Notice of vacancy CONS/AD/136/18
Date: 2018-04-05
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU relations, administrator, civil defence, competition (EU), enlargement of the Union, foreign policy, job vacancy, managing director, secretariat of an Institution








CA2018119EN.01000101.xml










5.4.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 119/1





NOTICE OF VACANCY CONS/AD/136/18
(2018/C 119 A/01)







GENERAL INFORMATION





Department


Directorate-General C — Foreign Affairs, Enlargement and Civil Protection
Directorate 2 — Enlargement, Security, Civil Protection, Foreign Affairs Council Support




Place of work


Brussels




Title of post


Director




Function group and grade


AD 14




Security clearance required


EU SECRET





DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS




25 April 2018






WHO WE ARE

The General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) assists the European Council and the Council of the EU and their preparatory bodies in all fields of their activities. It provides advice and support to members of the European Council and the Council and to their Presidents in all areas of activity, including legal and policy advice, coordination with other institutions, elaboration of compromises, drafting as well as all the practicalities that are necessary for the good preparation and running of the European Council and the Council.
Its Department for Foreign Affairs, Enlargement and Civil Protection (DGC) provides support to Council activities, notably to rotating and permanent presidencies of the Council formations concerned, for the whole area of EU external relations.
DGC consists of two Directorates: Directorate 1 in charge of Trade, Development, Horizontal Issues and Foreign Affairs Council Support and Directorate 2 in charge of Enlargement, Security, Civil Protection and Foreign Affairs Council Support.
Directorate 2, for which we are recruiting a Director, supports the work of the Council and its subordinate bodies, as well as of the European Council and its President in the fields of European neighbourhood policy, enlargement and relations with the countries concerned, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEA), the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, crisis management and the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) platform.
Candidates should be aware that future reorganisation of the Secretariat could lead to changes in the remit of the posts to which they apply.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a manager who will lead and motivate a team of close to fifty staff members in a politically and institutionally complex environment. Under the authority of the Director-General, the Director is responsible for three Units, advises the hierarchy and, as necessary, the President of the European Council and his team, on substance and procedure. He/she plans the optimal use and further development of the Directorate’s staff and represents the GSC towards the presidency, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Commission, the European Parliament and other external actors.
Candidates for the post are required to have extensive knowledge of EU policies, with a strong focus on external relations. The successful candidate will be expected to provide regular high quality policy briefing and advice, including at short notice and at high political level, be able to adjust flexibly to evolving policy objectives and crisis situations and work irregular hours.
The job requires solid organisational and planning skills, an excellent sense of political and institutional issues and excellent interpersonal skills.
Given that the GSC encourages a culture of mobility for its managers, who should have a broad experience, candidates should be willing and able to work in different areas of activity during their career at the GSC.
As a GSC manager you are expected to advise your hierarchy and stakeholders, manage staff and represent the GSC. For more details on the GSC Horizontal Managers’ profile, see Annex I.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB







—


Under the authority of the Director-General, manage his/her Directorate and advise in the areas within its remit










—


Provide high level policy and procedural advice, orally and in writing, to the European Council, the Council, the Coreper and their presidencies and to the Secretary-General on all aspects of dossiers falling within the Directorate’s remit










—


Assist the presidency in negotiations and ensure effective communication and cooperation with institutions, agencies and other bodies in this area





TASKS







—


Under the authority of the Director-General, manage his/her Directorate, organise its activities and support and motivate staff in their work










—


Define the objectives to be met and contribute to meeting them by establishing the Directorate’s work programme and ensuring the appropriate monitoring of its implementation










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Represent his/her service at Director level both within the GSC and externally, in particular in its relations with the rotating presidency, and with the other institutions










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Participate and/or assist in negotiations and briefings in order to achieve compromises and solutions










—


Ensure the quality of the services and products delivered by the Directorate










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Ensure effective communication and cooperation both within the Directorate and with other GSC services










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Ensure professional management of the Directorate’s resources










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Advise the European Council, the Council, the Coreper and their presidencies and the Secretary-General on all aspects of dossiers in order to contribute to finding solutions










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Analyse dossiers in preparation for decisions by the Secretary-General










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Maintain contacts with external interlocutors and represent the GSC in external fora










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Ensure that the rules and procedures to be applied in the relevant fields of the Directorate are respected










—


Contribute to ensuring compliance with the rules and procedures applicable to the field concerned










—


Coordinate the submission to the Council of proposals for which the GSC is responsible





JOB ENVIRONMENT







—


Presence required outside normal working hours to meet the needs of the service and for European Council meetings and Council sessions covering issues within the Directorate’s remit










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Missions abroad, including outside the EU (approximately 8 per year on average)










—


Regular missions to Luxembourg in April, June and October





SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES


Professional competencies







—


Given that French and English are used extensively for communication within the GSC and with other institutions, an excellent knowledge of one of the two languages and a good knowledge of the other language is required. Knowledge of other official languages of the EU would be an asset.










