Publication of a vacancy for the Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF) (Temporary Agent – Grade AD 14) – COM/2022/20071
Date: 2022-01-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security, European Commission
Subjects: European Training Foundation, administrator, competition (EU), job vacancy, managing director, servant (EU)








CA2022039EN.01000101.xml










26.1.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 39/1






Publication of a vacancy for the Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF)
(Temporary Agent – Grade AD 14)
COM/2022/20071
(2022/C 39 A/01)
 

We are

The European Training Foundation (ETF) is a European Union agency, established through Council Regulation (EEC) No 1360/90 of 7 May 1990 recast in 2008 (1). It provides information, advice and support on human capital development to the EU Member States and partner countries, as well as the European Commission, in the framework of the Union’s external policies.
Since 1994, the ETF is a centre of expertise in the development and reform of vocational education and training in a lifelong learning perspective, promoting the development of human capital and, thus, fostering sustainable growth and social inclusion. The ETF works primarily in the candidate and neighbourhood countries, Central Asia and in support to the EU-African Union initiative.
Specific details on the objectives and functions of the ETF are set out in the abovementioned Regulation and more information can be found on the website on the ETF: http://etf.europa.eu/
The ETF is located in Turin, Italy, and has a staff of around 130.

We propose

The Director is the legal representative and public face of the ETF and is accountable to the Governing Board. Their duties and responsibilities include:






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Development and achievement of strategic objectives in the area of ETF responsibilities and in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Regulation;










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Preparation and implementation of annual and multiannual work programmes in the framework of the ETF Strategy 2027;










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Day-to-day management of ETF staff, including recruitment;










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Preparation and organisation of Governing Board meetings and implementation of Governing Board decisions;










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Preparation and execution of ETF budget, ensuring that it is managed efficiently and according to the principles of sound financial management;










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Facilitation of cooperation between ETF, the European institutions, Member States and other stakeholders;










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Communication with the public in relation to all matters within ETF mission.




These tasks are described in the Regulation establishing the ETF, in particular in Article 10.

We look for (Selection criteria)

The successful candidate should have:

Management skills







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Proven capacity to lead an organisation, at both strategic and management level in a European, multicultural and multilingual environment;










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Excellent capacity to develop, communicate and implement a strategy for the ETF, ensuring a successful delivery of the mandate of the agency;










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Proven track record of leading and managing change in a large organisation, in a context of stable or diminishing resources;





Specialist skills and experience







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Proven track record in financial and human resources management in a national, European and/or international context;










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Knowledge of the EU Staff and Financial Regulations and functioning of EU Institutions or experience with similar legal frameworks within national or international organisations;










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Knowledge and experience of EU policies and international activities of relevance to the activities of the ETF in particular on policy development and ability to take a holistic approach concerning vocational education and training, skills and qualifications, labour market and/or external relations with ETF partner countries (Candidate countries, European Neighbourhood, Central Asia) and in the context of the EU-African Union partnership;





Personal qualities







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Ability to communicate and cooperate fluently and efficiently and build good working relations with various internal and external stakeholders (European, international, national and local authorities, international organisations, social partners, etc.), and to represent the ETF in international fora;










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Excellent interpersonal skills and experience in networking.





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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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 1 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 (2) at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must be in the area of the activities of the Agency.










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Management experience: at least 5 years of the post-graduate professional experience must have been gained in a high-level management function (3) 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 (4) 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 be able to complete, at the deadline for application, the full mandate of 5 years before reaching the retirement age. For temporary staff of the European Union, the 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 (5)).





Selection and appointment

The Director will be appointed by the Governing Board of the ETF on the basis of a shortlist provided by the European Commission.
To establish this shortlist, the European Commission organises a selection in accordance with its selection and recruitment procedures (see the Document on Senior Officials Policy (6)).
As part of this selection procedure, the European Commission sets up a pre-selection panel. This panel analyses all applications, proceeds with a first eligibility verification and identifies candidates having the best profile in view of the selection criteria mentioned above, and who may be invited for an interview with the pre-selection panel.
Following these interviews, the pre-selection panel draws up its conclusions and proposes a list of candidates for further interviews with the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA). The CCA, taking into consideration the conclusions of the pre-selection panel, will decide on the candidates to be invited for an interview.
Candidates who are called for an interview with the CCA participate in a full-day management assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants. Taking account of the results of the interview and the report of the assessment centre, the CCA establishes a shortlist of candidates it considers suitable to exercise the function of Director of ETF.
Candidates on the CCA shortlist will be interviewed by the Member(s) of the Commission responsible for the Directorate-General in charge of the relations with the Agency (7).
Following these interviews, the European Commission adopts a shortlist of at least three of the most suitable candidates, which will be communicated to the Members of the Governing Board. The latter may decide to interview the candidates before appointing the Director from among the candidates on the Commission shortlist. Inclusion on this shortlist does not guarantee appointment.
In accordance with the Article 10 of the Regulation establishing the ETF ((EC) No 1339/2008), the candidate selected by the Governing Board shall be invited to make a statement before the competent committee(s) of the European Parliament and answer questions put by its/their members.

Equal opportunities

The European Commission and ETF apply a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (8).

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.
The successful candidate will be engaged by the ETF as a Temporary Agent at grade AD 14 (9)). She/he will be classified depending on the length of their previous professional experience in step 1 or step 2 within that grade.
She/he will be appointed for an initial mandate of 5 years, with a possible prolongation for a maximum 3 years according to the Regulation establishing the Agency as applicable at the time of appointment.
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.
The place of employment is Turin, Italy, where ETF is based.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up their duties, the Director 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 their 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, preferably using the Europass CV format (10), and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Your CV and your 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, your application has not been registered!

Please note that it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application online. 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 23 February 2022, 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 (11). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.


(1)  Regulation (EC) No 1339/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 establishing a European Training Foundation (recast) (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 82).

(2)  Professional experience is only taken into consideration if it represents an actual work relationship defined as real, genuine work, on a paid basis and as employee (any type of contract) or provider of a service. Professional activities pursued part-time shall be calculated pro rata, on the basis of the certified percentage of full-time hours worked. Maternity leave/parental leave/leave for adoption is taken into consideration if it is in the framework of a work contract. PhDs are assimilated to professional experience, even when unpaid, but for a duration of 3 years maximum, provided that the PhD has been successfully completed. A given period may be counted only once.

(3)  In their curriculum vitae, candidates should clearly indicate for all years during which management experience has been acquired: (1) title and role of management positions held; (2) numbers of staff overseen in these positions; (3) the size of budgets managed; (4) numbers of hierarchical layers above and below; and (5) number of peers.

(4)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01958R0001-20130701

(5)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140701

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

(7)  Unless the Member of the Commission concerned, in line with the Commission Decision of 5 December 2007 (PV(2007) 1811) and 30 September 2020 (PV(2020) 2351), has delegated this task.

(8)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140701

(9)  The correction coefficient applicable to the remuneration and pensions of officials and other servants of the European Union for ETF is set at 95 % as from 1 July 2021. This coefficient is subject to an annual revision.

(10)  You can find information on how to create your Europass CV online at: https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv

(11)  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).