European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) — Vacancy Notice for a Principal Adviser function — Brussels — Engagement of a Temporary Agent (grade AD 14) — Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants — COM/2019/10388
Date: 2019-06-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Brussels region, European Anti-fraud Office, administrator, competition (EU), consultancy, job vacancy, servant (EU), staff regulations (EU)








CA2019210EN.01000101.xml










21.6.2019   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 210/1






European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Vacancy Notice for a Principal Adviser function — Brussels
Engagement of a Temporary Agent (grade AD 14)
Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants
COM/2019/10388
(2019/C 210 A/01)
 

We are

The mission of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is threefold: it protects the financial interests of the European Union (EU) by investigating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities; it detects and investigates serious matters relating to the discharge of professional duties by members and staff of the EU institutions and bodies that could result in disciplinary or criminal proceedings; it supports the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, in the development and implementation of anti-fraud legislation and policies.
OLAF is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, but has statutory independence in the conduct of investigations. The implementation of its investigative function is monitored by a Supervisory Committee made up of five independent persons external to the European Commission.
The legal framework laying down the objectives and tasks of OLAF as well as its functioning may be found in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1). For more information on OLAF, as well as its organisation chart, please see: https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/european-anti-fraud-office_en.
The Principal Adviser will be based in Brussels.

We propose

The function of Principal Adviser is to ensure overall strategic advice to the Director-General of OLAF on the conceptualisation, design, implementation and quality assurance of OLAF’s activities and investigative policies, within the framework set by the Directorate-General’s mission statement and annual work programme.
Operating under the direct supervision of the Director-General, the Principal Adviser will be asked to provide legal expertise and issue opinions on the priorities of OLAF’s investigative policies as well as OLAF’s investigative activities. He/She will ensure that DG OLAF’s activities are carried out in a legally sound manner to protect the European Union’s financial interests.
The Principal Adviser will also advise the Director-General of OLAF on the internal management of OLAF, focusing on the human and financial management of the Directorate-General.
Upon request of the Director-General, the Principal Adviser may represent OLAF in internal and external meetings and events relevant to the Directorate-General.
It is a temporary assignment for four years and can be extended once for a maximum period of 2 years.

We look for

The ideal candidate will be an outstanding and dynamic professional who should fulfil the following selection criteria:






(a)



Technical expertise and experience, and in particular:






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Excellent knowledge of the role of OLAF, its mission, competencies, rules and procedures as well as of the context within which OLAF operates;










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Good knowledge of the institutional and legal framework of the European Union and of the working methods of the European Commission;










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A very good understanding of the investigative process in anti-fraud cases and of mechanisms to ensure its efficiency and legality, including of the principal legal and practical issues which can occur in the fight against fraud and criminal proceedings in this area;










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Very good knowledge of and practical experience in budgetary, financial and human resources management issues.














(b)



Communication/analytical and other skills, and in particular:






—


Strong analytical skills, including the ability to solve organisational and operational problems as well as demonstrated sound judgement and the ability to work under pressure;










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Excellent interpersonal, communication and networking skills necessary to establish contacts and liaise effectively within OLAF and the Commission services, with other EU Institutions and OLAF’s partners in Member States, third countries and international organisations.














(c)



Advisory experience, and in particular:






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Excellent capacity to develop overall strategies and to translate them into practical proposals for action;










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Proven experience in providing expert advice and issue opinions at strategic level;










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Strong negotiating skills, the ability to discuss effectively with internal and external stakeholders at a high level, including solid experience in coordinating and/or negotiating at inter-institutional or international level;










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The ability to work in absolute discretion and to demonstrate sound situational judgement in matters concerning sensitive information.








The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid security clearance certificate (EU SECRET) from his/her national security authority (a personal security clearance is an administrative decision following completion of a security screening conducted by the individual’s competent national security authority in accordance with applicable national security laws and regulations, and certifying that an individual may be allowed to access classified information up to a specified level. Note that the necessary procedure for obtaining a security clearance can be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate).

Candidates must (eligibility requirements)

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






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Nationality: candidates must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.










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University degree or diploma: candidates must have:






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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 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 be in a field closely related to this post.










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Management experience: at least 5 years of the postgraduate professional experience must have been gained in a policy or advisory function at high level (2) in a field relevant for this position.










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Languages: candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (3) 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: candidates must 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 47 of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union (4)).




In addition, candidates have to have fulfilled any obligations imposed by law concerning military service; produce appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of their duties and be physically fit to perform their duties.

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.

Equal opportunities

The European Commission applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (5).

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 (6)). 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 2(a) 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 (7).
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.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up his/her duties, the Principal Adviser will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to declare any interests, which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

Application procedure

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all eligibility requirements (‘Candidates must’), particularly concerning the types of diploma, high-level professional experience as well as linguistic capacity required. Failure to meet any of the eligibility requirements means an automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.
If you want to apply, you must register via the internet on the following website and follow the instructions concerning the various stages of the procedure:
https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/human-resources/seniormanagementvacancies/
You must have a valid email address. This will be used to confirm your registration as well as to remain in contact with you during the different stages of the procedure. Therefore, please keep the European Commission informed about any change in your email address.
To complete your application, you need to upload a CV in PDF format and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Your CV and letter of motivation may be submitted in any of the official languages of the European Union.
Once you have finished your online registration, you will receive an electronic mail confirming that your application has been registered. If you do not receive a confirmation mail with a registration number, 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 email to: HR-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 19 July 2019, 12.00 noon Brussels time, following which registration is no longer possible.
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 candidates

Candidates are reminded that the work of the different selection panels is confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with their individual members or for anybody to do so on their behalf. All queries must be addressed to the secretariat of the relevant panel.

Protection of personal data

The Commission will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (8). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.


(1)  Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1).

(2)  In their curriculum vitae, candidates should clearly indicate for all years and each role during which high level advisory experience has been acquired: (1) title and exact role of each positions held; (2) numbers of hierarchical layers above; and (3) number of peers.

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

(4)  http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

(5)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140701&from=EN

(6)  https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/compilation-of-the-senior-official-policy-at-the-european-commission_en.pdf

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

(8)  Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39).