Vacancy for a Director function (Grade AD 14) of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), Budapest — COM/2015/20008
Date: 2015-07-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Institute of Innovation and Technology, administrator, competition (EU), job vacancy, managing director








CA2015222EN.01000101.xml










7.7.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 222/1





Vacancy for a Director function (Grade AD 14)
of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), Budapest
COM/2015/20008
(2015/C 222 A/01)
 

We are

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) (1) is an EU body which aims to be a flagship for excellence in European innovation. The EIT currently provides grants to five Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) and three more will be set up in 2016 and 2018. The EIT budget between 2014 and 2020 amounts to EUR 2,7 billion and the KICs should leverage additional funding from European Union, national and private sources of more than EUR 7,5 billion.
The EIT is the first European initiative to foster European innovation by fully integrating the three sides of the ‘Knowledge Triangle’ (higher education, research and innovation) in the KICs. Fostering entrepreneurship is a key focus for the EIT and the KICs, as the key driver of innovation and as the ‘glue’ in the Knowledge Triangle. EIT seeks to stand out as a world-class innovation Institute, inspiring and driving change in existing European universities, research institutions and businesses, both new and established, spanning SMEs to large multinationals.
Conceived with a clear market-driven focus, the EIT acts as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth and job creation throughout the Union by generating new skills, products, services and business responding to public demand and to the needs of the knowledge economy. One important objective of the EIT is to act as a role model for promoting new systemic approaches to innovation.
The EIT’s strategic management is coordinated by a Governing Board consisting of recognised European innovation leaders from the knowledge triangle.
The KICs are highly integrated public-private networks of universities, research organisations, entrepreneurs and businesses. Direct involvement of business stakeholders, including SMEs and foundations, in all strategic, operational and financial aspects of the EIT is the cornerstone of the initiative.
The EIT headquarters are in Budapest. For further information please consult the website: http://eit.europa.eu

We propose

The Director is responsible for operations and for the day-to-day management of the EIT and is its legal representative. The Director is accountable to the Governing Board and reports to it on an ongoing basis on the development of the EIT activities. In particular, the Director will:






a)


organise and manage the activities of the EIT;










b)


support the Governing Board and the Executive Committee in their work, provide the secretariat for their meetings and supply all information necessary for the performance of their duties;










c)


prepare a draft Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) for 2017, a preliminary rolling triennial work programme, the draft annual report and the draft annual budget for submission to the Governing Board;










d)


prepare and administer the KICs selection process and ensure that the various stages of that process are carried out in a transparent and objective manner;










e)


prepare, negotiate and conclude contractual agreements with the KICs;










f)


organise the Stakeholder Forum, including the special configuration of Member States’ representatives;










g)


ensure the implementation of effective monitoring and evaluation procedures relating to the performance of the EIT in accordance with the institute’s obligation to ensure that its activities are subject to continuous and systematic monitoring and periodic independent evaluation as described in Article 16 of the EIT Regulation;










h)


be responsible for administrative and financial matters, including the implementation of the EIT budget, taking due account of advice received from the Internal Auditing Function;










i)


be responsible for all staff matters;










j)


submit the draft annual accounts and balance sheet to the Internal Auditing Function, and subsequently to the Governing Board, through the Executive Committee;










k)


ensure that the obligations of the EIT with regard to the contracts and agreements it has concluded are met;










l)


ensure effective communication with the Union’s institutions;










m)


act in the interests of the EIT, safeguarding its goals and mission, identity, autonomy and coherence, in an independent and transparent way.





We are looking for

The ideal candidate should have:






A.


Very good analytical and organisational skills as well as the capacity to develop longer-term strategies, being able to manage a large Institute, both at strategic and at internal management level;










B.


Experience of budgetary, financial and human resources management in a national, European and/or international context;










C.


Excellent written and oral communication skills, including a very good command of English — the working language of EIT — as well as strong negotiation skills. In particular, the ability to communicate to the public and cooperate effectively and efficiently with all stakeholders (European, international, national and local authorities, international organisations, etc.). A good understanding of the EU institutions and how they operate and interact, and of EU policies and international activities of relevance to the activities of the EIT;










D.


The ability to lead and motivate a large team in a European, multicultural and multilingual environment, including the capacity to set and communicate objectives, prioritise tasks and to ensure their execution;










E.


