Vacancy notice – European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) – Deputy Executive Director (AD 13) – Ref. eu-LISA/24/TA/AD13/1.1 (external)
Date: 2024-03-12
Institutions: European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
Subjects: Estonia, Northern Estonia, administrator, competition (EU), job vacancy, managing director, recruitment, servant (EU)








C_202401920EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/1920


12.3.2024







            VACANCY NOTICE
         
European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA)
Deputy Executive Director (AD 13)
Ref. eu-LISA/24/TA/AD13/1.1 (external)
(C/2024/1920)







Sector, Unit and Department


Executive Director




Contract Duration


Initial contract of 5 years subject to renewal




Function Group/Grade


AD 13 (Temporary Staff)




Place of Employment


Tallinn (Estonia)




Level of Security Clearance (1)



SECRET UE/EU SECRET




Deadline for Application


11 April 2024 at 12:59 pm Tallinn time / 11:59 am Strasbourg time





About the Agency

We are eu-LISA, the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (2). We are proud to design, develop and operate large-scale information systems at the heart of Schengen, in the area of internal security, border management and judicial cooperation.
Our core mission is to keep Europe safe through technology, operating IT systems and providing services related to EU Justice and Home affairs policies. We aim to help the EU Citizens feel safe, protected, free, fairly treated and part of a united Europe.
Join eu-LISA and become part of our organisational culture that is based on making an impact together, an inclusive and diverse human-centric working environment and a fun place to work.
We want our people to feel respected, valued and empowered. ‘Together as one, we are making it happen’. With a workforce consisting of more than 24 different nationalities, we embrace an international work environment where you can collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds. With regards to our selection procedures, we guarantee equal opportunities and accept applications without distinction on grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion, or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, or age.
We believe in creating a positive and enjoyable work environment for our people and we take pride in nurturing a work environment that values and recognises the contributions of our team members. As an organisation, we understand the importance of employee recognition in driving motivation and creating a fulfilling workplace.
Feel free to visit our website (3) and discover more about eu-LISA’s core activities.

About the job

eu-LISA is proud to contribute to the digitalisation of Europe’s Justice and Home Affairs space and we are dedicated to supporting our stakeholders through our knowledge and our skills to deliver and manage large-scale digital systems. These priorities have guided the work of our Agency for #ASaferEurope and our relentless commitment to tangible results and excellence. Our efforts focus on really making a difference to our stakeholders by bringing notable improvements, through new digital services and systems delivered at level of best practices in the industry.
In the role of the Deputy Executive Director, you will work closely with the Executive Director to help shape and steer the Agency. You will be expected to focus in particular on compliance, risk and corporate management efforts. This is in order to achieve the required objective of compliance of our activities by building and implementing effective processes safeguarding the activities of the Agency, as well as its reputation and credibility with Member States, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council, our supervisory bodies such as the European Court of Auditors, and European Data Protection Supervisor, our stakeholders and partners in the eco-system (including carriers, border crossing operators and industry providers) as well as with our users. The latter include border guards, police officers and ultimately those we aim to serve, EU citizens.
In close coordination with the Agency’s Data Protection Officer, and Internal Audit Capability, you will enhance processes to further promote the Agency’s full compliance with its data protection and data privacy regulatory framework and objectives and improve its robustness and resilience in terms of risk management. Reporting to the Executive Director of eu-LISA you will actively dedicate your talent to empower eu-LISA to achieve both its operational and compliance objectives, enhance its legal capabilities, better manage its corporate risks and answer stakeholders’ and supervisory bodies’ needs.
You are passionate about impact and have a proven record for managing international teams and you have effectively implemented new processes and organisational changes. Your tasks will include a variety of duties, but not be limited to the following:

Main duties:







—


Assisting the Executive Director and replacing the Executive Director during their absence;










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Strengthening the Agency’s capacity with corporate risk and compliance management efforts, especially regarding procurement and contract management;










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Managing and guiding the Agency to be compliant to relevant standards and regulations while at the same time achieving its operational goals and meeting business needs;










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Overseeing the Agency’s corporate risk assessment and risk management framework, as well as enhancing and implementing effective corporate risk management processes;










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Guiding and giving general counsel on implementing legal requirements, steering efforts to consolidate the Agency’s legal capabilities;










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In close coordination with the Agency’s Data Protection Officer and Internal Audit Capability, enhancing processes to further promote compliance with data protection and data privacy regulations and objectives and improving the Agency’s overall robustness and resilience in terms of risk management;










