Vacancy notice CONS/AD/103
Date: 2014-05-20
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Council of the European Union, administrator, job vacancy, legal profession








CA2014152EN.01000101.xml










20.5.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 152/1





Vacancy notice CONS/AD/103
(2014/C 152 A/01)






Department


Legal Service, Directorate 4, INSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS/BUDGET/STAFF REGULATIONS/LITIGATION




Place of work


Brussels




Title of post



Director





Function group and grade


AD 14




Security clearance required


SECRET UE





DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS




12 JUNE 2014






WHO WE ARE

The Legal Service is the Council's legal advisor, assisting the Council and its preparatory bodies, the Presidency and the General Secretariat, in order to ensure the legality and the drafting quality of Council acts. It contributes, by taking a creative approach where appropriate, to identifying legally correct and politically acceptable solutions, in cooperation with other Council departments. The Legal Service also represents the Council in proceedings before the courts of the Union. The constant objective of the Legal Service is to provide timely contributions which are distinguished by their full respect for the law, their impartiality and their clarity.

WHAT WE PROPOSE

The opportunity to manage a Directorate in the Council’s Legal Service. We are seeking a lawyer with a good knowledge of, and practical experience in, the areas covered by the Directorate, which include: issues linked to the EU budget, matters relating to the Staff Regulations, including complaints lodged by officials and other staff of the Council, issues concerning the Court of Justice, general institutional matters and issues concerning document access. The Directorate also provides legal advice to the General Secretariat in connection with public procurement. He or she will be required to assist the Council and its preparatory bodies in those areas and to defend the Council before the Union courts.

PURPOSE OF POST

Under the authority of the Director-General, manage the Directorate and advise in the areas within its remit. Provide legal advice at high level, in written or oral form, in the areas within the Directorate’s remit.

TASKS







—


Under the authority of the Director-General, manage the department and organise its activities, and support and motivate staff in their work










—


Provide, on his or her own initiative or upon request, advice and written or oral opinions at high level on legal and institutional questions to the Council, Coreper or other preparatory bodies, as well as to the Secretary-General of the Council










—


Advise the Presidency and/or the GSC on legal aspects of dossiers in order to contribute to finding solutions which are legally correct and acceptable to the body concerned and conduct specialised high-level studies in the areas within the Directorate’s remit










—


Represent his or her department at Director level both within the GSC and externally, in particular in its relations with the Presidency, and in its relations with the other institutions










—


Ensure the quality of services and outcomes in the Directorate










—


Ensure the professional management of the Directorate's resources










—


Ensure effective communication and cooperation both within the Directorate and with the other Directorates, as well as with other GSC departments










—


Monitor the proceedings of the Council, Coreper and, if necessary, other preparatory bodies, take part in meetings and, where appropriate, in briefings and/or negotiations with a view to reaching compromises and finding solutions










—


Assist and represent the European Council or the Council in legal disputes and, where appropriate, represent them in cases before the Union’s courts





SKILLS REQUIRED







—


ENGLISH










—


FRENCH










—


Have a good knowledge of French and English and be able to communicate and draft documents in both those languages; knowledge of other official languages of the EU would be appreciated










—


Extensive knowledge of EU law










—


Extensive knowledge of the workings and procedures of the EU










—


Knowledge relating to the field of work is a key skill for the job





Performing tasks and achieving results


Personal qualities







—


Take appropriate action on one’s own initiative










—


Have a sense of creativity










—


Be able to work in an international and multicultural environment





Interpersonal skills







—


Ability to demonstrate diplomacy and communication skills










—


The general skill ‘Interpersonal communication’ is a key skill for the job










—


Ability to maintain good working relationships with a range of interlocutors





Management competencies







—


Management of work and resources, organisational awareness, decision-making, leadership, staff development





CONDITIONS FOR ADMISSION

Applicants must:






—


be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union;










—


enjoy their full rights as citizens;










—


have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;










—


meet the character requirements for the duties involved;










—


have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma in law when the normal duration of such studies is four years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma in law and appropriate experience of at least one year when the normal duration of such studies is at least three years;










—


have at least 15 years' professional experience relevant to the post being applied for, at least five years of which must have been spent in charge of a large administrative entity, and have effectively exercised management and organisational responsibilities.




Applicants must fulfil all the conditions for admission at the time of applying.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The selection procedure is conducted in accordance with Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (1). In order to assist the Appointing Authority in its choice, an advisory selection board will be set up with instructions to draw up a list of the best candidates. That board will initially examine the qualifications and experience of the applicants, and the applicants selected will be invited to attend an interview. The advisory selection board will be assisted in its tasks by an assessment centre.

