Call for expressions of interest – Auditors (NGEU programme) – Temporary staff (AD 5 to AD 7)
Date: 2022-02-25
Institutions: European Court of Auditors
Subjects: competition (EU), job vacancy, member of the Court of Auditors (EU), recruitment, servant (EU)








CA2022089EN.01000101.xml










25.2.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 89/1






CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Auditors (NGEU programme)
Temporary staff (AD 5 to AD 7)
(2022/C 89 A/01)
 

WHO WE ARE

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) was established in 1975 as the European Union’s external auditor. One of the EU’s seven institutions, it is based in Luxembourg and employs around 900 audit, support and administrative staff of all EU nationalities.
The ECA operates as a collegiate body of 27 Members, one from each EU Member State. Our auditors check that the EU keeps good accounts and correctly applies its financial rules, and that its policies and programmes achieve their intended objectives and deliver value for money.
Through our work, we can make a difference by helping the EU to make a better use of its money. We contribute to improving the EU’s financial management and promote accountability and transparency. We warn of risks, provide assurance, indicate shortcomings and successes and offer guidance to EU policymakers and legislators. We present our observations and recommendations to the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, and national governments and parliaments, as well as the general public.
The ECA is divided into ten audit and administrative directorates functioning with flexible task-based teams. The audit directorates, organised into five chambers, deal with different policy areas to which staff are assigned according to the priorities stemming from the work programme.






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Chamber I — Sustainable use of natural resources










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Chamber II — Investment for cohesion, growth and inclusion










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Chamber III — External action, security and justice










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Chamber IV — Regulation of markets and competitive economy










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Chamber V — Financing and administering the union




Knowledge management and developing appropriate expertise are key to our audit work, which also involves travelling to EU and third countries worldwide. The ECA offers a stimulating learning environment that provides for professional development opportunities.

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING

In addition to being a modern and dynamic organisation striving for and promoting excellence, professionalism, transparency and integrity, we define ourselves as a diverse, flexible and equitable institution which offers every individual the opportunity to maximise their talent. Through our individual and collective involvement in the ECA’s activities and our ambitious training programme, our aim is to make the ECA an intellectually stimulating workplace, and a learning-based organisation that relies on institutional knowledge and motivated and well-trained people to serve the EU and its citizens.
Our auditors receive support for acquiring and maintaining professional qualifications, participating in postgraduate programmes, attending internal and external courses, and attending conferences. We recognise and reward performance through empowerment, performance and knowledge management awards, leadership development programmes, and other learning and development opportunities.
We are an EU institution on a human scale: this facilitates integration, allows for easier interaction, and encourages teamwork. We offer flexible working hours and teleworking, also from outside the place of residence. Our premises are equipped with all the necessary facilities to make your life easier and more enjoyable (canteen, cafeteria, sports room, gym, dry-cleaner’s, meditation room).
We value diversity and inclusion, promote equal opportunities, and ensure a respectful working environment based on open communication, dialogue, and mutual trust. Staff engagement, well-being and greening are important pillars of our internal policies.
This call for expressions of interest is being launched with a view to attracting talented professionals whose work will help citizens gain a better understanding of how the ECA fulfils its role and promotes robust financial governance.
The purpose is to establish a reserve list of auditors who may be offered contracts as temporary employees of the institution, depending on the available posts and operational needs.
The successful candidates whose names appear on the reserve list will be recruited under the provisions of Article 2(a) or Article 2(b) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the EU (CEOS) (1) for an initial period of four years.
The initial contract will be subject to a probationary period of nine months.
Depending on evolving operational needs and the interest of the service, the ECA may organise internal competitions for its staff in accordance with Article 4 of the Staff Regulations.
The newly recruited auditors will follow appropriate training and be fully integrated within existing audit teams.
The grade of recruitment will be determined by the employee’s professional experience since obtaining the diploma mentioned in section 2 ‘Qualifications’), calculated up to the date of recruitment:






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AD 5 for professional experience of between two and four years










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AD 6 for professional experience of between four and six years










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AD 7 for professional experience of more than six years




The currently basic monthly salary for:






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grade AD 5 (step 1) is EUR 5 010,72










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grade AD 6 (step 1) is EUR 5 669,29










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grade AD 7 (step 1) is EUR 6 414,44




Under the conditions laid down in the CEOS, and depending on individual circumstances and household composition, certain allowances may be added to the basic salary, which is subject to EU tax and exempt from national tax.
The provisions guiding the calculation of these allowances can be consulted in the CEOS.
The EU institutions have their own pension and health systems, for which contributions are deducted from staff salaries at source.
Staff may enrol their children at the European Schools free of charge.

