Notice of open competition — EPSO/AD/322/16 — Administrators in the field of audit (AD 5/AD 7)
Date: 2016-05-12
Institutions: European Personnel Selection Office
Subjects: EPSO, accountant, administrator, audit, competition (EU)








CA2016171EN.01000101.xml










12.5.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 171/1





NOTICE OF OPEN COMPETITION
EPSO/AD/322/16
Administrators in the field of audit (AD 5/AD 7)
(2016/C 171 A/01)


Deadline for registration: 14 June 2016 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 reserve lists from which the institutions of the European Union, primarily the European Commission in Brussels and the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg, 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. However, please note that ANNEX II to these general rules does not apply to this competition. It is replaced by the provisions in ANNEX II to this notice.

Number of successful candidates sought:








Grade AD 5: 71




Grade AD 7: 15





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 1 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)

You must fill in your application form in 
English, French, or German
.
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 the languages required for this competition.




Specific conditions: qualifications and 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)










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:


14 June 2016 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
JUSTIFICATION OF THE LANGUAGE REGIME FOR THIS SELECTION PROCEDURE
This competition is a specialist competition to recruit Administrators in the field of Audit. The requirements set out in the ‘AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?’ section of this Notice of Competition are in line with the EU institutions’ primary requirements for specialist skills, experience and knowledge and the need for new recruits to be able to work effectively, in particular with other members of staff.
For this reason, candidates are required to select their second competition language from a limited number of EU official languages. This limitation is also due to budgetary and operational constraints and the nature of EPSO’s selection methods described in points 1, 2 and 3 below. The language requirements for this competition have been adopted by the EPSO Management Board taking into account these factors and other specific requirements relating to the nature of the duties or the particular needs of the EU institutions concerned.
The main purpose of this competition is to create a reserve of administrators for recruitment within the European Commission, as well as a limited number for recruitment within the European Court of Auditors. Once recruited, it is essential that the administrators are operational immediately and are able to communicate with their colleagues and managers. In the light of the criteria on the use of languages in EU selection procedures set out under point 2 below, the EU institutions consider that English, French and German are the most appropriate second language options for this competition.
Given the fact that English, French and German are the languages most frequently spoken, translated and used for administrative communication by staff in the EU institutions, candidates must offer at least one of them among their two compulsory languages.
Furthermore a good command of English, French or German is deemed to be essential for analysing the situation of the auditees, making presentations, holding discussions and writing reports, so as to ensure effective cooperation and information exchange with the services being audited and the appropriate authorities.
Candidates must use their second competition language (English, French or German) when filling in the online applications and EPSO must use these languages for mass communication to candidates who have submitted a valid application and for some tests described under point 3.
1.   Justification for selecting languages for each selection procedure

The EU institutions believe that the decision on the specific languages to be used in each individual selection procedure and, in particular, any restriction of the choice of languages, must be made on the basis of the following considerations:






(i)



Requirement that new recruits be immediately operational





New recruits need to be immediately operational and capable of performing the duties for which they were recruited. Therefore, EPSO must ensure that successful candidates possess adequate knowledge of a combination of languages that will enable them to carry out their duties in an effective manner and in particular that successful candidates are able to communicate effectively in their daily work with their colleagues and managers.
It may therefore be legitimate to organise some tests in a limited number of vehicular languages to ensure that all candidates are able to work in at least one of these, whatever their first official language. Failure to do so would create a high risk that a substantial proportion of successful candidates would be unable to undertake the tasks for which they are recruited within a reasonable timeframe. Moreover, it would neglect the evident consideration that candidates applying to work in the EU civil service are willing to join an international organisation that must make use of vehicular languages in order to work properly and carry out the tasks entrusted to it under the EU Treaties.






