Notice of open competitions — EPSO/AD/310/15 — 1. Curator (AD 7) — 2. Museum educator (AD 7) — 3. Conservator — conservation and collection manager (AD 7) — EPSO/AST/136/15 — 1. Assistant curator (AST 3) — 2. Conservation and collection management assistant (AST 3)
Date: 2015-06-18
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, administrator, artistic profession, assistant, competition (EU)








CA2015201EN.01000101.xml










18.6.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 201/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITIONS
EPSO/AD/310/15






1.


Curator (AD 7)










2.


Museum educator (AD 7)










3.


Conservator — conservation and collection manager (AD 7)




EPSO/AST/136/15






1.


Assistant curator (AST 3)










2.


Conservation and collection management assistant (AST 3)




(2015/C 201 A/01)


Deadline for registration: 23 July 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time


The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising open competitions, based on qualifications and tests, to draw up reserve lists from which the European Parliament will recruit new members of the civil service as ‘administrators’ and ‘assistants’ (function groups AD and AST, respectively) for the House of European History.

Number of successful candidates sought per competition and profile:


Curator (AD 7): 20


Museum educator (AD 7): 15


Conservator (conservation and collection manager) (AD 7): 5


Assistant curator (AST 3): 10


Conservation and collection management assistant (AST 3): 5

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), forms the legally binding framework for these selection procedures.
This notice covers two competitions each with several profiles. You may only apply to one profile per competition. You must make your choice when you apply online and you will not be able to change it after you have validated your online application form.

WHAT TASKS CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM?

Curators will be responsible for the development of museum exhibitions, notably for temporary and travelling exhibitions, updating the permanent exhibition, researching content and objects, enriching the museum collection and drafting related publications. They will also represent the House of European History (HEH) to outside stakeholders. Assistant curators will help the curator(s) with certain tasks mentioned above.
Museum educators will be responsible for developing and implementing the learning strategy and programmes related to the exhibitions. They will be responsible for providing attractive and diverse learning offers for all target audiences. They will also liaise with schools and carry out workshops.
Conservators will be responsible for preserving the HEH collection and objects on loan: they will take care of the monitoring of storage and of the exhibition environment, maintain conservation records, examine the condition of objects, propose conservation and restoration measures and estimate their costs. They will also oversee contracts with outside providers. Assistant conservators will help the conservator(s) with certain tasks related to collection preservation mentioned above.
Please see ANNEX I for more information about the typical duties to be performed per competition and profile.

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 of 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








—


See ANNEX II for the specific qualifications and work experience sought per competition and profile










—



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)








The second language chosen must be 
English, French, or German
. These are the main working languages of the EU institutions and, in the interests 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 III 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 per competition and profile 
exceeds a certain threshold
, set 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 MCQ 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:










Test




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 2 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 II for the list of criteria per competition and profile.
3)   
Assessment Centre



A

maximum of 3 times
 the number of successful candidates sought per competition and profile 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 MCQ tests described in point 1 were 
not organised upfront
, you will sit them at the Assessment Centre.
Seven general competencies for the AST competition and eight general competencies for the AD competition, as well as the specific competencies required for each competition and profile, 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






Case study


Group Exercise










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






Case study


Group Exercise










6.


Resilience






Group Exercise


General competency-based interview










7.


Working with others






Group Exercise


General competency-based interview










8.


Leadership (only evaluated for AD-level competition)






Group Exercise


General competency-based interview




Pass marks AST-level


3/10 per competency and 35/70 in total




Pass marks AD-level:


3/10 per competency and 40/80 in total




Weighting of the general competencies


45 % of the overall mark















Competency






Test






Field-specific competencies


Specific competency-based interview




Pass mark (AST and AD-levels)


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
 per competition and profile of the eligible candidates who 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:


23 July 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.




ANNEX I

DUTIES


EPSO/AD/310/15

1.   Curator (AD 7)

The curators will be responsible for the development of museum exhibitions, notably for temporary and travelling exhibitions. They will be asked to research the content and the exhibits for these exhibitions, to curate them and to develop them in cooperation with exhibition designers. In parallel, they will be responsible for updating the permanent exhibition and for enriching the museum collection.
Duties will include:






—


Curating temporary and travelling museum exhibitions according to the highest museological standards;










—


Updating and renewing the permanent exhibition;










—


Searching for objects, images, films and other material for display in exhibitions;










—


Researching and enriching parts of the own collection;










—


Drafting exhibition texts and publications both for a wide audience and according to academic standards;










—


Liaising with other museums and with the stakeholders in their field of competence;










—


Representing the House of European History in front of specialised academic and museum audiences;










—


Coordinating a team of assistant curators.




