Notice of open competition EPSO/AST/132/14 — Security Profile 1 — Digital monitoring officers and open source intelligence specialists (AST 3) Profile 2 — Prevention and surveillance coordinators (AST 3)
Date: 2014-04-10
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, European External Action Service, assistant, competition (EU)








CA2014108EN.01000101.xml










10.4.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 108/1






NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION


EPSO/AST/132/14 — SECURITY

Profile 1 — Digital monitoring officers and open source intelligence specialists (AST 3)
Profile 2 — Prevention and surveillance coordinators (AST 3)
2014/C 108 A/01
 
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on qualifications and tests, to constitute a reserve from which to recruit assistants (1).
The purpose of this competition is to draw up reserve lists from which to fill vacant posts for officials in the European Union institutions, specifically in the European Parliament and the European External Action Service (EEAS).


Before applying, you should carefully read the General Rules governing open competitions published in Official Journal of the European Union C 60 A of 1 March 2014 and on the EPSO website.




This document 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 AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS










VI.


OPEN COMPETITION










VII.


RESERVE LISTS










VIII.


HOW TO APPLY




I.   GENERAL BACKGROUND













1.


Number of successful candidates sought
per profile







profile 1 = 15


profile 2 = 54











2.


Note:






This notice covers two profiles. You may not apply for more than one. You must make your choice when you apply online and you will not be able to change it once the deadline for applications has passed.




II.   DUTIES

The two profiles are described in the Annex.
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 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.



Qualifications/diplomas and professional experience


See Annex





2.2.



Knowledge of languages
 (2)






Language 1




Main language

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





Language 2




Second language (must be different from language 1)

A satisfactory knowledge of English, French or German.




Recruitment to the security service of the European Parliament in Luxembourg requires a good understanding of both written and spoken French, as this is essential both for the purposes of the work and in dealing with outside parties. Successful candidates for profile 2 will mainly be recruited to the European Parliament.
Successful candidates for profile 1 will be recruited solely to the European External Action Service.
In the light of 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 set out below the reasons for limiting the choice of the second language in this competition to a small number of official EU languages.
The second language options in this competition have been defined in line with 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, English, French and German are the most common second languages in the European Union and the most widely studied as a second language. 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. Consequently, in balancing the interests of the service and the abilities of candidates, and given the particular field of this competition, it is legitimate to organise tests in these three languages so as to ensure that all candidates are able to work in at least one of them, whatever their first official language. 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.
For these same reasons, it is reasonable to limit the language of communication between candidates and the institution, including the language in which applications are to be drafted. Furthermore, this ensures uniformity when comparing candidates and checking their application forms.
To ensure equal treatment for all candidates, everyone — including those whose first official language is one of the three — must take some tests in their second language, chosen from among these three.
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.
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.
These computer-based admission tests will be organised only if the number of candidates exceeds a certain threshold. The threshold will be determined by the Director of EPSO, as the appointing authority, after the deadline for applications. The threshold may not be the same for both profiles and you will be informed of the precise details via your EPSO account.
If admission tests are not held, your reasoning ability will be tested at the assessment centre (see Section VI.2).













1.


Invitation






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

N.B.:







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 reasoning ability:





Test (a)



Verbal reasoning


Marking: out of 20
Pass mark: 10 points





Test (b)



Numerical reasoning


Marking: out of 10





Test (c)



Abstract reasoning


Marking: out of 10




 


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










3.


Language of the tests






Language 1




V.   ADMISSION TO THE COMPETITION AND SELECTION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS

1.   Procedure

Initially, the information given in your online application will be checked for compliance with the general and specific conditions and will be used for the selection based on qualifications.






(a)


Your answers 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.

If prior admission tests are organised, compliance with the general and specific conditions for each profile will be checked in descending order of the marks obtained, until the number of candidates who:







—




have passed the admission tests with the highest marks, and












—




satisfy the eligibility conditions








reaches the threshold defined by the appointing authority

 (3).

Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be included in the selection phase based on qualifications. Online applications of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.











(b)


The selection board will then screen the candidates eligible for 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. Selection is carried out solely on the basis of the information given in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab, using the following marking scheme:






—


each selection criterion is weighted between 1 and 3, according to how important the board considers it to be,










—


the selection board then examines candidates’ answers and awards 0 to 4 points for each answer, according to their qualifications. 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. For each field, the number of candidates invited to the assessment centre (4) will not exceed three times the number of successful candidates sought. 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 assessment centre tests, and in the light of the results, the information given by candidates in their online applications will be verified against the supporting documents they have provided; this will be done by EPSO for the general conditions, and by the selection board for the specific conditions. In assessing qualifications, supporting documents will be taken into account only to confirm the information already given in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab. If verification shows that the information given is not borne out by the appropriate supporting documents (5), candidates will be disqualified.
The applications of candidates who have passed tests (d), (e), (f) and (g) with the highest aggregate marks will be verified in descending order of merit (see Section VI.2). Those candidates must also have passed tests (a), (b) and (c), where applicable. Verification will continue until the number of places on the reserve list is filled by candidates who are actually eligible. The files of candidates below the threshold will not be examined.
VI.   OPEN COMPETITION













1.


