Notice of open competition — EPSO/AST/135/15 — Heads of Administration (AST 4) in EU Delegations
Date: 2015-04-09
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, Union delegation, competition (EU)








CA2015114EN.01000101.xml










9.4.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 114/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AST/135/15 — HEADS OF ADMINISTRATION (AST 4) IN EU DELEGATIONS
(2015/C 114 A/01)


Deadline for registration: 12 May 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time


The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on qualifications and tests, to draw up a reserve list of 
30 successful candidates
 from which the European External Action Service will recruit new members of the civil service as ‘
Heads of Administration’
 (function group AST).
This Notice of Competition, together with 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?

Heads of Administration assist Heads of EU Delegations in fulfilling their mandate as regards the day-to-day running of the Delegation in accordance with existing rules and regulations.
Amongst others, the Heads of Administration coordinate the work of the administration section and are responsible for different fields:






1.


Human resources and safety management;










2.


Financial management and implementation of the Delegation’s budget;










3.


Management of the logistics, purchasing and premises of the Delegation.




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 or French; 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 & work experience








—




Post-secondary education
 attested by a diploma in business administration, human resources management, finance or accounting, followed by 
at least six years’ professional experience
 mostly related to the duties as described in this notice;

or











—




Secondary education
 attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education followed by 
at least nine years’ professional experience
 mostly related to the duties as described in this notice.





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)




Please see ANNEX II for additional information on languages in EU competitions.

HOW WILL I BE SELECTED?

1)   Computer-based multiple-choice question (MCQ) tests

If the number of candidates 
exceeds a certain threshold
, defined by EPSO acting as Appointing Authority, all candidates who validated their application form by the deadline will be invited to sit a series of computer-based multiple-choice tests in one of EPSO’s accredited centres.
If the number of candidates 
is below the threshold
, these tests will be held at the Assessment Centre (point 3) instead.
The computer-based MCQ tests will be organised as follows:










Tests




Language




Questions




Duration




Pass mark





Verbal reasoning


Language 1


20 questions


35 min


10/20




Numerical reasoning


Language 1


10 questions


20 min


Numerical + abstract combined: 10/20




Abstract reasoning


Language 1


10 questions


10 min




These tests are eliminatory and do not count towards the other tests held at the Assessment Centre.
2)   Selection based on qualifications

First, the eligibility requirements will be checked on the basis of the data provided in the candidates' online application. There are two possible scenarios:






—


if the computer-based MCQ tests 
are organised upfront,
 the files of the candidates will be checked for eligibility in descending order of the marks obtained until the number of eligible candidates reaches the threshold mentioned in point 1. The other files will not be checked,










—


if the computer-based MCQ tests 
are not organised upfront
, the files of all candidates will be checked for eligibility.




Second, 
only for the eligible candidates
 selected as described above; the selection based on qualifications will be carried out using the information provided by the candidates in the application form’s Talent Screener tab. The selection board will assign each 
selection criterion
 a weighting that reflects its relative importance (1 to 3) and each of the candidate’s responses will be awarded between 0 and 4 points.
The selection board will then multiply the points by the weighting for each criterion and add these to identify those whose profile best match the duties to be performed.
Please see ANNEX III for the list of criteria.
3)   Assessment Centre



A maximum of three times
 the number of successful candidates sought will be invited to this phase. If you scored one of the 
highest total marks
 at the selection based on qualifications, you will be invited to attend an Assessment Centre for 1 or 2 days, most probably in 
Brussels
, where you will take tests held in your 
language 2
.
If the computer-based multiple-choice tests described in point 1 were 
not organised upfront
, you will sit them at the Assessment Centre.
Seven general competencies and the specific competencies required for this competition will be tested at the Assessment Centre through 
four tests
 (general and specific competency-based interviews, group exercise and case study) as described in the following matrices:








Competency




Tests











1.


Analysis and problem-solving






Group exercise


Case study










2.


Communicating






Case study


General competency-based interview










3.


Delivering quality and results






Case study


General competency-based interview










4.


Learning and development






Group exercise


General competency-based interview










5.


Prioritising and organising






Group exercise


Case study










6.


Resilience






Group exercise


General competency-based interview










7.


Working with others






Group exercise


General competency-based interview




Pass marks


3/10 per competency and 35/70 in total




Weighting of the general competencies


45 % of the overall mark














Competency




Test





Field-specific competencies


Specific competency-based interview




Pass mark


50/100




Weighting of the specific competencies


55 % 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 before:


