Vacancy notice No CdR/AD14/10BIS/2015 concerning a post of Director (M/F) at the Directorate for Communication — Publication under Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations — Simultaneous publication under Article 29(1) of the Staff Regulations
Date: 2015-08-05
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Committee of the Regions, administrator, communications profession, competition (EU), public relations








CA2015256EN.01000101.xml










5.8.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 256/1





VACANCY NOTICE NO CDR/AD14/10BIS/2015
concerning a post of
DIRECTOR (M/F)
at the Directorate for Communication
Publication under Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations
Simultaneous publication under Article 29(1) of the Staff Regulations
(2015/C 256 A/01)
 








1.




Type of post
: Director


Grade
: AD 14




2.   Working environment

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly which allows the views of regional and local authorities to be heard when European Union policies are being devised and legislation drafted. It is an advisory body that was created in 1994. Its consultative role allows its 350 members, and through them the regional and local authorities they represent, to take part in the EU decision-making process.
The Directorate for Communication consists of three units with a total of around 45 officials and other staff members. The main responsibilities include developing concepts and strategies to highlight the results of the CoR's legislative and political activities through various communication tools (media relations, digital communication including web-based communication and social media, conferences and events and publications. The Directorate is articulated as follows:






—


Unit D.1 ‘Press officers and relations with media’: this unit works closely with the two Directorates for Legislative Work and focuses on raising the visibility of the CoR Members’ activities through drafting and publishing press releases, articles, editorials and op-eds and establishing strong relations with press and media,










—


Unit D.2 ‘Events’: this unit organises a wide variety of events and conferences, both in Brussels and at local level, related to the activities of the CoR, with particular focus on its political priorities and its ongoing consultative work. The unit has already developed a strong partnership with local and regional authorities and is increasingly teaming up with the other EU institutions for common events at local level,










—


Unit D.3 ‘Social and digital media, publications’: this unit is in charge of digital communication, via an editorial team which processes and adapts the contents delivered by the other units in this Directorate and by the Members and policy Directorates for web-based communication and social media purposes. Publications on core activities of the CoR are also conceived and produced by this unit.




3.   Brief description of main responsibilities

The Director organises, supervises and monitors the work of the Directorate for Communication under the direct authority of the Secretary-General.
4.   Duties

The duties of the Director consist in particular of:






—


developing and implementing a communication strategy for the institution, aimed at supporting the CoR’s mission to influence EU policies and legislation, articulating the needs and priorities of local and regional authorities and highlighting the work of the CoR Assembly and of its consultative commissions,










—


supporting the President and other CoR political leaders, as well as the Secretary-General in anticipating and reacting to the EU policy agenda as it evolves from week to week, as well as rolling-out communication actions related to the CoR policy areas and their inter-institutional cycle,










—


providing support to the communication activities directly managed by the secretariats of the political groups established within the CoR,










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strengthening the relations with media and boosting the web-based communication and social media activities,










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developing communication actions in partnership with social and economic actors, relevant for CoR key policy areas,










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organising, coordinating, managing and supervising the work of the directorate units,










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contributing to the senior management decision-making, under the lead of the Secretary-General,










—


managing and developing the directorate’s human resources,










—


planning, managing and reporting on the financial resources attributed to the directorate, including reliable project budgeting and risk analysis,










—


carrying out the responsibilities of authorising officer by sub-delegation within the established limits,










—


maintaining and further developing the relations with the other EU institutions and representing the CoR in interinstitutional bodies.




5.   Conditions for eligibility

The selection procedure is open to all candidates who, on the date set for the submission of applications, meet the following conditions:






—


are nationals of one of the Member States of the EU,










—


enjoy full rights as a citizen and produce appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of the duties,










—


have fulfilled any statutory obligations concerning military service,










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are below retirement age, which, for officials and other staff of the EU, is set at the end of the month in which the age of 66 is reached,










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meet the physical fitness conditions required for the performance of the duties — to ascertain this the successful candidate will be examined by the CoR medical officer during the recruitment process,










—


have a level of higher education corresponding to a complete cycle of university studies ending in a degree where the normal duration of these studies is four years or more, or a level of education corresponding to a complete cycle of university studies ending in a degree and followed by relevant professional experience of at least one year where the normal duration of these studies is at least three years,










—


have post-university professional experience of at least 15 years in an area relevant to the position, at least five of which in the area of communication. Of the aforementioned 15 years, at least five must have been acquired in a managerial post,










—


have an ability to carry out the duties in accordance with the working methods appropriate to a consultative body of the European Union within the European civil service,










—


have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and at least a good knowledge of a second official language of the European Union,