Invitation






If you are one of the candidates (6):






—


who, according to the information given in the online application, fulfil the general and specific conditions listed in Section III,

and











—


who obtained one of the highest marks in the selection based on qualifications,




you will be invited to the assessment centre, which will normally be held in Brussels over the course of one or two days
 (7).










2.


Assessment centre






You will sit three types of assessment tests, the content of which is validated by the selection board.






—




Your reasoning ability
 (if not already assessed in admission tests) will be assessed by means of:






(a)


a verbal reasoning test;










(b)


a numerical reasoning test;










(c)


an abstract reasoning test.














—




Your specific competencies
 will be assessed by means of:






(d)


a structured interview on your competencies in the field, based on the information given in the ‘Talent Screener’ tab of your application.














—




Your general competencies

 (8) will be assessed by means of:






(e)


a case study;










(f)


a group exercise;










(g)


a structured interview on your general competencies.













Each general competency will be tested as follows:









 


Case study


Group exercise


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




















3.


Language for the assessment centre






Language 1 for parts (a), (b) and (c)
Language 2 for parts (d), (e), (f) and (g)










4.


Marking and weighting







Reasoning ability







(a)


Verbal: marked out of 20
Pass mark: 10










(b)


Numerical: marked out of 10










(c)


Abstract: marked out of 10




Aggregate pass mark for tests (b) and (c): 10
Tests (a), (b) and (c) are eliminatory, but the marks are not added to the marks for the other assessment centre tests.

Specific competencies (test (d))

Marked out of 100
Pass mark: 50

Weighting: 55 % of the overall mark


General competencies (tests (e), (f) and (g))

Marked out of 10 for each general competency
Pass mark:
3 for each competency and

an aggregate of 35 out of 70 for all seven general competencies

Weighting: 45 % of the overall mark





VII.   RESERVE LISTS













1.


Candidates placed on the reserve list






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






—


if you have passed tests (a) to (g) with one of the highest aggregate marks in tests (d), (e), (f) and (g) (see number of successful candidates sought, Section I.1) (9),










—



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














2.


Classification






A list will be drawn up for each profile, with names listed in alphabetical order.




VIII.   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): 13 May 2014 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.










2.


Submission of application files







If you are invited to the assessment centre, you must bring your full application file (signed online application form and supporting documents) with you when you attend (10).

Details: see point 2.1.7 of the General Rules governing 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)  See the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) — required level: language 1 = C1, language 2 = B2 (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Downloads/CEF/LanguageSelfAssessmentGrid.csp).

(3)  This is the threshold referred to in the second paragraph of Section IV.

(4)  Candidates who are not invited to the assessment centre will be sent the results of their assessment and the weighting applied by the selection board to each question.

(5)  The information given will be verified against the supporting documents before the reserve list is drawn up (see Sections VII.1 and VIII.2).

(6)  Where a number of candidates tie for the last available place, they will all be invited to the assessment centre.

(7)  For organisational reasons, the reasoning ability tests may be held in test centres in the Member States, separately from the other assessment centre tests.

(8)  More information on these competencies can be found in point 1.2 of the General Rules governing open competitions.

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

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


ANNEX

Profile 1 — Digital monitoring officers and open source intelligence specialists (AST 3)

1.   Duties

The EUSITROOM (EU Situation Room) monitors and evaluates the international situation and worldwide political conflicts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with the focus on sensitive countries/regions, terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, etc.
The EUSITROOM assists the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy/Vice President of the Commission, and the EEAS together with its network of delegations across the world in carrying out risk analysis, crisis and conflict prevention, and the adoption of rapid response measures required for stabilisation and peace in conflict regions and countries.
The EUSITROOM employs a process of collecting, organising and analysing intelligence on the basis of open sources. This involves carrying out research and investigations, and drafting situation and scenario reports or analyses to assist decision-making by the EEAS’s senior management.
If recruited, you may be required to work day or night shifts, as well as at weekends and on public holidays.
Anyone who applies accepts that they may have to undergo additional selection tests to prove their technical competence as well as security checks to obtain authorisation to produce and receive classified documents that may be required by the EEAS, depending on the reserve list drawn up by the selection board.
2.   Qualifications/diplomas and professional experience

Post-secondary education attested by a diploma relevant to the nature of the duties (including diplomas awarded by a police academy or military school) or professional training of an equivalent level, followed by at least 3 years’ professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties.

OR

Secondary education attested by a diploma or professional training of an equivalent level, followed by at least 6 years’ professional experience in a state body operating in the security field, such as an intelligence service (civil or military), interior ministry, police or paramilitary force, the armed forces or a diplomatic service.
OR
At least 10 years' professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties.
3.   Selection criteria


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







1.


Professional experience in a state monitoring centre (e.g. in a foreign affairs, defence or interior ministry, information and/or intelligence agency) or similar state body. Alternatively, professional experience in a monitoring centre of an international organisation, private body or NGO.