12 May 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.




ANNEX I

DUTIES

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is looking for experienced, multi-talented and highly-motivated staff to work in Delegations of the European Union as Heads of Administration, with potential training pre-assignments to the support services at EEAS Headquarters.
EEAS officials will in the course of their career alternate between different geographic regions and headquarters and/or job functions in line with the EEAS Council Decision providing that members of the staff of the EEAS should be subject to a high degree of mobility (The full text concerning EEAS Council Decision can be found in Official Journal L 201 of 3.8.2010: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2010.201.01.0030.01.ENG).
The EU Delegations are placed under the authority of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who is also a Vice President of the European Commission.
The Head of Administration assists the Head of an EU Delegation in fulfilling his/her mandate as regards the day to day running of the Delegation in accordance with existing rules and regulations, in particular as regards the proper management of administrative budget, human resources, logistics, safety and security of the Delegation.
Under the supervision of the Head of Delegation, the Head of Administration coordinates the work of the Administration Section. Together, they are responsible of the overall administrative and financial implementation of the Delegation’s budget, including procurement procedures, dealing with staff matters (expatriate and local), the Delegation premises, the EU Ambassador's Residence and the accommodation of expatriate staff. They are in charge of logistics, supplies and services and ensure the security and safety of the staff. The Head of Administration works together with the Delegation’s management team to ensure the smooth running of the Delegation.
The duties include:






—



Budget and Finance: Preparation of budget estimates for the Delegation's annual operating budget; follow-up, adjustment and verification of the execution of the authorised budget; accountancy; verification of compliance with the Financial Regulation and other legal and regulatory requirements; treasury matters in agreement with the Authorising Officers.










—



Human Resources: Monitoring of resource needs, application of the correct selection and/or recruitment procedures for local and expatriate staff in coordination with the responsible managers, calculation and local payment of salaries including benefits, establishment of staff reports, promotion exercises and training needs.










—



Logistics support: Control of the physical assets of the Delegation (offices, residence, accommodations, motor vehicles, furniture, office and housing equipment, IT equipment, etc.); administration of the Delegation’s security infrastructure, supervision of the implementation of security contracts (in coordination together with the Delegation’s Security Coordinator); organisation of procurement procedures.










—



General Administration: Effective planning and coordination of activities including the day-to-day running of the administration section, preparation of reports, administration of leave and mission planning for all Delegation staff; supervision of IT and other technical and support staff; handling of sensitive or classified information and documents for transmission including maintenance of equipment used and supervision of proper handling of diplomatic bags.










—



Representation and Negotiation: On behalf of the Head of Delegation, attendance at meetings with the authorities of the host country, public and private organisations and other diplomatic missions; in particular, attendance and chairing of meetings of local EU diplomatic missions on administrative, consular or Schengen matters; proper drafting and follow-up of communications with local authorities on administrative matters for the Delegation and diplomatic staff.




Anyone who applies accepts that he/she will be required to undergo security vetting through his/her Member State if he/she does not already hold security clearance to an appropriate level, in accordance with the relevant security provisions.

The applicant agrees, by validating the application form, to accept the obligation to serve in a delegation of the European Union.


Those recruited must be willing to accept a first posting in a delegation in a country where living and security conditions can be difficult.


The delegations are located in countries where the following languages are the most widely spoken: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

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



ANNEX II

LANGUAGES

The EEAS is a multilingual institution and the language rules under which it operates are defined in the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The language options for the assessment centre tests reflect the needs of the service and in particular the language coverage requirements of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). English and French are the working CFSP languages used in the External Relations context. A good command of English or French (including drafting capacity) is therefore essential to ensure effective collaboration and information exchange internally and with the authorities from Member States and non-EU countries.
Because of the specific nature of this competition, candidates’ general and field-specific competencies will be assessed in English or French (language 2 of the competition). This is by way of an exception to the language options that normally apply to the Assessment Centre (English, French, or German). Because of the constraints on the work of Heads of Administration in EU Delegations, it is reasonable to allow candidates to take the general competency tests in English or French, as this offers a better guarantee that the candidates recruited will be of the highest calibre in terms of ability and efficiency in that language.
End of ANNEX II, click here to return to main text



ANNEX III

SELECTION CRITERIA


The selection board considers the following criteria for the selection based on qualifications:







1.


Professional experience of at least 2 years in the day-to-day administration of resources, in addition to that required to access the competition;










2.


Professional experience in the supervision of team members either in a diplomatic/consular or NGO context or in an international organisation;










3.


Professional experience of at least 1 year working in administration in a multicultural environment in an non-EU country;










4.


Professional experience in setting-up a team or an office in a country or in handling a considerable change of set-up in that country under difficult circumstances;










5.


Professional experience in the execution of an annual operating budget, including the preparation, adjustment or monitoring of its execution;










6.


Professional experience in the follow-up, adjustment or verification of the execution of a pre-established and authorised budget;










7.


Professional experience in managing real estate including the organisation of maintenance works in the building sector (electrics, sanitation and plumbing, housing and office structures, etc.);










8.


Professional experience in managing logistics in general, infrastructure, equipment or supplies including the organisation of the maintenance and repair of housing equipment (generators, inverters, air conditioners, etc.) or office equipment (scanners, copiers, PABX, shredders, security installations, etc.) as well as the management of supplies (consumables, office supplies, spare parts, etc.);










9.


Professional experience in handling tender procedures, or in the preparation and implementation of contracts;










10.


Diploma or professional experience in public procurement;










11.


Professional experience in negotiations;










12.


Proven knowledge of one or more of the following languages (different from your Language 1 or 2): English, French, Portuguese or Spanish (minimum level required: B2 of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr)).




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