfer) and finally Article 29(2). This order will be followed at each of the stages detailed below:






7.3.1


An administrative panel made up of the CoR Secretary-General and one or more CoR directors will assess the admissibility of applications on the basis of declarations, CVs and copies of the documents specified in point 7.1 of this vacancy notice. The admission criteria to be applied at this stage of the process are specified in point 4.










7.3.2


The administrative panel will carry out a screening of applications admitted following the phase described in the previous point. This will be done on the basis of the application. The names of the candidates which best meet the criteria set out in points 5.1 and 5.2 of this vacancy notice will be placed on a first shortlist of no more than six names.
With a view to this screening, candidates are invited to highlight in their covering letter the aspects of their CV which are suited to the post, their reasons for applying and their vision of future challenges facing the Translation Directorate.










7.3.3


Candidates placed on the first shortlist will be invited to a first interview conducted by the administrative panel and a representative of the EESC. The names of the candidates which best meet the criteria set out in point 5.3 of this vacancy notice will be placed on a second shortlist of no more than three names.










7.3.4


The candidates placed on the second shortlist will then be invited to an assessment centre. They will be informed of the programme and methodology in due time. The purpose of this assessment will be to evaluate their managerial skills (handling of information, tasks, people and interpersonal relationships, and ability to achieve goals). The result of the assessment will be non-binding and is intended to provide the political panel (see point 7.3.5 below) and the Secretary-General with additional input in connection with the selection interview.










7.3.5


The CoR Secretary-General will then ask a political panel to assist him in assessing the candidates on the second shortlist by means of a second interview, conducted in accordance with the arrangements set out in point 6 above. This panel will be made up of the President, the first Vice-President and the CoR political group chairs (or their representatives).










7.3.6


After the interviews, the CoR Secretary-General will propose to the Bureau the candidate deemed most suitable to assume the post of Director of Translation. The Bureau reserves the right to interview the candidate proposed by the Secretary-General.




In accordance with the CoR Rules of Procedure, the appointment of any official to a grade above AD12 requires a favourable vote of the Bureau.
If the Bureau votes in favour, it will instruct the CoR President to sign the appointment of the successful candidate.
8.   Recruitment conditions
If the application was made under the present vacancy notice, the successful candidate will be appointed Director of Translation in grade AD14.
The successful candidate will be asked to undertake to comply with certain rules of ethics. Candidates' attention is drawn to the restrictions imposed by the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities concerning outside activities, assignments and conflicts of interest (Articles 11, 11a, 12b, 13 and 15 of the Staff Regulations).
In the interests of the candidate's independence, he will have to be free of any prior professional obligations at the latest by the time he starts work. He will have to take any necessary administrative steps to this end.
Under Article 34 of the Staff Regulations, if the person is not already a European Union official, he must undergo a nine-month probationary period.
9.   Notes
The post will be filled as and when budget resources permit.
The CoR will ensure that candidates' personal data is handled in full compliance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data.
The CoR is an equal-opportunities employer, precluding any discrimination.


(1)  Any reference in this notice to a person of the male sex shall be deemed also to constitute a reference to a person of the female sex.

(2)  The panel will ensure that candidates for whom one of these languages is their main language will not enjoy any undue advantage.


ANNEX 1






ANNEX 2