WHAT TASKS CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM

The recruited auditors will:






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Design and carry out audits according to internationally recognised standards, including:






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drawing up audit plans based on sound audit approaches;










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implementing audit procedures and documenting audit work in a timely manner;










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collecting, checking and analysing complex data and using digital tools;










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drafting and communicating audit findings, reports and opinions.














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Provide expertise and support in knowledge management, specific policy areas and audit methodology.










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Contribute to maintaining and developing the ECA’s relations with external stakeholders at national, EU and international level.










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Collect and analyse documents, information and data from a wide variety of sources.




The recruited auditors will mainly be involved in tasks relating to the audit of the NextGenerationEU recovery plan (NGEU) and its main component, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, in the following fields/areas (2):






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structural reform programmes and technical assistance;










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project management/implementation of large investment projects, in particular in the areas of digitalisation, public infrastructure, environmental investments, technical assistance, financial operations;










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public and finance law (EU and national), particularly in relation to state aid, public procurement, fraud detection and prevention, conflicts of interest;










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audit, evaluation and control of public policies, including large infrastructure projects, digitalisation, environmental projects, technical assistance, financial operations, own resources;










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digital economics and finance;










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environmental policies and economics;










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labour and social policies;










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portfolio management, banking and capital markets, green finance (bond issuance, origination, syndication, trading, structuring, research, etc.);










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macroeconomic and economic surveillance and forecasting;










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fiscal policies, taxation, environmental taxation;










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public sector reform and change management strategies, public sector governance, HR management.





WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

I.   ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
1.   Legal requirements

In accordance with Article 12(2) of the CEOS, candidates must, on the date of their application:






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be a national of one of the EU’s Member States;










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enjoy their full rights as citizens;










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have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the recruitment laws concerning military service; and










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meet the character requirements for the duties involved.




2.   Qualifications

By the date of the deadline for the submission of applications, and in accordance with Article 10(1) CEOS and Article 5.3 of the Staff Regulations, applicable by analogy to temporary staff, candidates must have a university diploma obtained after completing at least three years of studies or, where justified in the interests of the service, a professional diploma of equivalent level.
Please note that only diplomas and professional qualifications that have been awarded or recognised in EU (or former EU) Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by the authorities of one of these Member States will be taken into consideration.
3.   Professional experience

We are looking for applicants who, by the deadline, will be able to demonstrate at least two years of relevant (3) professional experience in one or more fields/areas of expertise relevant to the NGEU (see the information given under ‘What tasks can I expect to perform’).
4.   Knowledge of languages







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Thorough knowledge (minimum level C1 in understanding, speaking and writing) of one EU official language.










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As English and French are the ECA’s working languages, a satisfactory knowledge of one of these languages (minimum level B1 in understanding, speaking and writing) is required. If the candidate’s mother tongue is English or French, a satisfactory knowledge of the other working language (minimum level B1 in understanding, speaking and writing) is required.




To assess your foreign language skills, see:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-2-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-self-assessment-grid
II.   SELECTION CRITERIA
(i)   Skills







(a)


Capacity to collect, synthesise and analyse information










(b)


Problem-solving










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Communication skills










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Flexibility to work in a task-based organisation and an international environment










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Capacity to work independently and in teams










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Resilience and motivation










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Priority-setting, planning and organising










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Capacity to coordinate projects involving a variety of stakeholders




(ii)   Assets

A Master’s degree (MSc) in any of the activity fields of the ECA’s audit chambers (please refer to the description under ‘Who we are’) and/or a professional qualification in the field of audit (ACCA, CIA or other national or international audit qualifications) would be considered an asset.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

(a)   Eligibility check

Applications will be examined against the four eligibility criteria outlined under ‘What we are looking for’ by a selection committee appointed by the ECA authority empowered to conclude contracts of employment (AECCE) (4). Candidates who fail to satisfy any of the eligibility criteria will be excluded from the selection process.
The selection committee will draw up a list in alphabetical order of candidates who meet the four eligibility criteria.
The list of eligible candidates will be valid until 31 December 2023, or longer if extended by the AECCE.
(b)   Assessment phase

