DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) — Vacancy notice for a Principal Adviser function (AD 14) — Brussels (Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations) — COM/2018/10377
Date: 2018-03-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: administrator, competition (EU), consultancy, culture, education, job vacancy, sport, youth policy








CA2018105EN.01000101.xml










20.3.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 105/1





DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC)
Vacancy notice for a Principal Adviser function (AD 14) — Brussels
(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)
COM/2018/10377
(2018/C 105 A/01)
 

We are

The Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) is responsible for policy on education, culture, youth, languages and sport.
It plays a key role in the implementation of the overall objectives and political guidelines of the Commission particularly through its contribution to a knowledge-based Europe that reconciles a competitive economy and an inclusive society. In this regard, DG EAC’s mission covers areas of substantial societal and political significance:






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to foster equity and excellence in modern education systems at schools and in higher education, promote career development of researchers and cross-fertilisation between education, research and innovation, including through the European Institute of Innovation and Technology;










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to promote culture as a catalyst for innovation, by maximising the sector’s contribution to jobs and growth, particularly among the young, and our cultural diversity;










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to maximise the potential and well-being of young people and their active participation in society and work life, and develop the European dimension in sport;










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to ensure the strategic implementation of 3 EU flagship programmes, Erasmus+, Creative Europe and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, exploit and strengthen synergies between policy and programme actions, and promote their systemic impact.




In each of these fields, DG EAC aims to stimulate the development of competences, the mobility of individuals, cross border cooperation, involvement of stakeholders, and policy reform.

We propose

DG EAC is seeking to recruit a Principal Adviser to provide the Director-General with strategic vision and advice on the international dimension of DG EAC’s portfolio.
More concretely, the Principal Adviser will be responsible for the following main activities:






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Providing strategic orientation and advice on how to reinforce the international dimension of DG EAC’s activities and on the synergies between policies and programmes of DG EAC and related DGs to promote international dialogue;










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Advising on DG EAC’s international co-operation in the fields of education, youth, culture and sport towards ensuring consistency in our policy responses and promoting common values and inclusive societies;










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Contributing to enhance the EU’s attractiveness and visibility in education, youth, sport and culture in third countries;










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Counselling cultural diplomacy to promote public outreach, cultural cooperation and capacity building in third countries;










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Facilitating strategic partnerships with partners from around the world, including European Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans countries;










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Assisting co-operation with international organisations and other stakeholders in the fields of education, culture, sport and youth.




The Principal Adviser will directly report to the Director-General of DG EAC.

We look for

The successful candidate should possess the following skills and competences:






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a strong background in EU public affairs and/or international relations;










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a very good understanding of the policy fields managed by DG EAC, and more in particular innovation and international co-operation in education as well as in the areas of youth, sport and culture;










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a good knowledge of the European Commission’s procedures and practices, including in inter-institutional relations, legislative procedures and financial management;










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excellent capacity to develop a strategic approach, set objectives and targets, coordinate and prioritise tasks, and ensure their effective execution;










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strong communication skills and ability to cooperate efficiently and effectively with interlocutors at senior level and across sectors, inside and outside the European Commission;










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excellent negotiation skills and sound political judgment; experience in international negotiations and with other stakeholders within and outside of the European Institutions will be an advantage.





Candidates must (eligibility criteria)

Candidates will be considered for the selection phase on the basis of the following formal criteria to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:






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Nationality: candidates must be of Croatian nationality.










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University degree or diploma: candidates must have:






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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;










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or 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 one year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below).














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Professional experience: candidates must have at least 12 years’ postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission.










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Advisory experience: at least 6 years of that professional experience must have been gained in an advisory function at high level (1) relevant for this position.










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Languages: have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (2) and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these official languages. 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.










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Age limit: not yet have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Union is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 52 lit (a) of the Staff Regulations) (3).





Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up their duties, candidates are required to make a declaration of their commitment to act independently in the public interest and of any interests, which might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

Appointment and conditions of employment

The European Commission will select and appoint the Principal Adviser according to its selection and recruitment procedures (see also the Compilation Document on Senior Officials Policy (4)). As part of this selection procedure, candidates who have been invited for an interview by the Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments will have to participate, beforehand, in an assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants.
For functional reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates as well as that of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in English and/or French only (5).
Salaries and conditions of employment are those laid down in the Staff Regulations for AD 14 grade officials of the European Union. Candidates should note the requirement under the Staff Regulations for all new staff to complete successfully a 9-month probationary period.
The Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture is based in Brussels.

Equal opportunities

The European Union applies an equal opportunities policy. Given the low representation of women in management functions, the Commission would particularly welcome applications from women.

Application procedure


Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria (‘Candidates must’), particularly concerning the required types of diploma and professional experience 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 identify your registration as well as to remain in contact with you during the different stage 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 in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates as well as that of the institution, both 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 the progress of your application on-line. You will be contacted directly by the European Commission regarding the status of your application.
If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an e-mail to: HR-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@EC.EUROPA.EU

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 16 April 2018, 12.00 noon Brussels time, after which online registrations will not be possible anymore.
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 (6).


(1)  In their CVs applicants should indicate their advisory experience at high level.

(2)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01958R0001-20130701&qid=1408533709461&from=EN

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

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

(5)  The selection panel will ensure that no undue advantage is given to native speakers of these languages.

(6)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.