(ii)



The nature of the selection procedure





In some cases, limiting candidates’ choice of languages may also be justified by the nature of the selection procedure.
In line with Article 27 of the Staff Regulations, EPSO assesses candidates in open competitions which it uses to evaluate candidates’ skills and better predict whether candidates will be capable of performing their duties.
The assessment centre is a selection method that consists of evaluating candidates in a standardised manner, based on various scenarios observed by several selection board members. The assessment uses a competency framework drawn up in advance by the appointing authorities and a common scoring method and joint decision making.
Assessing specific skills in this way enables the EU institutions to evaluate candidates’ ability to be immediately operational in an environment that closely matches the reality of the job. A substantial body of scientific research has shown that assessment centres simulating real-life working situations are the best predictor of real-life performance. Assessment centres are therefore used worldwide. Given the length of careers and the degree of mobility within the EU institutions this kind of assessment is crucial, in particular when selecting permanent officials.
To ensure that candidates can be assessed on an equal footing and can communicate directly with assessors and the other candidates taking part in an exercise, candidates are assessed together in a group with a common language. Unless the assessment centre takes place in a competition with a single main language, this necessarily requires that the assessment centre be organised in a restricted number of languages.






(iii)



Budgetary and operational constraints





For several reasons, the EPSO Management Board believes it would be impractical to organise the assessment centre phase of a single competition in all EU official languages.
Firstly, such an approach would have very serious resource implications, rendering it impossible for the EU institutions to meet their recruitment needs within the current budgetary framework. It would also not be reasonable value for money for the European taxpayer.
Secondly, conducting the assessment centre in all official languages would require a substantial number of interpreters to work on EPSO competitions and the use of appropriate premises with interpreting booths.
Thirdly, a much higher number of selection board members would be needed to cover the different languages used by candidates.
2.   Criteria for selecting languages for each selection procedure

If candidates are required to choose from a limited number of official EU languages, the EPSO Management Board must determine on a case-by-case basis the languages to be used for individual open competitions, taking into account the following:






(i)


any specific internal rules on the use of languages within the institution(s) or bodies concerned;










(ii)


specific requirements related to the nature of the duties and the particular needs of the institution(s) concerned;










(iii)


the languages most frequently used within the institution(s) concerned, determined on the basis of:






—


the declared and proven language skills at level B2 or higher of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of permanent EU officials in active employment;










—


the most frequent target languages into which documents intended for internal use within the EU institutions are translated;










—


the most frequent source languages from which documents produced internally by the EU institutions and intended for external use are translated;














(iv)


the languages used for administrative communication within the institution(s) concerned.




3.   Languages of communication

This section describes the general rules concerning the use of languages for communication between EPSO and prospective candidates. Other, specific requirements may be set out in each notice of competition.
EPSO takes due account of candidates’ right as EU citizens to communicate in their mother tongue. It also recognises that candidates who have validated their application are prospective members of the EU civil service who benefit from the rights and obligations conferred on them by the Staff Regulations. The EU institutions therefore believe that EPSO should, wherever possible, communicate with candidates and provide candidates with information concerning their applications in all EU official languages. To achieve this, stable elements on the EPSO website, competition notices and the general rules governing open competitions will be published in all official languages.
The languages to be used when filling in the online application forms are specified in each notice of competition. Instructions on filling in the application form must be provided in all official languages. These provisions will apply during the transition period required to put in place an initial online application procedure in all official languages.
In order to communicate quickly and efficiently, once a candidate’s initial application has been validated, mass communication from EPSO to large candidate populations will be in a limited number of official EU languages. This will be either the candidate’s first or second language as set out in the relevant notice of competition.
Candidates may contact EPSO in any official EU language but, in order for EPSO to handle their query more efficiently, candidates are encouraged to choose from among a limited number of languages for which EPSO staff is able to provide immediate linguistic coverage without the need to resort to translation.
Certain tests may also be held in a limited number of official EU languages in order to ensure that candidates have the language ability needed to participate in the assessment phase of open competitions. The languages for the various tests will be specified in each notice of competition.
The EU institutions believe that these arrangements ensure a fair and appropriate balance between the interests of the service and the principle of multilingualism and non-discrimination by language. The obligation on candidates to choose a second language that is different from their first (normally mother tongue or equivalent) ensures that they can be compared on an equal footing.
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 internal, external audit (including IT audit)/accountancy certification or professional qualification;










2.


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










3.


Professional experience in IT auditing of at least 1 year;










4.


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 application of 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.