Notice of open competition — EPSO/AD/302/15 — Administrators in the field of audit (AD 5)
Date: 2015-03-26
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, administrator, audit, competition (EU)








CA2015099EN.01000101.xml










26.3.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 99/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AD/302/15 — ADMINISTRATORS IN THE FIELD OF AUDIT (AD 5)
(2015/C 099 A/01)

Deadline for registration: 28 April 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on tests, to draw up a reserve list of 
80 successful candidates
 from which the institutions of the European Union (EU) in Luxembourg, primarily the European Court of Auditors, will recruit new members of the civil service as 
administrators
 (function group AD).
This Notice of Competition, and the General Rules governing Open Competitions published in 
Official Journal of the European Union C 70 A of 27 February 2015
 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2015:070A:TOC), form the legally binding framework for this selection procedure.

WHAT TASKS CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM?


AD 5 is the grade at which most 
graduates and young professionals
 begin their careers as administrators in the EU institutions. Their general role is to support their immediate superiors and management in fulfilling the mission of their institution.
The auditors of the EU institutions are in charge of financial, performance and internal audits. They also provide assurance and advisory services in all operational fields of the EU and as such can operate in various countries or international organisations.
The nature of the duties requires a wide range of knowledge in fields such as law, accountancy, public administration, finance and economics, project management in the EU’s various areas of competence, IT, audit and assessment techniques.
Please see ANNEX I for more information about the typical duties to be performed.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

You must meet ALL of the following conditions when you validate your application:






General conditions








—


Enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State of the EU










—


Meet any obligations under national laws on military service










—


Meet the character requirements for the duties concerned








Specific conditions: languages








—


Language 1: minimum level — C1 in one of the 24 official EU languages










—


Language 2: minimum level — B2 in English, French or German; must be different from language 1





For details on language levels, see the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr)




Specific conditions: qualifications and work experience








—




At least 3 years’
 completed university studies relevant to the duties and attested by a diploma (must be awarded by 31 July 2015 at the latest)


or












—


Professional training/a professional qualification of an equivalent level to the studies mentioned above, relevant to the duties and attested by a diploma (must be awarded by 31 July 2015 at the latest)





For details on diplomas, see Annex I to General Rules governing Open Competitions (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:2015:070A:TOC)






—


No professional experience required








The second language chosen must be 
English, French or German
. These are the main working languages of the EU institutions and, in the interest of the service, new recruits must be immediately able to work and communicate effectively in their daily work in at least one of them.
Please see ANNEX II for additional information on languages in EU competitions.

HOW WILL I BE SELECTED?

1)   
Pre-selection: computer-based multiple choice tests


If you validate your application form within the deadline you will be invited to sit a series of computer-based multiple choice tests in one of EPSO’s accredited centres.











Tests






Language






Questions






Duration






Pass mark






Verbal reasoning


Language 1


10 questions


18 min


5/10




Numerical reasoning


Language 1


10 questions


20 min


5/10




Abstract reasoning


Language 1


20 questions


20 min


10/20




Situational judgement


Language 2


20 questions


30 min


24/40




The results of the verbal and numerical reasoning tests 
will not be taken into account
 in the calculation of your total pre-selection mark; however, you must reach the minimum pass marks in all tests in order to be able to qualify for the next stage of the competition.


Approximately 10 times, but no more than 11 times,
 the number of successful candidates sought will be invited to take the intermediate test.
2)   
Intermediate test: the e-tray exercise


If you have passed all the computer-based tests, and have one of the 
highest total marks
 for the abstract reasoning and situational judgment tests, you will be invited to sit the e-tray exercise held in your 
language 2
 in one of EPSO’s accredited centres.
The e-tray exercise comprises 15 to 20 questions and will assess four general competencies as described in the competency matrix below. Each competency will be marked out of 10. You must score one of the 
highest total marks
 for this exercise to qualify for the next stage of the competition.


Approximately 2 times, but no more than 2,5 times,
 the number of successful candidates sought will be invited to take the tests at the Assessment Centre.
3)   
Assessment Centre


If you meet the eligibility requirements according to the data in your online application and if you scored one of the 
highest total marks
 for the e-tray exercise, you will be invited to attend an Assessment Centre for 1 day, most probably in 
Luxembourg
 where you will take tests held in your 
language 2.


Eight general competencies and the specific competencies required for this competition will be tested at the Assessment Centre through 
four tests
 (case study, oral presentation, competency-based interview and group exercise). The marks scored in the tests evaluating the general competencies will be combined with those already scored for the e-tray exercise to give an overall score out of 80, as described in the following matrix:









Competency






Tests












1.


Analysis and problem-solving






Oral presentation


e-tray










2.


Communicating






Oral presentation


Case study










3.


Delivering quality and results






Case study


e-tray










4.


Learning and development






Group exercise


Competency-based interview










5.


Prioritising and organising






Group exercise


e-tray










6.


Resilience






Oral presentation


Competency-based interview










7.


Working with others






Group exercise


e-tray










8.


Leadership






Group exercise


Competency-based interview




Pass marks


3/10 per competency and 50/80 in total




Weighting of the general competencies


75 % of the overall mark















Competency






Test






Field-specific competencies


Case study




Pass mark


10/20




Weighting of the specific competencies


25 % of the overall mark




4)   
Reserve list


After checking candidates’ supporting documents, the selection board will draw up a 
reserve list
 of the eligible candidates who have obtained the highest marks following the Assessment Centre until the number of successful candidates sought is reached. Names will be listed alphabetically.

WHEN AND WHERE CAN I APPLY?

Apply online on the EPSO website http://jobs.eu-careers.eu by:


28 April 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.




ANNEX I

DUTIES

The general role of administrators in the field of audit is to support their immediate superiors and management in fulfilling the mission of their institution.
They often work in areas such as financial, performance and internal audit. They also provide assurance and advisory services in all operational fields of the EU with the aim of improving governance and management. This might involve operations in all the Member States of the EU and also non-EU countries or other international organisations. This requires them to be ready to travel, sometimes frequently, for short periods of time.
They must be prepared to work in multinational and multicultural teams and be willing to update their professional knowledge constantly by means of the training they are offered.
The nature of the duties requires a wide range of knowledge in fields such as law, accountancy, public administration, finance and economics, project management in the EU’s various areas of competence, IT, audit and assessment techniques.
A career in the institutions offers constant opportunities for training and internal mobility.
The main tasks of administrators in the field of audit are:






—


external audit, financial audit, compliance audit, and auditing of sound financial management, including planning, implementation and reporting;










—


documentary and on-the-spot checks and controls, analysis, assessment and improvement of audit systems and project and programme management;










—


internal audit, methodological support, advice and training;










—


inter-service coordination and consultation on audit issues;










—


drafting of opinions, advice or recommendations in fields related to their institution’s mission.




End of ANNEX I, click here to return to main text



ANNEX II

LANGUAGES

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 wish to state the reasons for limiting the choice of the second language in this competition to a small number of official EU languages.
Candidates are informed that 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 EU and the most widely studied as a second language. This confirms what is currently expected of candidates for EU 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 and needs 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.
End of ANNEX II, click here to return to main text