—


A professional experience in the area of external affairs, including relations with the Council presidencies would be considered as an advantage for the post










—


Very good knowledge of the structure and functioning of the Council and the relations with the other institutions










—


A very good sense of the political environment










—


An extensive knowledge of EU policies and institutional issues










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Ability to handle information with discretion










—


Ability to identify and propose solutions to problems, the general competency ‘Judgment and problem-solving’ is a key competency for the job





Performing tasks and achieving results







—


The general competency ‘Planning and organising’ is a key competency for the job










—


Meet critical/sensitive deadlines





Personal qualities







—


The general competency ‘Sense of responsibility’ is a key competency for the job










—


Ability to anticipate and identify potential problems and to solve them










—


The general competency ‘Adaptability’ is a key competency for the job





Interpersonal skills







—


The general competency ‘Interpersonal communication’ is a key competency for the job










—


Be able to lead and motivate multicultural teams





Management Competencies







—


Management of work and resources, organisational awareness, decision-making, leadership & staff development





WHO CAN APPLY

Applicants must fulfil the following conditions for admission at the time of applying:






(a)



General conditions











—


be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union;










—


enjoy their full rights as citizens;










—


have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service.










(b)



Specific conditions











—


have completed a full university education attested by a diploma (1);










—


have at least 15 years of relevant professional experience out of which at least 3 years in a management position in charge of an administrative entity with management and organisational responsibilities or in a post with significant responsibilities in terms of coordination.





REMARKS







—


The General Secretariat of the Council is committed to equal opportunities (see Annex II) and actively welcomes applications from all qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and from the broadest possible geographical basis amongst the EU Member States. To promote gender equality, the GSC encourages applications from women, who are currently under-represented at management level.
The Human Resources Directorate can provide assistance to persons with disabilities during the recruitment procedure. Reasonable adjustments for persons with disabilities can be made at the workplace. The GSC also offers many measures to reconcile professional and private life. For further information on this, please contact the Equal Opportunities Office (egalite-des-chances@consilium.europa.eu).










—


This post requires security clearance allowing access to classified documents (EU SECRET level). Candidates applying for the post will be understood to be prepared to undergo security screening under Council Decision 2013/488/EU (2). Appointment to the post will only take effect on condition that the selected candidate has obtained a valid security clearance certificate. A candidate without security clearance will be offered a temporary contract until the result of the security clearance procedure is obtained.










—


The applicant must be prepared to follow the GSC management training programme if necessary.










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Post published in accordance with Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (3) (senior management post).










—


The post has also been published to all Institutions of the European Union.










—


In choosing the successful candidate the Appointing Authority shall be assisted by an advisory selection board. The advisory selection board will be supported by an assessment centre. The reports established by the assessment centre will cease to be valid two years after the date on which the relevant exercises took place or upon termination of the framework contract between the GSC and the assessment centre in question — whichever date is the earliest.










—


The advisory selection board will initially evaluate and compare the qualifications, experience and motivation of all the applicants, on the basis of their applications. Based on that comparative assessment, the advisory selection board will shortlist the most suitable candidates, in its opinion, to be invited to the first interview. As this first selection is based on a comparative assessment of the applications, the fulfilment of the requirements of this vacancy does not guarantee invitation to the first interview. Among the interviewed candidates, the advisory selection board will pre-select candidates to attend an assessment centre, run by external recruitment consultants, as well as a second interview with the advisory selection board.




The provisional planning of the selection is as follows:






—


It is expected that candidates selected for the interviews will be informed by early June 2018;










—


The first interviews are foreseen for June 2018;










—


The assessment centre is expected to take place in June 2018;










—


The second round of interviews is foreseen for July 2018.