2.   Museum Educator (AD 7)

The educators will work to ensure that different target groups and individual visitors receive the best educational experience from their exhibition visit.
Duties will include:






—


Developing the learning and education strategy and the educational programmes;










—


Organising the implementation of these programmes;










—


Co-developing the educational component of the temporary and travelling exhibitions;










—


Devising educational resources with a view to convey the museum’s content to a range of target groups;










—


Liaising with teachers, schools, colleagues and service providers;










—


Managing various service contracts;










—


Managing a team of educator’s assistants;










—


Being involved in the development of the exhibitions’ content and cooperate within a multidisciplinary team;










—


Carrying out visits and workshops for different target groups;




3.   Conservator — Conservation and collection manager (AD 7)

The conservator will be in charge of preserving the own collection and the objects on loan. Generalist knowledge of conservation techniques on different materials is required.
Duties will include:






—


Managing the museum collection and managing the flow of museum objects;










—


Overseeing the implementation of the HEH’s collection strategy;










—


Preparing decisions on collection-related issues such as acquisitions, open access to collections and questions related to copyrights;










—


Supervising, monitoring and controlling the environment in which the collection will be stored or displayed;










—


Examining the condition of objects;










—


Maintaining full conservation records on the objects’ condition, including visual records;










—


Carrying out preventive conservation measures on objects;










—


Supervising conservation measures carried out by external contractors;










—


Proposing restoration treatments and estimating their cost;










—


Developing and maintaining appropriate standards; keeping up-to-date with the latest collection management, conservation techniques and practices, through research and training;










—


Managing a team of conservator assistants.





EPSO/AST/136/15

1.   Assistant curator (AST 3)

The assistant curators will help the curator(s) responsible in certain areas of the permanent exhibition. In their area of competence, they will be asked to carry out content and object research for the exhibitions and for the museum collection and to support the curation and organisation of temporary and travelling exhibitions.
Duties will include:






—


Supporting the curators in their research on the content and on the collection;










—


Supporting content research;










—


Assisting in the research of objects, images, films and other material for display in exhibitions;










—


Providing organisational support for the development of temporary and travelling exhibitions;










—


Assisting in the drafting of exhibition texts and publications both for a wide audience and according to academic standards;










—


Liaising with other museums and with the stakeholders in their field of competence.




2.   Conservation and collection management assistant (AST 3)

The conservation and collection management assistant will assist the conservation and collection manager with the preservation and management of the own collection and of objects on loan. They will be responsible for object handling, controlling of the condition of objects, conservation measures, object transport and related issues.
Duties will include:






—


Monitoring and controlling the environment in which the collection will be stored or displayed;










—


Examining the condition of objects;










—


Maintaining full conservation records on the objects’ condition, including visual records;










—


Carrying out preventive conservation measures on objects;










—


Supervising conservation measures carried out by external contractors;










—


Proposing restoration treatments and estimating their cost;










—


Handling and overseeing the adequate packing and transportation of incoming and of outgoing objects; examining the condition of objects on loan;










—


Developing and maintaining appropriate standards; keeping up-to-date with the latest conservation techniques and practices, through research and training;










—


Provide assistance with the organisation of object transportation, including courier services.




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



ANNEX II

QUALIFICATIONS, WORK EXPERIENCE AND SELECTION CRITERIA


EPSO/AD/310/15


Curator (AD 7)

1.   Qualifications and work experience



At least 4 years’
 completed university studies attested by a diploma in history, or a similar related field, followed by 
at least 6 years’ professional experience
 in a field related to the profile.
2.   Selection criteria


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







1.


PhD in history or in a similar field relevant to the duties;










2.


Postgraduate training, other than a PhD, in history, museology or in another similar field relevant to the duties;










3.


Professional experience in curating historical exhibitions;










4.


Professional experience in researching content and/or exhibits of different types such as objects, images and/or videos;










5.


Professional experience in researching and/or enriching a museum collection;










6.


Professional experience in drafting texts for a wide public audience, notably exhibition texts, catalogue articles and voice-overs for audio-visuals;










7.


Professional experience in drafting texts according to academic standards;










8.


Professional experience in applying professional standards in the museum field;










9.


Participation in international professional networks and/or in international conferences in fields relevant to the duties;










10.


Professional experience in managing a team;










11.