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Liaising with external supervisory bodies, e.g. European Court of Auditors, as well as representing the Agency vis-à-vis the European Commission, European Parliament, the Council, and other relevant EU bodies and Member States and other stakeholders;










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Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with the governance bodies of eu-LISA, i.e. the Management Board, the Audit, Compliance and Finance Committee, the Programme Management Boards and the Advisory Groups;










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Preparing and implementing the procedures, decisions, strategies, programmes and activities adopted by the Management Board, within the limits specified by the founding Regulation, its implementing rules and any applicable law;










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Contributing to the day-to-day management of the Agency, including overseeing corporate activities, supervising the implementation of internal policies, procedures and guidelines that ensure the functioning in accordance with the eu-LISA Regulation and following guidance of the Executive Director;










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Overseeing the preparation of strategic, operational and reporting documents and supervising their implementation;










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Promoting public relations matters, representing the Agency in public speaking events and cultivating the positive image of the Agency;










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Implementing any other tasks attributed or delegated by the Executive Director.





Eligibility

To be eligible, you need to meet the following formal criteria, which need to be fulfilled by the deadline for application:

General conditions:







—


Nationality of one of the EU Member States or Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland and you enjoy full rights as a citizen (4);










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Produced the appropriate character requirements for the duties involved;










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Physically fit to perform your duties;










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Fulfilled any obligations imposed on you by the laws concerning military service.





Education:







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Level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is (4) four years or more (5)

OR










—


a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies when the normal period of university education is at least three (3) years attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one (1) year.





Professional experience:







—


You have acquired at least fifteen (15) years of proven full-time professional experience relevant to the duties after the award of the qualification certifying the completion of the level of studies required as a condition of eligibility as above










—


Management experience: at least five (5) years of the post-graduate professional experience must have been gained in a high–level management function (6) in a field relevant for this position.





Languages:







—


Thorough knowledge of one of the 24 EU official languages (minimum at a C1 level (7)) and










—


Satisfactory knowledge of another EU official language (minimum at a B2 level (8)) to the extent necessary to perform the duties.





Selection criteria

The suitability of candidates will be assessed against the following criteria during different stages of the selection procedure.

Leadership skills:







—


Ability to set and revise objectives for the Agency together with the Executive Director and Management Board within the overall strategic framework and priorities of the Agency;










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Ability to determine and focus on priorities and to monitor and evaluate the progress made towards achieving the Agency’s objectives set, in cooperation with the Executive Director and Management Board;










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Ability to translate the strategy or operational policies into measurable objectives and develop well-organised plans along logical stages and based on priorities;










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Excellent understanding of change management principles with the ability to articulate and inspire teams to navigate organisational transformations;










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Excellent people management skills with the ability to empower staff while ensuring that they understand what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the Agency’s objectives;










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Ability to lead, motivate and develop the potential of a team with multinational and multidisciplinary backgrounds;










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Ability to motivate staff to achieve the desired results and also to provide regular feedback, acknowledge success and the need for improvement in order to enable them to achieve their objectives and greatest potential;










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Ability to handle budgetary resources and organising work, resources and procedures to achieve operational efficiencies and value for money.





Professional experience and knowledge:







—


Your professional experience: candidates having solid experience similar to those duties outlined in the section ‘About the job’, preferably obtained in the space of technologies/IT systems. The selection committee will assess the range of fields covered, the length, the type and level of work done and its relevance to the areas of work listed in ‘About the job’;










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Very good insight into overall stakeholder landscape of eu-LISA and solid understanding of the internal and external stakeholders’ requirements and interests;










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Proven record of implementing and managing transformative strategies that resulted in positive organisational change and leading teams through significant organisational developments;










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A proven track record of developing and setting up processes and structures across various fields of activities;










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Good knowledge of the administrative and public sector financial circuits according to the principles laid down in the EU Financial Regulation (9).





Language:







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Strong drafting and communication skills in English, both orally and in writing, at least at the C1 (10) level.





Personal competencies:







—


Ability to act upon eu-LISA’s values (11) and guiding principles (We get the job done — We take ownership — We are all role models — We act together as one);










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Proven capacity to analyse complex information, to consider options in a clear and structured way, to propose and implement recommendations and to make sound decisions;










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Ability to communicate clearly and present complex subjects simply, both orally and in writing;










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Ability to make timely decisions, to reprioritise tasks responding to changes in a rapidly changing work environment;










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Ability to promote appropriate social, ethical and organisational standards in all interactions, internally and externally;










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Ability to proactively establish regular contact with all stakeholders;










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Ability to solicit inputs from and listen to staff, partners, and stakeholders while steering discussions and generate the best possible results without compromising productive working relationships with the other parties involved.