APPLICATION

The closing date for applications is 12 June 2014.
Applications should be sent by e-mail to service.recrutement.consad103@consilium.europa.eu no later than the closing date.
In order to be valid, applications must include:






a)


the application form (Annex III) duly completed, dated and signed;










b)


a letter of motivation accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae, in English or French, preferably in the Europass format (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu), covering the applicant's entire career, listing, inter alia, the applicant's qualifications, language knowledge, experience, and current duties; and










c)


photocopies of documents and certificates relating to professional experience. Supporting documents relating to professional experience must come from a third party and it is not sufficient simply to send the CV mentioned in (b).




Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide the originals of the aforementioned documents.

N.B.

This post requires security clearance allowing access to classified documents (SECRET UE/EU SECRET level). Already having such clearance would be an advantage. Otherwise, those applying for the post will be understood to be prepared to undergo security screening under Council Decision 2013/488/EU (2).

REEXAMINATION OF APPLICATIONS

The procedures relating to requests for review, appeals and referral to the European Ombudsman are set out in Annex I to this vacancy notice.

DATA PROTECTION

The rules governing the processing of personal data in connection with this selection procedure are set out in Annex II to this notice.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The European institutions apply an equal opportunities policy and accept applications without discrimination as to sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origins, genetic characteristics, language, religion or beliefs, political or any other opinions, membership of a national minority, wealth, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Given the low representation of women at the higher management levels, the General Secretariat of the Council would particularly welcome applications from female candidates for this position.


(1)  Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, laid down by Council Regulation (EEC, EURATOM, ECSC) No 259/68 and last amended by Regulation (EU) No 1023/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 -http://eur-lex.europa.eu

(2)  OJ L 274, 15.10.2013, p. 1.


Annex I
REQUEST FOR REVIEW — APPEALS PROCEDURES
COMPLAINTS TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN
If, at any stage of the selection procedure, you consider that a decision adversely affects you, you may use the following means:






—



Request for review of the decisions taken by the Advisory Selection Committee

Within ten days of the date of the letter notifying you of a decision taken by the Advisory Selection Committee, you may submit a written request for a review of such a decision, setting out the reasons for your request, to:





Council of the European Union




Recruitment Service




Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175




B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË




e-mail address: service.recrutement.consad103@consilium.europa.eu














—



Appeals







—


You may lodge a complaint with the Appointing Authority concerning a negative reply to your request for review or any other act adversely affecting you, under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union, within the time limits provided for, to:





Council of the European Union




Advisers Unit, DGA 1B




Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175




B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË














—


You may bring a case before the European Union Civil Service Tribunal under Article 91 of the Staff Regulations if the complaint referred to above has been rejected.














—



Complaints to the European Ombudsman

Like any other citizen of the Union, you may lodge a complaint with:





The European Ombudsman




1, avenue du Président Robert Schuman — BP 403




F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex




under Article 228(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Decision of the European Parliament of 9 March 1994 on the regulations and general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman's duties published in Official Journal of the European Communities No L 133 of 4 May 1994.
You should note that complaints lodged with the European Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the period of time laid down in Article 90(2) and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations for the lodging of complaints or appeals with the European Union Civil Service Tribunal under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.







Annex II
DATA PROTECTION
As the institution responsible for organising the selection procedure, the General Secretariat of the Council ensures that applicants' personal data are processed in accordance with 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 institutions and bodies of the European Union and on the free movement of such data.
The legal basis for the selection procedure is the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and the Council Decision of 23 September 2013 on the security rules for protecting EU classified information (2013/488/EU). The selection procedure is conducted under the responsibility of the Human Resources Directorate (DG A I A), Staffing and Mobility Unit, and the controller is the head of that unit. The information provided by the applicants will be accessible to members of the Recruitment Service and their superiors, to members of the Advisory Selection Committee, and, if necessary, to the legal advisers' unit. Administrative information identifying the candidate and/or the practical organisation of the procedure may be forwarded to an assessment centre.
The purpose of the processing operation is to collect data identifying all the applicants for a post with the Secretariat General of the Council and to select one of those applicants.
The data in question are:






—


personal data which make it possible to identify the applicants (surname, first name, date of birth, sex, nationality);










—


information supplied by the applicants to facilitate the practical organisation of the procedure (postal address, e-mail address, telephone number);










—


information supplied by the applicants to make it possible to assess whether they meet the admission conditions laid down in the notice of vacancy (nationality; languages; applicants' qualifications and the year they were awarded, type of diploma/degree, name of awarding institution; professional experience);










—


where applicable, information on the type and duration of applicants' security clearance;










—


the results of the selection tests taken by the applicants, including the evaluations drawn up by the assessment centre's advisers on behalf of the selection board.




The processing begins on the date of receipt of the application. Applications are filed and stored in archives for two years.
All applicants may exercise their right of access to and right to rectify personal data. Substantiated requests should be e-mailed to the Recruitment Service at service.recrutement@consilium.europa.eu.
Applicants may have recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor (edps@edps.europa.eu).



Annex III