Vacancy notice CONS/AD/178/22
Date: 2022-03-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Council of the European Union, European Council, Secretary General of an Institution, administrator, communications profession, competition (EU), information profession, job vacancy, managing director, recruitment








CA2022118EN.01000101.xml










14.3.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 118/1






Vacancy notice CONS/AD/178/22
(2022/C 118 A/01)
 

GENERAL INFORMATION







Department


COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION




Place of work


Brussels, Justus Lipsius Building




Title of post


Director-General




Function group and grade


AD 15




Security clearance required


SECRET UE/EU SECRET





DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS




31 March 2022 — 12:00 noon (Brussels time)





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. Under the authority of the Secretary-General, it provides advice and support to the European Council, the Council and their Presidencies in all areas of activity, including policy and legal advice, coordination with other institutions, elaboration of compromises, supervising as well as attending to all the practicalities that are necessary for the good preparation and running of the European Council and the Council.
The Directorate-General for Communication and Information (COMM) communicates and informs on the role and activities of the European Council and the Council. COMM is the interface between the public and these institutions. It offers factually accurate, impartial and timely information about their role and activities and about EU policies.
The Directorate-General COMM comprises two directorates: COMM 1 (Media and Communication), and COMM 2 (Information and Outreach); both of them report to the Director-General.
COMM 1 (Media and Communication) provides advice to the European Council and the Council, their presidents and other related entities such as the Eurogroup. It serves them with communication infrastructure, services and communication and information products of a quality which meet their needs as well as the needs of their media audiences.
COMM 2 (Information and Outreach) is responsible for engaging and informing the public — including through key multipliers such as non-governmental organisations, think tanks, academics, lobbyists, influential bloggers, government officials and students — about the work of our two institutions. The directorate contributes to the institutions' openness and public accountability by keeping records, creating and publishing archives and by implementing the institutions' obligations on legislative transparency and public access to documents.

We propose

The post of Director-General in DG Communication and Information is a challenging position in a politically interesting environment, leading a team of around 230 highly-qualified staff and managing a significant budget.
Under the authority of the Secretary-General and in cooperation with the two COMM Directors, you will manage and coordinate your Directorate-General and its resources in a professional manner, organise its activities and support and motivate staff in their work. You will develop and implement the strategy and work programme of the Directorate-General, you will define its objectives and ensure their achievement according to required deadlines and quality standards. You will foster a culture of effective communication and cooperation both within the Directorate-General and with the other Directorates-General, as well as with other GSC services and external stakeholders.
You will provide high-level policy and procedural advice to the Secretary-General as well as to the presidencies of the European Council, the Council and Coreper on all aspects of dossiers falling within the Directorate-General's remit, in particular on the external communication, social media, transparency and outreach policies of the GSC and the institutions and entities it serves.
You will also be required to represent the European Council and the Council in public fora and in negotiations with other EU institutions, agencies and other bodies in the areas within the Directorate-General’s remit. You will chair the Council working party on information.
You will ensure overall strategic coordination, including with other Directorates-General, on policy and objectives to be met.
Occasional missions abroad, usually within the EU, are required.

We look for

We are looking for a manager with the ability to lead and motivate a large multidisciplinary team, preferably with experience in communication, in particular in the field of EU policy-making and EU affairs; and with a good understanding of EU institutional issues. Knowledge of the areas and activities covered by the Directorate-General is an important asset. Sound experience in budget, procurement and contracts would be an advantage.
All GSC managers are expected to advise their hierarchy and stakeholders, manage their staff and financial resources, and represent the GSC. These expectations are set out in the GSC horizontal manager's profile (1).
Furthermore, the jobholder will need to possess:






—


the ability to think and plan strategically, to anticipate and identify potential problems and to propose workable solutions and compromises;










—


excellent communication skills, including interpersonal communication skills;










—


the ability to maintain good working relationships with a range of internal and external interlocutors and the ability to demonstrate diplomacy;










—


leadership skills and the ability to promote a strong team spirit and to give guidance, and the ability to motivate and empower staff in a multicultural and diverse environment, with a strong emphasis on staff development;










—


the ability to plan and organise the overall work of the Directorate-General so as to meet critical deadlines and ensure a fair distribution of workload within the team, as well as the ability to manage change and support staff through change;










—


the ability to reach agreements, ensure impact and pursue common goals, by providing targeted advice to stakeholders and by effectively and constructively facilitating discussions.




Given that the GSC has a policy of mobility for its managers, who are expected to have broad experience, candidates should be willing and able to work in different areas of activity during their career at the GSC.

RECRUITMENT POLICY

Applicants must meet the following requirements 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







—


hold a university degree (2);










—


have at least fifteen years of relevant professional experience;










—


have at least three years’ experience in a senior management role in the domain of EU policies;










—


given that English and French 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 is required. Knowledge of other official languages of the EU would be an asset.









NB:







(1)


This post requires security clearance allowing access to classified documents (SECRET UE/EU SECRET level). Candidates applying for the post must be prepared to undergo security screening under Council Decision 2013/488/EU (3). 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.










(2)


The successful candidate must be prepared to follow the GSC management training.





SELECTION PROCEDURE

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, run by external recruitment consultants. Reports established by the assessment centre for the same type of post 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 those candidates who, in its opinion, are most suitable 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 notice does not guarantee an invitation to the first interview. From among the interviewed candidates, the advisory selection board will pre-select candidates to attend the assessment centre as well as a second interview with the advisory selection board.
The provisional planning for the selection procedure is as follows:






—


it is expected that candidates selected for the interviews will be informed in the first half of April 2022;










—


the first interviews are foreseen to take place in the second half of April 2022;










—


the assessment centre is expected to take place by the end of April 2022;










—


the second round of interviews is foreseen for the first half of May 2022.