Application process and next steps


Ready to join us in building a safer Europe? Apply now!

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all eligibility requirements.
Please complete your application form via the e-recruitment platform: https://erecruitment.eulisa.europa.eu/en
Your application should contain personal details, educational background, professional experience, language proficiency, motivation letter, and responses to pre-screening questions. The quality of the information provided by the candidate in their application is of utmost importance. Candidates are requested to support their application with adequate, concise examples of their work experience and qualification, especially if not directly addressed in the duties listed in the application under professional experience.
It is in your interest to ensure that your application is accurate, thorough, and truthful. The deadline for submitting your application is 
               11 April 2024
             at 12:59 pm Tallinn time / 11:59 am Strasbourg time.
If at any stage of the selection procedure it is established that any of the requested information provided by a candidate is false, they will be disqualified.
If a candidate reaches the final shortlist stage, they will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements that they made for this application.
If you encounter any difficulties during the application process or have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Talent Acquisition Service. Feel free to send an email to eulisa-RECRUITMENT@eulisa.europa.eu

Join our diverse team, where you will have the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally while enjoying the journey.


Selection procedure

The selection procedure includes the following steps:






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A Selection Committee, designated by the Appointing Authority, is established for the selection procedure;










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Each application is checked to verify whether the candidate meets the eligibility criteria;










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All eligible applications are evaluated by the Selection Committee based on the selection criteria defined in the Vacancy Notice;










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The best-qualified candidates are invited for an interview including a presentation and a written competency test (12);










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To be included in the preliminary shortlist, a candidate must receive at least 70 % of the maximum points from the evaluation by the Selection Committee of the interview (including presentation) and the written test;










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Candidates included in the preliminary shortlist by the Selection Committee will be invited to an Assessment Centre, carried out by an external provider. The Assessment Centre is tentatively planned for calendar weeks 20 to 21;










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A report is produced by the external provider for each candidate that completed the Assessment Centre and shared with the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee takes into account the non-binding opinion of the Assessment Centre;










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The Selection Committee draws up a ranked list of the most suitable candidates for the position in order to allow the Executive Director to submit a final list of at least three (3) candidates to the Management Board with a recommendation;










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On the proposal of the Executive Director, the Management Board will appoint the Deputy Executive Director. The Management Board may decide to interview the candidates before appointing the Deputy Executive Director from among the candidates proposed by the Executive Director. The Management Board shall take its decision by a two-thirds majority of its members;










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The candidate appointed by the Management Board will be offered a job by the Executive Director;










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The interview and the written test as well as Assessment Centre activities are conducted in English. In case English is the mother tongue of a candidate, some interview or test questions will be in the language they indicate as their second EU language in the application form;










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Each candidate invited for an interview will be informed whether or not they have been placed on the preliminary shortlist. Inclusion to the shortlist does not guarantee engagement.




The Selection Committee’s work and deliberations are strictly confidential. Any contact with its members is strictly prohibited.

Engagement and conditions of employment

The selected candidate will be engaged by the Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of employment. For reasons related to eu-LISA’s operational requirements, once the candidate receives an engagement offer, they may be required to accept the offer within a short timeframe and be available to start the contract at short notice (1-3 months) from the date the Agency receives an opinion on the outcome of the pre-recruitment medical examination.
The successful candidate will be engaged as Temporary Staff, pursuant to Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities (CEOS) (13). The Temporary Staff post will be placed in Function Group AD, Grade 13, in the first or second step, depending on the length of professional experience.
The remuneration of a staff member consists of a basic monthly salary (currently EUR 14 790,98 for step 1, and EUR 15 412,50 for step 2 (14)) weighed by the correction coefficient (
               98,9 % for Tallinn, Estonia) and paid in EUR (15). In addition to the basic salary, staff members may be entitled to various allowances depending on their personal situation. eu-LISA staff members pay an EU tax at source and deductions are made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance. Salaries are exempt from national taxation. Staff members may also be entitled to the reimbursement of removal costs and an initial temporary daily subsistence allowance.
Please consult our website for an overview on what we offer (16).The initial duration of the contract is five (5) years, including a probationary period of nine (9) months, with the possibility of one contract renewal for another period not exceeding five years.
The selected candidate will need to have, or be in a position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (SECRET UE/EU SECRET level).
A Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC) is defined as a certificate issued by a competent authority establishing that an individual is security cleared and holds a valid national or EU PSCC, which shows the level of EU Classified Information (EUCI) (17) to which that individual may be granted access (SECRET UE/EU SECRET), the date of validity of the relevant PSC and the date of expiry of the certificate itself.
Candidates who hold a valid security clearance must provide a copy of their security clearance and specify the issuing authority, level and date of expiry. In case the validity of their security clearance expires within six months, the renewal procedure will be initiated expeditiously.
The necessary procedure for obtaining a PSCC can be initiated by request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate.
Failure to obtain the required security clearance certificate from the appointed candidate’s National Security Authority, either during or after the expiration of the probationary period, will give eu-LISA the right to terminate any applicable employment contract.