—


for reasons linked to the interests of the service, a sound knowledge of English and French is required. In view of the nature of the duties to be carried out, this requirement is necessary in order to strike a balance between the need to ensure the recruitment of an official possessing the highest levels of competence, performance and integrity, and the interests of the service, which requires the candidate to be immediately operational and capable of communicating effectively within the institution as part of his/her daily work in one of the languages most used as an internal lingua franca by the officials and staff of the Union. Testing the linguistic knowledge of candidates during the recruitment procedure is therefore a reasonable way of verifying this aspect of their ability to carry out the duties of Director of the Directorate for Communication in the working environment of the CoR and the joint services which it shares with the EESC. A candidate whose main language is one of the two languages mentioned above will also be called on to express him/herself satisfactorily during the oral test in another official language, which must be different from the main language. In addition, the ability to communicate effectively in other official languages of the European Union is an advantage,










—


compliance with the requirements in terms of linguistic knowledge must be mentioned in the declaration in good faith (see point 8.1) and will be evaluated during the interview.




6.   Shortlisting criteria

The preselection consists of two successive and eliminating stages dealt with by an administrative panel, firstly on paper then through an interview.
6.1.   Preselection on paper

The first preselection stage for candidates will be carried out by means of a comparative assessment of their professional experience based on the information contained in the candidates’ files.
Preference will be given to candidates having:






6.1.1.


leadership qualities:






—


ability to manage an international, multilingual and multicultural organisational structure efficiently, involving mastery of management methods and the ability to lead teams,










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evidence of having operated as leading change manager, notably in modernising communication strategy and organisation,










—


ability to manage the activities of a large department in a cost-effective manner;














6.1.2.


negotiation and communication skills:






—


negotiation skills,










—


excellent ability to communicate and a thorough sense of public relations;














6.1.3.


level of knowledge commensurate with the type of work:






—


proven track record demonstrating successful ability to tackle up-to-date communication challenges, to adopt innovative strategies, to manage effective tools as well as to test new creative solutions,










—


knowledge of strategic matters linked to the EU communication strategy,










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knowledge of budgetary procedures as well as the legal framework governing the activities of the European institutions,










—


knowledge of the policies of the European Union, particularly in areas relating to local and regional authorities.
















6.2.


The preselection of the candidates on paper will also be based on their motivation to carry out the duties of Director of the Directorate for Communication, as well as on their views on the future challenges facing the Directorate, as set out in their cover letter.













6.3.


The CoR encourages internal mobility; accordingly, the ability to carry out other senior management responsibilities, such as in the areas of statutory bodies, consultative work and the management of relevant budgetary and human resources, is also desirable.




6.4.   Preselection interview

The second stage of the short-listing of applications will be carried out by means of an interview, during which the administrative panel will pose a number of similar questions to each candidate in order to perform a comparative evaluation of the applicants being considered at this stage.
These will relate specifically to:






—


their knowledge of the challenges inherent in the management of an administrative entity in charge of communication within the European civil service,










—


their ability to work in team with other Directors, as a secretariat at the service of a political assembly,










—


their oral communication skills.




On this occasion, the linguistic knowledge needed to manage an administrative entity within the European civil service, in particular the sound knowledge of English and French, will also be evaluated.
7.   Selection criteria

Selection will be carried out by means of an interview, during which a political panel (see point 8.3.5) will pose a number of similar questions to each candidate in order to perform a comparative evaluation of the applicants being considered at this stage.
These will relate specifically to:






—


their ability to shape and implement new strategies, to shape the future objectives of the Directorate for Communication and to present and explain the expected results,










—


their ability to represent the interests of the CoR at interinstitutional level,










—


their interpersonal skills.




During this interview, the panel will focus on assessing managerial skills, the ability to communicate, accessibility and openness, the ability to negotiate and the general interests of the candidates.
8.   Progress of the procedure

8.1.   Submission of application files

The application files must be submitted solely via electronic means 
in pdf format not larger than 10 Mb
 to the following address: Recruitment.DirD@cor.europa.eu
Candidates with a disability preventing them from presenting their application online may send their application by registered and recorded delivery to the address: Comité européen des régions, à l’attention du chef de l’unité Recrutement et carrière, 101 rue Belliard, 1040 Bruxelles Belgique, marked ‘Confidentiel — avis de vacance — à ne pas ouvrir par le service courrier’, by the deadline mentioned in point 8.2 at the latest, with the postmark constituting proof of date. In this case, the candidates must attach a certificate issued by an authorised body to their application, recognising their status as a disabled person. They are also invited to indicate, by written, any requirement which they consider to be necessary to facilitate their participation in the recruitment procedure. Any further communication between the CoR and these candidates will be carried out by post.
The application file must mention the reference of the vacancy notice (CdR/AD14/10BIS/2015)
in the heading and contain:






—


a cover letter written in English or French (maximum 5 pages), dated and signed, which should state the motivation of the applicant, give evidence of his proven track record in the fields referred to under point 6.1 and also set his vision on the way to shape the CoR communication strategy and to execute his role as Director,










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an up-to-date curriculum vitae written in English or French (Europass format),










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a dated and signed declaration in good faith (see form in Annex I) confirming that the eligibility conditions listed in point 5 have been met,










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the checklist shown in Annex II, dated and signed,










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a copy of one of the candidate’s official identity documents,










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a copy of the diploma giving access to the grade (see point (5),










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a copy of the supporting professional certificates enabling the candidate’s experience to be verified, in accordance with the conditions set out in point 5. The certificates must clearly express the duration for which the posts were held and, where possible, the level of responsibility.





