Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) – Publication of a vacancy for the function of Executive Director (Temporary Agent – Grade AD 14) – COM/2022/20077
Date: 2022-05-23
Institutions: Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security, European Commission
Subjects: European Joint Undertaking, administrator, bio-industry, competition (EU), job vacancy, managing director, public-private partnership, recruitment, servant (EU)








CA2022206EN.01000101.xml










23.5.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CA 206/1






Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)
Publication of a vacancy for the function of Executive Director
(Temporary Agent – Grade AD 14)
COM/2022/20077
(2022/C 206 A/01)
 

We are

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), established by the Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 (1), is a public-private partnership between the European Commission and the Bio-based Industry Consortium (BIC) aimed at supporting sustainability-driven innovation in creating new local value from waste and biomass. It will focus on helping develop sustainable and climate-neutral technologies and replacing non-renewable fossil and mineral resources with biomass and waste to obtain renewable products and nutrients. CBE JU succeeds and replaces the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) established by the Council Regulation (EU) No 560/2014 (2).
CBE JU intends to:






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increase circularity of bio-based systems by developing circular, climate and environment friendly solutions in all life-cycle stages of bio-based products from sourcing to processing to market applications and consumption.










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develop and expand the sustainable sourcing and utilisation of feedstock, including biological residues, side streams and waste streams from for example agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries, forestry, industry and municipal sectors.










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support the development of novel, more efficient and less polluting methods for conversion of biomass into bio-based products through multiscale bio-refinery processing technology.










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create new circular value chains for bio-based products and explore new markets.










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support the reviving and development of rural, coastal and peripheral regions through development of appropriate technological solutions, and involvement and empowerment of local bio-economy actors.




CBE JU will mobilise significant public and private sector resources needed to achieve its objectives and will implement a budget of up to EUR 2 billion. It will have approximately 30 staff members. More information on CBE JU can be found in the Regulation (EU) 2021/2085, notably in its Articles 46-56, as well as on the website of the CBE JU, available at https://www.cbe.europa.eu.

We propose

The Executive Director is the legal representative and public face of the Joint Undertaking. He/she shall perform his/her tasks with independence and shall be accountable to the Governing Board. He/she shall provide leadership and direction across the activities of the CBE JU and will be central to ensuring staff engagement and promoting a positive and healthy work environment.
The Executive Director will take overall responsibility for the CBE JU’s operations, including budget implementation and ensuring the achievement of the Joint Undertaking’s objectives.
The Executive Director will be responsible for the day-to-day management of CBE JU in accordance with the decisions of the Governing Board, and shall be entrusted, among others, with the following tasks:






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preparing and submitting to the Governing Board key documents such as the draft annual budget and the staff establishment plan, the work programme, the consolidated annual activity report;










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acting as interface between the CBE JU and in particular, the Union institutions and other Union bodies and European partnerships. He/she shall also be responsible for coordinating the necessary interaction and information of all the bodies of the CBE JU;










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supervising the calls for proposals, their management and evaluation processes and signing grant agreements for selected proposals;










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implementing the communications policy of the Joint Undertaking;










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overseeing the CBE JU’s internal control system and of its risk assessments and risk management, while also maintaining overall responsibility to protect the financial interests of the Union within the context of its operations;










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appointing and supervising the CBE JU staff, fostering a good team spirit and working environment.




A more detailed description of the tasks can be found in the Regulation (EU) 2021/2085. CBE JU replaced and took over the activities of its predecessor BBI JU on 30 November 2021 and therefore, the tasks of the CBE JU Executive Director will also cover the still ongoing activities of BBI JU.
Without prejudice to the respective competencies of the European Commission and of the Governing Board that includes representatives from the European Commission and industry association, the Executive Director shall assume full responsibility for the tasks entrusted to the Joint Undertaking and shall be subject to the procedure for annual discharge by the European Parliament for the implementation of the budget.