The selection committee will identify which of the eligible candidates will be invited for interview. In this it may be assisted by one or more assessors from the ECA’s audit chambers, serving in an advisory capacity.
The purpose of interview is to determine whether the candidates actually meet the requirements for the duties to be performed, and to assess selection criterion (i) ‘Skills’. Selection criterion (ii) ‘Assets’ will be scored immediately after the individual interview, using a pre-established assessment grid.
The nature, content and time frame of the interviews will be agreed by the selection committee and communicated to all the candidates in good time.
(c)   Reserve list

Following the interviews, the selection committee will propose to the AECCE a reserve list of candidates who meet the selection criteria (listed under ‘What we are looking for’). Based on operational needs and the availability of posts, the AECCE may then offer employment to one or more of the successful candidates on the reserve list.
The inclusion of candidates in the reserve list submitted to the AECCE does not in any way constitute an entitlement to recruitment.

APPLICATIONS


The deadline for applications is 12:00 (midday) CET on 25 March 2022.

Applications must be drafted in English or French and submitted only via the online form provided at the bottom of the call for expressions of interest (EN or FR) available on the ECA’s Job Opportunities page (under ‘Open positions’):
https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/JobOpportunities.aspx
Applications must comprise the following documents:






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a letter of motivation










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an up-to-date CV in the Europass format (see http://europa.eu/europass).





Applications which do not strictly comply with these instructions will be rejected.

The selection committee will evaluate applications based solely on the information given in these documents. It may ask candidates to provide supporting evidence for statements made in their applications. If candidates fail to provide such evidence when it is requested, their applications will be rejected.
To ensure that your application is completed on time, we strongly advise you not to wait until the last few hours to apply. Experience has shown that the system may become overloaded as the deadline approaches.

RECRUITMENT POLICY

In line with the ECA’s Diversity & Inclusion policy and Article 1d of the Staff Regulations, the ECA embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. We accept applications without discrimination on any grounds, and we take steps to ensure that recruitment is evenly balanced between women and men, as required by Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. We also take measures to reconcile working life with family life.
If you require any special arrangements (for specific handicap or disability) in order to take part in this selection procedure, please send an email in good time to ECA-Selection@eca.europa.eu.

DATA PROTECTION

The ECA is committed to ensuring that candidates’ personal data are processed in compliance with 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 (5).
For more information, see the specific privacy statement for employment vacancies, available at:
https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/Specific_Privacy_Statement_vacancies/Specific_Privacy_Statement_vacancies_EN.PDF
The reserve list containing the names of candidates who meet the selection criteria set out in this call for expressions of interest will be published on the ECA website (intranet and internet). The list will remain on our website until it is no longer valid. Prior to publication, the successful candidates will be given an opportunity to have their names removed from the published list by sending an email to ECA-Selection@eca.europa.eu. Removing a name from the published list will have no impact on the consideration of that candidate for a possible employment offer.

REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION — COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS — COMPLAINTS TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN

If, at any stage in the selection procedure, you believe that a decision adversely affects you, the following options are available:
I.   Request for the selection committee to reconsider its decision

You may submit a written reasoned request for reconsideration of a decision taken by the selection committee. This request must be sent, within 10 days of notification of the decision, to ECA-Recours@eca.europa.eu
II.   Complaints

Under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations, you may submit a written complaint against the ECA’s decision to reject your application, within three months of being notified thereof, to the following address:





The Secretary-General




European Court of Auditors




12, rue Alcide De Gasperi




L-1615 Luxembourg




LUXEMBOURG




III.   Judicial appeals

Under Article 91 of the Staff Regulations, you may appeal against a decision to reject your complaint, insofar as it adversely affects you, to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The action must be brought by a lawyer within three months of notification of the decision to reject the complaint.
IV.   Complaints to the European Ombudsman

If you believe that the handling of your application has involved maladministration by the ECA, you may submit a complaint to the European Ombudsman, having first contacted the ECA with a view to settling the dispute. You must submit your complaint in writing within two years of discovering the relevant facts. An electronic complaints form is available on the European Ombudsman’s website. Complaining to the European Ombudsman will not suspend the above-mentioned appeal deadlines.


(1)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20220101&from=EN

(2)  Non-exhaustive list.

(3)  ‘Relevant’ professional experience means professional experience acquired as an expert/adviser/specialist/officer/project manager/project leader or equivalent. Experience acquired in a secretarial/clerical/administrative assistant or equivalent position or during an internship will be discounted.

(4)  The composition of the selection committee will be published on the ECA website.

(5)  OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39.