2.


Professional experience, in a security context, of processing sources in real time (audiovisual, press agencies, social networks) requiring rapid reaction.










3.


Professional experience of taking swift decisions in high-risk contexts.










4.


Professional experience, in a security context, of working in an environment that involves processing a very large volume of information and sources.










5.


Professional experience of managing and resolving incidents relating to information, buildings, and staff.










6.


Professional experience of coordinating crisis management at international and/or national level.










7.


Professional experience, in a security context, of risk analysis, information retrieval or investigation.










8.


Professional experience of working in multicultural teams in the field of security.










9.


Professional experience of flexible working hours (24/7 service).










10.


Professional experience of using databases and other IT tools such as: Lexis Nexis, Oxford Analytica, Jane’s, STRATFOR, Control Risk Group, etc., or professional experience of using open sources (including data-mining software in the field of OSINT — Open Source Intelligence) and social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, etc.).










11.


Professional experience in external theatres of operations, missions abroad, in particular in high-risk zones.





Profile 2 — Prevention and surveillance coordinators (AST 3)

1.   Duties

You will be tasked with assisting an administrator as part of a team of prevention and surveillance staff responsible for receiving and providing information to MEPs, EU officials and visitors, ensuring security instructions are strictly observed, protecting persons and property, and monitoring the performance of private security companies. These activities are performed at the access points to buildings and sites occupied by the institution.
Working under the authority of the official responsible and on the basis of general instructions and decisions adopted by the institution, the coordinator will be involved in organising, motivating and supervising the teams responsible for security duties (prevention, surveillance, guard duty, etc.) and in managing the complex duties of reception, management and application of instructions in these areas.
The duties will involve the following:






—


taking any initiatives necessary to ensure uninterrupted professional and courteous service, in line with the institution’s expectations,










—


helping to manage and motivate the prevention and surveillance teams and develop their skills, under the responsibility of an administrator and in collaboration with human resources specialists. In particular, this will involve developing their sense of responsibility and motivation using the best team management techniques in a complex multicultural environment,










—


ensuring good communication and coordination between these activities and the other facets of security (internal security, technical security, accreditation and risk management) and with outside services (protocol, visits, etc.),










—


ensuring that instructions are fully understood and properly applied by all the staff assigned to prevention and surveillance duties, handling any incidents in line with instructions received using common sense and judgement, taking all appropriate steps to ensure the institution’s security and business continuity, helping to draw up, communicate and monitor clear, relevant instructions,










—


ensuring, on a rota basis as part of a team, either the running of the central security coordination centre 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or ensuring general coordination of the surveillance, prevention and security arrangements for one or more buildings, or checking that the technical security systems are working properly, in particular the remote management system, and monitoring the technical information sheets for buildings,










—


anticipating and adapting service levels and instructions in line with the institution’s activities and on the basis of risk analyses carried out by the departments responsible, proposing solutions in line with the level of risk identified and putting in place effective technical and human arrangements,










—


contributing to inquiries launched following incidents such as thefts, losses, violence or incidents resulting in impairments or damage of any kind,










—


drafting daily follow-up reports on events, anomalies and the checks carried out during performance of services,










—


ensuring that proper performance of contracts is monitored, in particular by checking the quality and conformity of services performed, for all the services defined in the specifications, including as regards staff numbers.




The staff assigned to these duties may be required to work day and night shifts, as well as at weekends and on public holidays, at the various sites occupied by the institution (Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg).
The emphasis is on candidates’ ability to grasp varied and often complex problems, to react swiftly, efficiently and calmly regardless of the circumstances and to communicate effectively. They must be capable of regular intensive work, either individually or in a team.
2.   Qualifications/diplomas and professional experience

Post-secondary education attested by a diploma relevant to the nature of the duties or professional training of an equivalent level, followed by at least 3 years’ professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties.

OR

Secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to higher education or professional training of an equivalent level, followed by at least 6 years’ professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties.

OR

At least 10 years' professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties.
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 running a coordination/control centre or a contract in the field of prevention, security or guard services, including monitoring technical installations.










2.


Professional experience of managing a team in the field of prevention and surveillance, including allocating and coordinating tasks, monitoring performance, motivating staff, continuous training.










3.


Professional experience of drawing up, disseminating, monitoring and implementing security, prevention and surveillance instructions.










4.


Professional experience of coordinating between outside services (protocol, visits, etc.) and internal services in areas relating to prevention, surveillance and security.










5.


Professional experience of managing and resolving security incidents, including conflict management, knowledge of the standard courses of action when faced with situations posing a potential or real danger (threats, aggressive behaviour, suspicious packages, fire alarm, etc.).










6.


Professional experience of flexible working hours (24/7 service).










7.


Professional experience of operational management and administrative follow-up of services provided under a guard service contract (checks, reports, etc.).










8.


Professional experience of working in multicultural and multilingual teams in a European or international body, including managing such teams.










9.


Professional experience of dealing with the general public.