Proven experience in policy and practice relevant to higher education, research, business or innovation and experience of leadership in one of these areas;





Applicants must

Applicants will be considered for the selection phase on the basis of the following formal criteria to be fulfilled by the closing date for applications:






—



Nationality: Be a national of a Member State of the European Union and be entitled to full rights as a citizen (2);










—



University Degree or Diploma: Candidates must have either:






—


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or










—


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years (this one year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below);














—



Professional Experience: Have at least 15 years’ post-graduate experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years must have been acquired in management activities in relation to the domains of the EIT: innovation, research, business and/or higher education;










—



Management Experience: Candidates must prove that at least five years of their experience have been acquired directly managing staff and budgets or working in management structures at a sufficiently high level of responsibility (3);










—



Languages: Have an excellent knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge of a second of these languages.










—



Age Limit: Be able to complete a full four-year-mandate before reaching retirement age. For temporary staff of the European Union, retirement age is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66.





Independence and declaration of interests

The Director will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to declare any interests which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

Selection and appointment

The Director will be appointed by the Governing Board of the EIT on the basis of a list drawn up by the European Commission.
A preselection panel is set up by the European Commission. This panel will invite eligible applicants with the best profile for the specific requirements of the post to an interview, selected on the basis of their merits and the selection criteria set out above. The pre-selection panel will draw up a list of candidates which are proposed for a further interview with the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA).
Candidates called for an interview with the CCA have to participate in an assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants. Candidates who are shortlisted by the CCA will subsequently be interviewed by the responsible Commissioner(s).
Following these interviews, the Commission adopts a list of candidates, which will be communicated to the EIT Governing Board. Inclusion on this list does not guarantee appointment.
Candidates will then be interviewed by the EIT Governing Board. The latter will appoint the Director from among the candidates shortlisted.
For functional reasons, and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of candidates as well as that of the institution, the selection process will be carried out in English.

Equal opportunities

The European Union and EIT apply a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (4).

Conditions of employment

The Director will be appointed as a temporary agent at grade AD 14 pursuant to Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (5) for a four-year period, which may be extended once, as stated in the EIT Regulation.
The place of employment is Budapest (Hungary), where the EIT is based.

Application procedure


Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all the conditions for eligibility, in particular those regarding the required type of diplomas and professional experience.

If you want to apply, you must apply via the internet by going to the website:
https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/human-resources/seniormanagementvacancies/
and follow the instructions there concerning the various stages of the procedure.
You need a valid email address. This will be used to confirm the creation of your account and to keep you informed about the outcome of the selection procedure. Please, inform the European Commission about any change in your email address.
You have to upload a CV (in PDF format) and to enter, online, a motivation letter (maximum 8  000 characters). The CV and the motivation letter should be written in English, French or German.

If you do not receive a registration number, your application has not been registered!

Please note that it is not possible to monitor progress of your application online. You will be contacted directly regarding the status of your application.

If you have a disability that prevents you from registering online, you may submit your application (CV and motivation letter) on paper by registered mail
 (6)
, postmarked no later than the closing date for registration. All subsequent communication between you and the European Commission will be by post. In this case, you must enclose with your CV and motivation letter, a certificate attesting your disability, issued by a recognised body. You should also set out on a separate sheet of paper any special arrangements you think are needed to make it easier for you to take part in the selection process.

If you require additional information or if you encounter technical problems, please send an email to: HR-A2-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 4 September 2015. Online registration will not be possible after 12.00 noon Brussels time.
You have to complete your online registration in time. We strongly advise you not to wait until the last few days before applying, since heavy internet traffic or a fault with your internet connection could lead to the online registration being terminated before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process. Once the deadline for submission of applications has passed, you will not be able to apply. Late registrations via normal email will not be accepted.

Protection of personal data

The European Commission and EIT will ensure that applicants’ personal data are processed as required by 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 Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (7). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.


(1)  Regulation (EC) No 294/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2008 establishing the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (OJ L 97, 9.4.2008, p. 1), amended by Regulation (EU) No 1292/2013.

(2)  Prior to any appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a certificate issued by the competent authority attesting the absence of any criminal record.

(3)  In their CVs applicants should indicate at least for these five years during which high level management experience has been acquired inter alia: (1) title and role of management positions held, (2) numbers of staff overseen in these positions, (3) the size of budgets managed, and (4) numbers of hierarchical layers above and below and number of peers.

(4)  Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, p. 12.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

(5)  Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, p. 187.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

(6)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security, Unit for Executive Staff and CCA Secretariat, COM/2015/20008, SC11 8/30, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgique/België.

(7)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.