HOW TO APPLY

The closing date for applications is 25 April 2018.
Applications should be sent by email to: Selection.of.Officials-Applications.Management.Posts@consilium.europa.eu no later than the closing date.
In order to be valid, applications must include:






(a)


the application form (Annex V) duly completed and dated; the electronic application form can be found on the Council’s website under the following link: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/jobs/job-opportunities/










(b)


a letter of motivation, highlighting candidate’s experience, knowledge and skills relevant for the post, accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae, in English or French, preferably in the Europass format (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu), covering the applicant’s entire career, listing, inter alia, the applicant’s qualifications, language knowledge, experience, and current duties; and










(c)


photocopies of diplomas certifying education and photocopies of documents and certificates relating to professional experience. Supporting documents must come from a third party and it is not sufficient simply to send the CV mentioned in (b).




All supporting documents attached to the application must be in word text, pdf or jpg format, named (in EN or FR) and numbered in sequence (Annex 1, 2, etc.). A list of all annexes must also be attached. Applications that arrive via cloud based data storage solutions or file-share platforms will not be considered.
The candidate selected for the post will be asked to provide the originals of the aforementioned documents.

REEXAMINATION OF APPLICATIONS

The procedures relating to requests for review, appeals and referral to the European Ombudsman are set out in Annex III to this vacancy notice.

DATA PROTECTION

The rules governing the processing of personal data in connection with this selection procedure are set out in Annex IV to this vacancy notice.


(1)  Article 5(3)(c) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (the Staff Regulations) require applicants to have at least:






(i)


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four 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 one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years.





(2)  OJ L 274, 15.10.2013, p. 1.

(3)  Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, laid down by Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No 259/68 and last amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1023/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 — http://eur-lex.europa.eu


ANNEX I
The GSC Horizontal Managers’ Profile
As a GSC manager you add value in acting both as an adviser and a manager and you are always a representative of the GSC.
In performing these roles you are expected to:

As a Representative







—


Act with integrity, externally as well as internally.










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Act in the interest of the European Council and the Council as well as the Union as a whole. Ensure that any divergences are identified and managed.










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Create relationships of confidence, trust and openness, and be an active networker.










—


Be result-oriented and influential, and at the same time respectful and service oriented.





As an Adviser







—


Contribute to the development of the Union. Be proactive and creative. Think ahead and plan for future developments. Act as a provider of solutions.










—


Advise our stakeholders to facilitate the achievement of their aims and in the interest of our two institutions. Be objective and fair.










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Be aware of the interaction between decision-making and public debate. Make sure that your advice takes account of the political situation of our stakeholders and integrates communication considerations.










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Facilitate legitimate decision-making through cooperation, good working relationships and compromise among Member States and with Institutions, and other stakeholders.










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Stay well informed about developments within your area of responsibility, also beyond the immediate work of the European Council and the Council. Keep the big picture in mind.





As a Manager







—


Empower your staff, delegate and trust, support and motivate, give feedback and guidance, encourage initiative and courage to think out of the box; reduce hierarchy and control to a minimum, while maintaining quality.










—


Communicate clearly on objectives and expectations and ensure the flow of information to, from and among your staff as well as with other DGs, directorates and units.










—


Act always in the interest of the whole of the GSC, not just your own DG or Directorate or Unit, and make sure that we deliver to our stakeholders. Break down silos.










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Have the courage to address conflict, underperformance and other difficulties in a timely manner; ensure your staff’s wellbeing and development, and fulfil your duty of care to your staff.










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In driving and facilitating change involve your staff to make sure that the GSC keeps up with developments and becomes more dynamic, flexible and collaborative. Walk the talk.










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Take responsibility for the optimal use of GSC human and financial resources.







ANNEX II
Equal Opportunities in the General Secretariat of the Council
As an employer, the GSC is responsible for ensuring equality between men and women and for prohibiting discrimination on any grounds.
The main aims of its Equal Opportunities policy are to:






—


ensure that its human resources and personnel management policies respect the principles of equality and non-discrimination;










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achieve a balanced representation of men and women, especially in management posts;










—


improve the situation of persons with disabilities, in terms of accessibility of its buildings and a work environment that is inclusive and adapted to their needs:
Adjustments for people with disabilities (‘reasonable accommodation’) may involve the rearrangement of duties or responsibilities, provision of technical aids and other adjustments to the working environment. Such measures will be taken unless they would impose an undue burden on the resources of the institution,










—


protect its staff from harassment at work;










—


take into account the needs of staff to strike a balance between their work and family commitments by offering a good package of family-friendly measures, including flexitime, telework and job-sharing.





Work-life balance measures

A Flexitime system operates throughout the GSC in accordance with a 40-hour working week, recuperation being possible for non-managerial staff. In many job environments, an individual timetable, falling within the framework hours of 07.00 to 20.00, can be agreed.

Part-time work can be granted, for example to care for a dependent child up to the age of 12, or 14 when the official is a single parent.

