Notice of Open Competition — EPSO/AD/321/15 — Administrators in the Field of Audit (AD 5/AD 7)
Date: 2015-09-24
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: accountant, administrator, audit, competition (EU)








CA2015316EN.01000101.xml










24.9.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 316/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AD/321/15
ADMINISTRATORS IN THE FIELD OF AUDIT (AD 5/AD 7)
(2015/C 316 A/01)


Deadline for registration: 27 October 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 from which the European Commission will recruit new members of the civil service as ‘
administrators’
 (function group AD).
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 this selection procedure.
Number of successful candidates sought per grade:







Grade AD 5: 45




Grade AD 7: 25





This notice covers two grades. 
You may only apply to one
. 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. However, 
under certain conditions
 described under point 2, your application to grade AD 7 may be reassigned by the selection board into grade AD 5.

WHAT TASKS CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM?

This competition is being held to recruit Administrators in the field of audit.
In the European Union Institutions, Administrators mostly support decision-makers.
Auditors, in particular, provide assurance to the management of the organisation by undertaking audits in a broad range of EU policy areas examining compliance with laws and regulation and value for money.
They assess how well risks are being managed, the organisation is being governed and internal processes are working. The scope and nature of audits can vary significantly and cover various administrative and operational processes.
Auditors can be called upon to carry out audits in various EU and third countries during their career.
Auditors also provide consulting services, advising management on how to improve systems and processes.
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 & work experience








—




For grade AD 5:


A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of 
at least 3 years
 attested by a diploma in the field of audit, economics, accounting, finance, business administration and/or informatics.

or

A professional qualification of an equivalent level to the afore-mentioned studies in the field of audit, economics, accounting, finance, business administration and/or informatics.










—




For grade AD 7:








1.


A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of 
at least 4 years
 attested by a diploma followed by 
a minimum of 6 years’ relevant professional experience
, of which 
at least 3 years
 in the field of audit (internal or external, including IT audit).
or










2.


A professional qualification of an equivalent level to the studies mentioned in point 1 above followed by 
a minimum of 6 years’ relevant professional experience
, of which 
at least 3 years
 in the field of audit (internal or external, including IT audit).
or










3.


A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of 
at least 3 years
 attested by a diploma followed by 
a minimum of 7 years’ relevant professional experience
, of which 
at least 4 years
 in the field of audit (internal or external, including IT audit).
or










4.


A professional qualification of an equivalent level to the studies mentioned in point 3 above followed by 
a minimum of 7 years’ relevant professional experience
, of which 
at least 4 years
 in the field of audit (internal or external, including IT audit).








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 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 per grade 
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 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:










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 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 a certain threshold defined for each grade by EPSO acting as Appointing Authority. 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.





Grade AD 7 candidates: during the check for eligibility, the selection board may reassign your application to grade AD 5 if you meet the following conditions:






—


if the MCQ tests were organised upfront, you reached one of the 
highest total scores
 for grade AD 7, and










—


according to the data given in your application you 
do not meet the eligibility requirements
 for grade AD 7 but you do meet those for grade AD 5, and










—


you 
gave your consent
 for reassignment to grade AD 5 when you applied, and










—


if the MCQ tests were organised upfront, you reached one of the 
highest total scores
 also for grade AD 5.




In that case, you will be considered as candidate to grade AD 5 for the rest of the procedure.
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. For each grade, 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 profiles best match the duties to be performed.
Please see ANNEX III for the list of criteria.
3)   
Assessment centre




A maximum of 3 times
 the number of successful candidates sought per grade 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.
Eight general competencies and the specific competencies required for this competition will be tested at the assessment centre through 
4 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










8.


Leadership






Group exercise


General competency-based interview













Pass marks


3/10 per competency and 40/80 in total














Competency




Test





Specific competencies


Specific competency-based interview













Pass mark


50/100




4)   
Reserve list


After checking candidates’ supporting documents, the selection board will draw up a 
reserve list
 per grade 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:

27 October 2015 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.


ANNEX I

DUTIES

This open competition is being held to recruit Administrators (AD 5/AD 7) in the field of audit.
The main duties include:


For grades AD 5 and AD 7:








—


Develop a good understanding and knowledge of the business processes of auditees;










—


Perform audit risk assessments as part of the planning process;










—


Undertake performance, compliance and value for money audits in a broad range of EU policy areas and business processes;










—


Perform preliminary analysis aimed at determining objectives and scope of audit engagements;










—


Undertake systems based and substantive testing to assess the effectiveness of the auditee’s risk management, governance and internal control processes;










—


Validate audit findings with the auditee;










—


Communicate audit findings, risks and recommendations through clear and concise draft/final reports;










—


Provide advisory/consultancy services made at the request of management;










—


Conduct follow-up audits to ensure recommendations have been effectively implemented in practice.






For grade AD 7 only:








—


Plan appropriate audit procedures to meet the objective of the engagements.




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 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 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.


A recognised certification or professional qualification in the field of audit (internal, external and/or IT audit) or accountancy;










2.


Professional internal or external audit experience of at least 1 year;










3.


Professional experience in IT auditing of at least 1 year;










4.


Professional experience in developing audit methodology or in providing audit training courses;










5.


Professional experience of at least 1 year in auditing EU-funded expenditure programmes (for example: EU structural funds, agriculture, research, development and/or humanitarian aid);










6.


Professional experience of at least 1 year in consultancy services;










7.


Professional experience in one or more of the following fields: accounting, internal control, financial management, banking and finance, informatics and/or project management;










8.


Practical experience in applying Computer Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATs).










9.


Professional experience of at least 2 years in leading an audit team (for grade AD 7 only).




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