We look for (selection criteria)

The Executive Director of the Joint Undertaking should fulfil the following selection criteria:






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Management skills







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capacity to develop, communicate and execute a forward-looking vision and strategies, to set priorities and implement the Joint Undertaking’s strategic objectives;










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strong achievements as a leader, manager and communicator, involving management of teams and financial resources at a level commensurate with the nature of the Joint Undertaking;










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the ability to lead, care for, manage, and motivate a team including both administrative and technical personnel in a European, multicultural and multilingual context;










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good decision-making skills, including the capacity to deliver impact within fixed budget and timing.














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Specialist skills and experience







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excellent understanding of research and innovation in the bio-economy and its value chains, notably of industrial research and innovation and of the challenges to the deployment of bio-based solutions;










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knowledge of regional, national, intergovernmental and/or European research, development and innovation programmes;










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proven experience in collaboration between different stakeholders in the bio-based R&I, such as industry-academic collaboration;










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a good understanding of the EU institutions, their functioning and interaction as well as EU policies and international activities of relevance to the activities of the Joint Undertaking would be an asset;










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experience in technology transfer, patenting, standardisation, open innovation, publishing (academic) papers, contract negotiations would be an asset.














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Personal qualities







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the ability to communicate fluently and effectively and build good working relations with various internal and external stakeholders;










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excellent interpersonal and networking skills, sense of responsibility and ability to act with tact, political sensitivity and diplomacy;










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a high level of resilience;










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solid experience of negotiating in an international environment.









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: candidate 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 four 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 one year when the normal period of university education is at least three 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 (3) 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 Joint Undertaking).










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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 (4) 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 (5) 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 four years before reaching retirement age. For temporary staff of the European Union, 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 (6)).





Selection and appointment

The Executive Director will be appointed by the Governing Board of the Joint Undertaking on the basis of a shortlist provided by the European Commission. The open and transparent selection procedure will respect the principle of gender equality.
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 (7)).
As part of this selection procedure, the European Commission sets up a pre-selection panel that will, in line with the Regulation establishing the Joint Undertaking, include a representative appointed by each type of members other than the Union of the joint undertaking and one observer appointed by the Governing Board. This pre-selection panel analyses all applications and identifies a number of candidates having the best profile in view of the selection criteria mentioned above, and who may be invited for an interview with the preselection 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 the Executive Director of the Joint Undertaking.
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 Joint Undertaking (8).
Following these interviews, the European Commission adopts a shortlist of the most suitable candidates, which will be communicated to the Governing Board of the Joint Undertaking. The latter may decide to interview the candidates before appointing the Executive Director from among the candidates on the Commission shortlist. Inclusion on this shortlist does not guarantee appointment.
Candidates may be required to undergo further interviews and/or tests in addition to those indicated above. They could also be required to deliver a statement before the relevant committee(s) of the European Parliament.

Equal opportunities

The European Commission and the Joint Undertaking apply a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (9). Applications that could contribute towards more diversity, gender equality and overall geographical balance are welcome. The Council Regulation establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe specifically sets out that the procedure will respect the principle of gender balance, and applications from female candidates are particularly encouraged.

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.
The Executive Director will be appointed by the Governing Board as Temporary Agent at grade AD 14, pursuant to Article 2a and 10 of the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union. He/she will be classified depending on the length of his/her previous professional experience in step 1 or step 2 within that grade.
The successful candidate will be appointed for an initial for a period of four years, with a possible prolongation of a maximum three years.
Applicants should note the requirement under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants for all new staff to successfully complete a probationary period.
The place of employment is Brussels, where CBE JU premises are located.
The post is available from 1 October 2022.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up his/her duties, the Executive Director 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, 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 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 13 June 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)  Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe and repealing Regulations (EC) No 219/2007, (EU) No 557/2014, (EU) No 558/2014, (EU) No 559/2014, (EU) No 560/2014, (EU) No 561/2014 and (EU) No 642/2014 (OJ L 427, 30.11.2021, p. 17).

(2)  Council Regulation (EU) No 560/2014 of 6 May 2014 establishing the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking Text with EEA relevance (OJ L 169, 7.6.2014, p. 130).

(3)  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 three years maximum, provided that the PhD has been successfully completed. A given period may be counted only once.

(4)  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.

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

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

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

(8)  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.

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

(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).