When preparing the application file, it is not necessary for the copies to be certified as conforming to the original.



Incomplete application files and files submitted after the expiry of the submission deadline or failing to observe the provisions governing the submission of application files will not be considered. Any false declaration will automatically cause the application to become null and void.


Candidates are informed that they are not allowed to contact personally the selection panel members and that so doing constitutes grounds for disqualification from the procedure.
8.2.   Deadline for the submission of application files: 21 September 2015 at 12.00 midday (Brussels time)

The candidates will receive an acknowledgment of receipt of their application file by email. Application files arriving by registered post in accordance with point 8.1 will be acknowledged by post.
8.3.   Scrutiny of the application files, preselection and selection

The Appointing Authority will examine the possibilities of filling the vacant post in accordance with the order set out in Article 29 of the Staff Regulations: the examination of applications presented under Article 29(1)(a) (post to be filled by transfer, by appointment or by promotion), then Article 29(1)(b) (transfer between institutions), and finally, Article 29(2). This order will be observed at each of the stages set out below.






8.3.1.


The administrative panel, consisting of the CoR Secretary-General and one or more Directors of the CoR, will verify that the eligibility conditions are met on the basis of the declaration in good faith, the cover letter, the CV and the copies of documents listed in point 8.1 of this vacancy notice. The conditions of eligibility which are checked at this stage of the procedure are listed in point 5.










8.3.2.


The applications admitted at the end of the stage described in the point above will then be subject to a preselection process by the administrative panel. This will be done on the basis of the application file. The names of the candidates who best meet the criteria established in points 6.1 to 6.3 of this vacancy notice will be compiled in a list, called the first shortlist, consisting of a maximum of seven names.
With a view to this pre-selection based on the files, the candidates are invited to highlight in their cover letter those aspects of their CV which correspond to the duties involved, their motivation and their views on the future challenges facing the Directorate for Communication.










8.3.3.


Candidates placed on the first shortlist will be invited to a preselection interview carried out by the administrative panel. The names of the candidates who best meet the criteria established in point 6.4 of this vacancy notice will be compiled in a list, called the second shortlist, consisting of a maximum of five names.










8.3.4.


The candidates whose names appear on the second shortlist will then be invited to an assessment in an ‘assessment centre’, for which the programme and methodology will be communicated in good time. This assessment will evaluate the managerial skills of the candidates (information management, tasks, people, interpersonal relations and the ability to achieve objectives). This constitutes a non-binding opinion made available to the political panel (see point 8.3.5) and to the Secretary-General and is intended to provide the Secretary-General with further information for the selection interview.










8.3.5.


The CoR Secretary-General will then invite a political panel to contribute to the evaluation of the candidates on the second shortlist by inviting them to another interview in line with the provisions of point 7. This panel will consist of the President, the first vice-president and the chairs of the five political groups (or their representatives) in the CoR.










8.3.6.


At the end of the selection interviews, the CoR Secretary-General will put the name of the candidate deemed to be the most appropriate for the duties of Director of the Directorate for Communication to the Bureau. The Bureau reserves the option of interviewing the candidate proposed by the Secretary-General.




It should be borne in mind that, in accordance with the CoR’s Rules of Procedure, the appointment of any official in a grade higher than AD 12 depends on a favourable vote from the Bureau.
In the event of a favourable vote, the Bureau will instruct the CoR President to sign the decision covering the appointment of the chosen candidate.
9.   Recruitment terms

If the application has been submitted under this vacancy notice, the chosen candidate will be appointed Director of the Directorate for Communication (grade AD 14).
10.   Observations

The appointment will take place subject to sufficient funds being available.
The CoR will ensure that candidates’ personal data is 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 Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (1).
The selected candidate must undertake to comply with the rules of ethics. Candidates’ attention is drawn to the restrictions imposed by the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union concerning outside activities, elected office and conflicts of interest (Articles 11, 11a, 12b, 13 and 15 of the Staff Regulations).
In accordance with Article 34 of the Staff Regulations, the selected candidate will be required to serve a 9-month probationary period, unless he or she is already an established official of the European Union.
As an employer, the CoR applies a policy of equal opportunities, precluding any discrimination, and is also committed to protecting the environment.


(1)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.


ANNEX I






ANNEX II