Professional experience in working in an international and/or interdisciplinary environment;










12.


Professional experience of drafting in English, French or German.





Museum Educator (AD 7)

1.   Qualifications and work experience



At least 4 years’
 completed university studies attested by a diploma in museum education, museology, history or related fields, followed by 
at least 6 years’ professional experience
 in a field related to the profile.
2.   Selection criteria


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







1.


Professional experience in museum programming;










2.


Professional experience in conceiving and/or carrying out educational activities such as workshops and/or guided tours for different target groups;










3.


Professional experience in conceiving the learning component of exhibitions (e.g., hands-on material);










4.


Professional experience in conceiving and/or drafting educational material tailored to the content of the exhibitions and/or to target groups;










5.


Professional experience in conceiving public surveys and/or in evaluating visitor satisfaction surveys;










6.


Professional experience in applying professional standards in the museum field;










7.


Participation in international professional networks and/or in international conferences in fields relevant to the duties;










8.


Professional experience in project management including the management of project teams;










9.


Professional experience in public procurement procedures;










10.


Professional experience in working in an international and/or interdisciplinary environment;










11.


Professional experience of drafting in English, French or German.





Conservator — Conservation and collection manager (AD 7)

1.   Qualifications and work experience



At least 4 years’
 completed university studies attested by a diploma in conservation studies, museology or related fields, followed by 
at least 6 years’
 professional experience in a field related to the profile.
2.   Selection criteria


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







1.


Postgraduate training in conservation, museology or in a field relevant to the duties;










2.


Professional experience in collection and/or object management;










3.


Professional experience in assessing the condition of objects and/or in estimating the necessity and/or cost of restoration measures;










4.


Professional experience in controlling the climatic and lighting conditions of storage, exhibition areas and/or showcases;










5.


Professional experience in handling objects;










6.


Professional experience in working with facility reports;










7.


Professional experience in preventive conservation on a range of objects or materials;










8.


Professional experience in applying professional standards in the museum field;










9.


Participation in international professional networks and/or in international conferences in fields relevant to the duties;










10.


Professional experience in managing a team;










11.


Professional experience in working in an international and/or interdisciplinary environment;










12.


Professional experience of drafting in English, French or German.





EPSO/AST/136/15


Assistant curator (AST 3)

1.   Qualifications and work experience

Post-secondary education attested by a diploma in history or a related field followed by at least 
3 years’ professional experience
 in the field of museum exhibitions.

OR

Secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education followed by at least 
6 years’ professional experience
 in a field related to the profile, of which at 
least 3
 in the field of museum exhibitions.
2.   Selection criteria


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







1.


Postgraduate training in history, museology or in another field relevant to the duties;










2.


Professional experience in the curation of historical exhibitions;










3.


Professional experience in researching content and/or exhibits of different types such as objects, images and/or videos;










4.


Professional experience in drafting texts for a wide public audience, notably exhibition texts, catalogue articles and/or voice-overs for audio-visuals;










5.


Professional experience in applying professional standards in the museum field;










6.


Participation in international professional networks and/or in international conferences in a field relevant to the duties;










7.


Professional experience in working in an international and/or interdisciplinary environment;










8.


Professional experience of drafting in English, French or German.





Conservation and collection management assistant (AST 3)

1.   Qualifications and work experience

Post-secondary education attested by a diploma in conservation followed by at least 
3 years’ professional experience
 in a field related to the profile.

OR

Secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education followed by at least 
6 years’ professional experience
 in a field related to the profile.
2.   Selection criteria


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







1.


Training in conservation techniques on a range of objects or materials;










2.


Professional experience in conservation and/or restoration techniques on a range of objects or materials;










3.


Professional experience in assessing the condition of objects and/or in estimating the necessity and/or cost of restoration measures;










4.


Professional experience in controlling the climatic and lighting conditions of storage, exhibition areas and/or showcases, or professional experience in working with facility reports;










5.


Professional experience in maintaining conservation records on the objects’ condition, including visual records;










6.


Professional experience in preventive conservation on a range of objects or materials;










7.


Professional experience in handling and/or overseeing the adequate packing and transportation of incoming and/or of outgoing objects;










8.


Professional experience in applying professional standards in the museum field;










9.


Participation in international professional networks and/or in international conferences in a field relevant to the duties;










10.


Professional experience of working in an international and/or interdisciplinary environment;










11.


Professional experience of drafting in English, French or German.




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



ANNEX III

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 in particular in the House of European History 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 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 III, click here to return to main text