Publication of a vacancy for the function of Principal Adviser ‘Evidence-based policy-making’ — Grade AD 14 — DG Research and Innovation — Engagement of a Temporary Agent under Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants — COM/2016/10369
Date: 2016-09-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: administrator, competition (EU), consultancy, innovation, research and development, servant (EU), staff regulations (EU)








CA2016330EN.01000101.xml










8.9.2016   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 330/1





Publication of a vacancy for the function of
Principal Adviser ‘Evidence-based policy-making’
Grade AD 14
DG Research and Innovation
Engagement of a Temporary Agent under Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants
COM/2016/10369
(2016/C 330 A/01)
 

We are

Within the European Commission, the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) defines and implements the European Research and Innovation (R&I) policy in support of the ten priorities of President Juncker.
The DG drives the priorities of Commissioner Moedas on Open Science, Open Innovation and Open to the World. It monitors and contributes to the realisation of the European Research Area and funds excellent Research and Innovation through Framework Programmes. In addition, the DG contributes to the European Semester by analysing national R&I policies, by assessing their strengths and weaknesses, and by formulating country specific recommendations where necessary.
The Principal Adviser ‘Evidence-based Policy-making’ advises, within the context of the European Commission’s ‘Better Regulation’ agenda, on the continuous optimisation of the Commission’s and the DG’s strategy for collecting and valorising robust evidence for Commission policy-making in all policy fields. This strategy covers, for instance, implementation of the Scientific Advice Mechanism and provision of scientific advice for the development of European Union policies, the European Group of Ethics, foresight, ex ante and ex post evaluation, etc.
It is a temporary assignment for four years and can be extended once for a maximum period of 2 years.

We propose

The Principal Adviser is directly accountable to the Deputy Director-General in charge of ‘Open Innovation, Open Science, Open to the World’.
The responsibilities of the Principal Adviser are:






—


Provide advice on all aspects of ‘Evidence-based Policy-making’;










—


Advise on coordination mechanisms with stakeholders outside the European Commission for the collection and analysis of new scientific evidence corresponding to established policy needs;










—


Analyse and follow-up scientific developments, stakeholder positions and the public debate in relation to scientific advice for policy-making;










—


Coordinate with other services in the European Commission involved in scientific advice to policy, notably the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC), and with other European Institutions, notably the Science and Technology Options Assessment panel (STOA) in the European Parliament;










—


Advise on support mechanisms for the High Level Group of Scientific Advisors in charge of providing independent scientific advice to the European Commission on specified policy issues;










—


Establish and maintain regular contacts and exchanges in the field of action concerned with scientific advice to policy-making;










—


Provide advice on other aspects of the DG’s strategy for the collection and use of robust evidence for policy-making including foresight and ex ante and ex post evaluation.





We look for

The ideal candidate should be a public service minded person with a track record developing and implementing strategies.
S/he should have:






—


Very good understanding of the EU Institutions, and their functioning and interaction, as well as of the European Commission’s ‘Better Regulation’ agenda, evidence-based policy-making, EU Research and Innovation policies and international activities of relevance to the activities of the Scientific Advice Mechanism;










—


Excellent analytical skills and capacity to identify key issues, to develop and generate strategic goals and to translate them into practical proposals for action;










—


Very good ability to solve organisational and operational problems, demonstrated sound judgement and a capability for decision-making;










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Proven organisational skills; excellent capacity to advise on objectives and targets, prioritise tasks and ensure their effective execution as well as the capacity to work in a networked mode with different stakeholders;










—


Successful, evidence-based experience in developing and implementing complex strategies, preferably in areas closely related to science, research and innovation










—


Good understanding of policy assessment methods and tools;










—


Very good leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, being able to represent the Directorate-General and the Commission effectively at senior management level vis-à-vis other DGs, EU institutions and/or external stakeholders.





Candidates must







1.


Be a citizen of one of the EU Member States.










2.


Have:






(i)


either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more; or










(ii)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years (this professional experience of 1 year cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below).














3.


Have at least 15 years’ postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must have been gained in a policy or advisory function at high level in a field related to this post.
Candidates should clearly indicate for each high level function its title and the exact role they have exercised.










4.


Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and an adequate knowledge of another of these official languages (1). Selection panels will verify during the interview(s) whether candidates comply with the requirement of a satisfactory knowledge of another official EU language. This may include part of the interview being conducted in this other language.










5.


Not yet have reached regular retirement age; for staff entering the service of the European Commission as from 1 January 2014, retirement age is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 52(a) of the Staff Regulations (2)).





Independence and declaration of interests

Candidates are required to act independently in the public interest and declare any interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

Appointment and conditions of employment

The Principal Adviser will be selected and appointed by the European Commission according to its selection and recruitment procedures (see also: Compilation Document on Senior Officials Policy (3)). The selection process includes interviews with different selection panels, including the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments, as well as participation in an assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants.
The successful candidate will be engaged as a Temporary Agent under Article 2a of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants. It is a temporary assignment for four years and can be extended once for a maximum period of 2 years.
Salaries and conditions of employment are those laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants for temporary agents occupying a function corresponding to the basic post of Principal Adviser at grade AD 14 of the European Union.
For functional reasons and to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates as well as that of the institution, the European Commission will carry out the selection procedure in English and/or French only (4).
Applicants should note the requirement under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants for all new staff to complete successfully a 9-month probationary period.

Equal opportunities

The Commission applies an active equal opportunities policy with the aim to further increase the share of women in management functions and particularly encourages applications from women.

Application procedure


Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria (‘Candidates must’), particularly those concerning the types of diploma and professional experience required as well as your linguistic capacity. Failure to possess any of these eligibility requirements means an automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.
If you want to apply, you must register 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 must have a valid e-mail address. This will be used to confirm your registration as well as to remain in contact with you during the different stages of the selection process. Therefore, please keep the European Commission informed about any change in your e-mail address.
To complete your application, you will need to upload a CV in PDF format and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). For functional reasons and to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates as well as that of the institution, the CV and motivation letter must be written in English, French or German.
Once you have finished your online registration, you will receive an electronic mail confirming that your application has been registered. The mail also contains a registration number, which will be your reference number in all matters concerning your application.


If you do not receive a confirmation mail, your application has not been registered!


Please note that it is not possible to monitor progress of your application online. The European Commission will contact you 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 letter of motivation) on paper by registered mail, to the following address: European Commission, Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security, Unit for Executive Staff and CCA Secretariat, SC11 8/59, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË, indicating clearly as a reference: Vacancy for the function of Principal Adviser in DG Research and Innovation (COM/2016/10369), postmarked no later than the closing date for registration. All subsequent communication between the Commission and you will be by post. In this case, you must enclose with your application 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.

If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an e-mail to: HR-SM-VACANCIES@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 5 October 2016. Online registration will not be possible after 12.00 noon Brussels time.
It is your responsibility 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 the submission of registrations has passed, you will no longer be able to introduce any data. Late registrations are not accepted.

Important information for applicants

Applicants are reminded that the work of the selection committees is confidential. It is forbidden for applicants to make direct or indirect contact with members of these committees, or for anybody to do so, on their behalf.

Protection of personal data

The Commission will ensure that candidates’ 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 EU institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (5).


(1)  http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/language-policy/official_languages_en.htm

(2)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

(3)  http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/docs/official_policy_en.pdf

(4)  Selection panels will ensure that no undue advantage is given to native speakers of these two languages.

(5)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.