NB: The above schedule is purely indicative and in particular subject to the implications of the restrictive measures put in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

LEGAL BASIS

This post is published in all institutions of the European Union and outside the institutions, in conformity with Article 29, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (4).

HOW TO APPLY

The closing date for applications is 31 March 2022 at 12:00 noon (Brussels time).
Applications will be only accepted by email and must be sent to applications.management@consilium.europa.eu (5) no later than the closing date and time. Late applications will not be considered.

The email address indicated above must be used for any correspondence concerning the selection procedure (the email must have the following reference in the subject line: CONS/AD/178/22 COMM).

Before submitting their application, candidates should carefully check whether they meet the requirements listed above, under ‘Recruitment policy’, in order to avoid automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.
In order to be valid, the application file must include the following documents in pdf (NB: locked, password protected or electronically signed documents will not be accepted):






(a)


the application form duly completed and dated (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) — Application form.pdf’); to download the electronic application form (EN or FR), click on the appropriate link below or copy and paste it into your browser (6):
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/53249/gsc-application_form_senior_management_en.docx
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/53248/gsc-application_form_senior_management_fr.docx










(b)


a detailed curriculum vitae in English or French (no photographs included), 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 (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) — CV.pdf’);










(c)


a supporting letter, in English or French (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) — Supporting letter.pdf’);










(d)


copies of diplomas certifying education and copies of documents and certificates relating to professional experience grouped together in a single pdf document. It is not sufficient to send just the curriculum vitae mentioned under (b). Supporting documents must have been issued by a third party (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) — Supporting documents.pdf’).





Failure to include these documents will render the application invalid.

All the supporting documents referred to under (d), must be numbered (Annex 1, 2, etc.) and grouped as mentioned above.
Applications that arrive by post or via cloud-based data storage solutions or file-share platforms will not be considered.
The successful candidate will be asked to provide the originals of the above documents.
Candidates will receive an email acknowledging receipt of their application. However, technical difficulties affecting the sending of emails can occur. Therefore, if no email acknowledging receipt of the application is received, candidates are asked to contact applications.management@consilium.europa.eu. Since the advisory selection board will begin its work shortly after the closing date for applications, any correspondence about the receipt of the application should be made in the week following that date.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The GSC is committed to diversity and inclusion. For more information please see the relevant statement https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/general-secretariat/jobs/diversity-and-inclusion/.

REEXAMINATION OF APPLICATIONS

The procedures relating to requests for complaints, appeals and referrals to the European Ombudsman are explained in Annex I to this vacancy notice.

DATA PROTECTION

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


(1)  https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/53279/gsc-manager-profile-en.pdf

(2)  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.





(3)  Council Decision 2013/488/EU of 23 September 2013 on the security rules for protecting EU classified information (OJ L 274, 15.10.2013, p. 1).

(4)  Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and the Conditions of Employment of other servants of the European Union, laid down by Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No 259/68, (OJ L 56, 4.3.1968, p. 1), consolidated text available at
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20220101.

(5)  This email address is linked to a functional mailbox and can only process messages with sensitivity option set to ‘Normal’; emails sent with other sensitivity options (e.g. ‘Personal’, ‘Private’, ‘Confidential’) cannot be processed. Please therefore select the ‘Normal’ sensitivity option. Your email must not be greater than 25MB. If your email, together with its attachments, exceeds this maximum size, please split your attachments over a number of emails.

(6)  If you need more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an email to: applications.management@consilium.europa.eu.




ANNEX I
INTERNAL COMPLAINT — JUDICIAL APPEAL — COMPLAINT TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN
If, at any stage of the selection procedure, you are dissatisfied with how your application is handled you have the right to complain.

Internal complaint

Where you receive a decision that you are dissatisfied with you may, within 3 months of the notification of the decision, lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union, to:





Council of the European Union




Legal Advisers to the Administration Unit, ORG 1.F




Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175




1048 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË




Email address: legal.advisersHR@consilium.europa.eu




Replies to such complaints are given in writing by the Appointing Authority within 4 months of the receipt of the complaint. However, if your complaint arrives sufficiently early, it may be possible to have the advisory selection board review the decision that is the object of your complaint and to reply to you on that basis.

Judicial Appeal

If you are dissatisfied with the reply you receive from the Appointing Authority under the internal complaints procedure, 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




LUXEMBOURG





Complaint to the European Ombudsman

After having exhausted all the possibilities for redress at the GSC, in particular the internal complaints procedure under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations, then like any other citizen of the Union, you may lodge a complaint with:





The European Ombudsman




1, avenue du Président Robert Schuman — BP 403




67001 Strasbourg Cedex




FRANCE




under Article 228(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in accordance with the conditions laid down in Decision 94/262/ECAS, EC, Euratom of the European Parliament (1).
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.


(1)  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 (OJ L 113, 4.5.1994, p. 15).





ANNEX II
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 (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).
The legal basis for the selection procedure is the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and Council Decision 2013/488/EU (2). The selection procedure is conducted under the responsibility of the Human Resources Directorate (ORG.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 the members of the Advisory Selection Committee, and, if necessary, to the Legal Advisers’ unit. Administrative information identifying the candidate and/or necessary for 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 consultants 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 emailed to the Office for Selection of Officials at selection.officials@consilium.europa.eu.
Applicants may have recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor (edps@edps.europa.eu).


(1)  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).

(2)  Council Decision 2013/488/EU of 23 September 2013 on the security rules for protecting EU classified information (OJ L 274, 15.10.2013, p. 1).