Statutory maternity leave is 20 weeks and on return to work up to two hours per day can be granted for breastfeeding. Fathers have the right to paid paternity leave of 10 days. Parental leave of up to six months per child can be granted with a flat-rate allowance. In the case of serious illness or disability of a child, maternity, paternity and parental leaves are longer. Family leave with a flat-rate allowance is also possible in the case of family members with a serious illness or disability.

Special leave is granted in such cases as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, and death or serious illness of a family member. In exceptional circumstances, unpaid leave on personal grounds (CCP) can be accorded.
Depending on tasks and job environment, teleworking is possible under the standard teleworking scheme (e.g. 2 days in the office and 3 at home per week) or under the occasional teleworking scheme (up to 60 days at home per year).
The following childcare facilities are available for staff with children, according to priority criteria:
GSC crèche for children from 0-4 years, after-school care and holiday-time facilities organised by the European Commission and after-school activities at the European schools.
For further information, send an email to egalite-des-chances@consilium.europa.eu.



ANNEX III
REQUEST FOR REVIEW — APPEALS PROCEDURES
COMPLAINTS TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN
If, at any stage of the selection procedure, you consider that a decision adversely affects you, you may use the following means:






—


Request for review of the decisions taken by the advisory selection board
Within 10 days of the date of the letter notifying you of a decision taken by the advisory selection board, you may submit a written request for a review of such a decision, setting out the reasons for your request, to:





Council of the European Union




Office for Selection of Officials




Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175




B-1048 BRUXELLES/BRUSSEL




email address: Selection.of.officials@consilium.europa.eu














—


Appeal procedure






—


You may lodge a complaint against a decision of the Appointing Authority, under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union, within 3 months of the notification of the decision, to:





Council of the European Union




Legal Advisers to the Administration Unit, DGA 1




Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175




B-1048 BRUXELLES/BRUSSEL




email address: unite.conseillers.dga1@consilium.europa.eu














—


You may submit a judicial appeal under Article 91 of the Staff Regulations to:





General Court of the European Union




Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald




L-2925 Luxembourg


















—


Complaints to the European Ombudsman




Like any other citizen of the Union, you may lodge a complaint with:





The European Ombudsman




1, avenue du Président Robert Schuman — BP 403




F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex




under Article 228(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Decision 94/262/ECSC, EC, Euratom of the European Parliament of 9 March 1994 on the regulations and general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties published in 
Official Journal of the European Union L 113 of 4 May 1994.
You should note that complaints lodged with the European Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the period of time laid down in Article 90(2) and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations for the lodging of complaints or appeals with the General Court of the European Union under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.



ANNEX IV
DATA PROTECTION
As the institution responsible for organising the selection procedure, the General Secretariat of the Council ensures that applicants’ personal data are 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 the institutions and bodies of the European Union and on the free movement of such data (1).
The legal basis for the selection procedure is the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and the Council Decision of 23 September 2013 on the security rules for protecting EU classified information (2013/488/EU). The selection procedure is conducted under the responsibility of the Human Resources Directorate (DG A 1), Staffing and Mobility Unit, and the controller is the head of that unit. The information provided by the applicants will be accessible to members of the office for the selection of officials and their superiors, to members of the Advisory Selection Committee, and, if necessary, to the legal advisers’ unit. Administrative information identifying the candidate and/or the practical organisation of the procedure may be forwarded to an assessment centre.
The purpose of the processing operation is to collect data identifying all the applicants for a post with the Secretariat-General of the Council and to select one of those applicants.
The data in question are:






—


personal data which make it possible to identify the applicants (surname, first name, date of birth, sex, nationality);










—


information supplied by the applicants to facilitate the practical organisation of the procedure (postal address, email address, telephone number);










—


information supplied by the applicants to make it possible to assess whether they meet the admission conditions laid down in the notice of vacancy (nationality; languages; applicants’ qualifications and the year they were awarded, type of diploma/degree, name of awarding institution, professional experience);










—


where applicable, information on the type and duration of applicants’ security clearance;










—


the results of the selection tests taken by the applicants, including the evaluations drawn up by the assessment centre’s advisers on behalf of the selection board.




The processing begins on the date of receipt of the application. Applications are filed and stored in archives for two years.
All applicants may exercise their right of access to and right to rectify personal data. Substantiated requests should be e-mailed to the office for selection of officials at Selection.of.officials@consilium.europa.eu.
Applicants may have recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor (edps@edps.europa.eu).


(1)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.



ANNEX V