Independence and declaration of interest

The selected candidate will be required to sign a declaration of commitment to act in eu-LISA’s best interest and in relation to interests that might be considered prejudicial to her/his independence.

Protection of personal data

eu-LISA ensures that candidates’ personal data is processed in accordance 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 (18).
The legal basis for the selection procedure of Temporary Staff (TA 2(a)) are defined in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities (CEOS) (19).
The purpose of processing personal data is to enable selection procedures.
The selection procedure is conducted under the responsibility of eu-LISA’s Human Resources Unit (HRU). The controller, in practice, for personal data protection purposes is the Head of the Human Resources Unit.
The information provided by the candidates will be accessible for a limited number of authorised HRU personnel, to the Selection Committee, and, if necessary, to the Executive Director, Security and/or the Legal personnel of eu-LISA.
Almost all fields in the Application Form are mandatory; the answers provided by the candidates in the fields marked as optional will not be taken into account to assess their merits.
Processing begins on the date of receipt of the application. eu-LISA’s data storage policy is as follows:






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for applications received but not selected: the paper dossiers are filed and stored in archives for two (2) years after which time they are destroyed;










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for candidates included in a reserve list but not recruited: data is kept for the period of validity of the reserve list + one (1) year after which time it is destroyed;










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for recruited candidates: data is kept for a period of ten (10) years as of the termination of employment or as of the last pension payment after which time it is destroyed.




All candidates may exercise their right of access to and rectification or erasure of their personal data or restriction of processing.
In the case of identification data, candidates can rectify the data at any time during the procedure. In the case of data related to the admissibility criteria, the right of rectification cannot be exercised after the closing date of applications.
Any substantiated query concerning the processing of the candidate’s personal data should be addressed to the eu-LISA’s HRU (eulisa-RECRUITMENT@eulisa.europa.eu).
Candidates may have recourse at any time to eu-LISA’s Data Protection Officer (dpo@eulisa.europa.eu) and/or the European Data Protection Supervisor (edps@edps.europa.eu).

Appeal procedure

If a candidate considers that they have been adversely affected by a particular decision, they can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union, to the following address:





eu-LISA




(European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice)




Vesilennuki 5




10415 Tallinn




ESTONIA




The complaint must be lodged within three (3) months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure starts from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting them.


(1)  Decision nr 2019-273 of the Management Board on the Security Rules for Protecting EU Classified Information in eu-LISA: https://eulisa.europa.eu/AboutUs/Documents/MB%20Decissions/2019-273_EUCI%20rules.pdf

(2)  Regulation (EU) 2018/1726 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 on the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA), and amending Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006 and Council Decision 2007/533/JHA and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1077/2011 (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 99).

(3)  https://www.eulisa.europa.eu/SiteAssets/Discover/default.aspx/

(4)  Prior to an appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a certificate of absence of any criminal record issued by the competent authority.

(5)  Only qualifications awarded in an EU Member State or that are subject to an equivalence certificate issued by an authority in a said EU Member State shall be taken into consideration.

(6)  In the application, 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.

(7)  https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills

(8)  https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills

(9)  Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1).

(10)  Cf. Language levels of the Common European Framework of reference: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr

(11)  https://vimeo.com/360562972

(12)  The Selection Committee has the discretion to choose between remote and on-site interviews/tests as deemed appropriate. For remote interviews, the Selection Committee reserves the right to conduct the interview using an online video interviewing tool for synchronous and/or asynchronous (e.g. recorded) interviews.

(13)  Working conditions of temporary staff in CEOS: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140501

(14)  For the purposes of determining professional experience, the Appointing Authority shall allow 24 months’ additional seniority of step in grade for professional experience equal to or more than the 3 years of professional experience after the degree giving access to the grade.

(15)  The correction coefficient is subject to a regular update.

(16)  https://eulisa.europa.eu/Jobs/What-We-Offer

(17)  Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015 on the security rules for protecting EU classified information (OJ L 72, 17.3.2015, p. 53).

(18)  
            OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39.

(19)  CEOS, in particular the provisions governing conditions of engagement in Title II.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/1920/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)