Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking

Publication of a vacancy for the function of Executive Director

(Temporary Agent – Grade AD 14)

COM/2023/20092

(2023/C 130 A/01)

 

We are

The Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) was established by the Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe (1) which entered in force on 30 November 2021, replacing and succeeding the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking established by Regulation (EU) No 642/2014 (2).

EU-Rail is as public-private partnership in the rail sector established pursuant to Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

The objective of EU-Rail is to deliver a high-capacity integrated European railway network by eliminating barriers to interoperability and providing solutions for full integration, covering traffic management, vehicles, infrastructure and services, aiming to achieve faster uptake and deployment of projects and innovations. That should exploit the huge potential for digitalisation and automation to reduce rail’s costs, increase its capacity and enhance its flexibility and reliability, and should be based upon a solid reference functional system architecture shared by the sector, in coordination with the European Union Agency for Railways.

Building on advances in automation and digitalization, EU-Rail aims at speeding up researching, developing and deploying operational and technological innovative solutions to achieve the radical transformation of the rail system and deliver on European Green Deal objectives.

The maximum financial contribution from the European Union to the Joint Undertaking is EUR 600 000 000 over the period 2021 to 2027, with project implementation continuing for a further 4 years after that.

The Joint Undertaking has a total of 29 staff, divided between teams focused on financial management and administration, on programme and project management and on delivery of the System Pillar.

We propose

The function of the Executive Director of the Joint Undertaking.

The Executive Director is the chief executive responsible for the day-to-day management of the Joint Undertaking in accordance with the decisions of the governing board. She/he shall provide the governing board with all information necessary for the performance of its functions. Without prejudice to the respective competencies of the Union institutions and the governing board, the Executive Director shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body.

The Executive Director shall be the legal representative of the Joint Undertaking. She/he shall be accountable to the governing board of the Joint Undertaking.

The Executive Director shall implement the budget of the Joint Undertaking and shall ensure coordination between the different bodies and services of the Joint Undertaking.

The Executive Director is responsible for the design and delivery of the Joint Undertaking’s work programme, to ensure it reaches the goals set out above, while appropriately reflecting the different interests of the Members. She/he plays a leading role in communicating the ongoing work of the Joint Undertaking to all stakeholders.

A more detailed description of the tasks of the Executive Director can be found in Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2085.

We look for (selection criteria)

Management skills

—	Solid leadership skills, ability to lead an important organisation, both at a strategic and at operational management level, in a dynamic and changing scientific and operational environment.

—	Proven capacity and strong track record in managing and steering financial and human resources of a large service, in a national, European and/or international context.

—	Solid experience of negotiating in an international environment.

—	Managerial experience gained in a multicultural and multilingual environment would be an advantage.

Specialist skills and experience

—	Very good understanding of the European Union institutions and how they operate and interact.

—	Sound knowledge of, and/or experience with, Union rail transport policy.

—	Good understanding of research and development in the field of rail and/or transport research and innovation at national, international or European level would be an asset.

—	Experience acquired in a national, European or international public administration would also be an advantage.

Personal qualities

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Ability to communicate efficiently and fluently in a transparent and open manner with internal and external stakeholders, including press, the public, European, international, national and local authorities, international organisations, as well as to represent the Joint Undertaking in external fora.

—	Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to maintain effective working relations with EU institutions and with Member States’ competent authorities to ensure the proper functioning of the Joint Undertaking.

—	Ability to promote the Joint Undertaking’s guiding principles of openness, transparency, independence and scientific excellence.

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:

—	Nationality: candidates must be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.

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University degree or diploma: candidates must have: — either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more; — or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years (this one year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below).

—	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.

—	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 the retirement age. For temporary staff of the European Union, the retirement age is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 47 of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union (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.

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 Regulation (EU) 2021/2085, include a representative appointed by each type of members other than the Union (8) of the Joint Undertaking, and one observer appointed by the governing board.

This panel analyses all applications, proceeds with a first eligibility verification and identifies candidates having the best profile in view of the selection criteria mentioned above, and who may be invited for an interview with the pre-selection panel.

Following these interviews, the pre-selection panel draws up its conclusions and proposes a list of candidates for further interviews with the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA). The CCA, taking into consideration the conclusions of the pre-selection panel, will decide on the candidates to be invited for an interview.

Candidates who are called for an interview with the CCA participate in a full-day management assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants. Taking account of the results of the interview and the report of the assessment centre, the CCA establishes a shortlist of candidates it considers suitable to exercise the function of Executive Director of Europe’s Rail 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.

Following these interviews, the European Commission adopts a shortlist of preferably at least three most suitable candidates, which will be communicated to the governing board of Europe’s Rail 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.

The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid security clearance certificate from his/her national security authority. A personal security clearance is an administrative decision following completion of a security screening conducted by the individual’s competent national security authority in accordance with applicable national security laws and regulations, and certifying that an individual may be allowed to access classified information up to a specified level. (Note that the necessary procedure for obtaining a security clearance can be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate).

Until the personal security clearance has been granted by the Member State concerned and the clearance procedure completed with the legally required briefing from the European Commission’s Security Directorate, the candidate will not be able to access EU Classified Information (EUCI) at the level of CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above, nor attend any meetings at which such EUCI is discussed.

Equal Opportunities

The Commission and the Joint Undertaking pursue a strategic objective of achieving gender equality at all management levels by the end of its current mandate and apply a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (9) encouraging applications that could contribute towards more diversity, gender equality and overall geographical balance.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Joint Undertaking recognises that a healthy work-life balance is an important motivational factor for many people and that flexible working is increasingly expected to be part of a modern working environment. As an employer, the Joint Undertaking is committed to ensuring gender equality and to preventing discrimination on any grounds. It actively welcomes applications from all qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds, across all abilities and from the broadest possible geographical basis amongst the EU Member States. To promote gender equality, the Joint Undertaking encourages applications in particular from women. Assistance can be provided to persons with disabilities during the recruitment procedure.

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union.

The successful candidate will be engaged by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking as a Temporary Agent at grade AD 14. She/he will be classified depending on the length of her/his previous professional experience in step 1 or step 2 within that grade.

She/he will be appointed for an initial mandate of four years, with a possible prolongation for a maximum three years according to Regulation establishing the Joint Undertaking.

Applicants should note the requirement under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union for all new staff to complete successfully a nine-month probationary period.

The place of employment is Brussels, Belgium.

Important information for candidates

Candidates are reminded that the work of the 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. Any query has to be addressed to the secretariat of the respective 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 (10). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

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 (11), 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.

It is in your interest to ensure that your application is accurate, thorough and truthful.

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.

Applications sent by email will not be accepted. If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an email to:

HR-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu

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 will not be accepted.

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 15 May 2023, 12.00 noon Brussels time, following which registration is no longer possible.

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(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 642/2014 of 16 June 2014 establishing the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (OJ L 177, 17.6.2014, p. 9).

(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)  EEC Council: Regulation No 1 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community (OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385/58). Consolidated text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01958R0001-20130701

(6)  EEC/EAEC Council: Regulation No 31 (EEC), 11 (EAEC), laying down the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ 45, 14.6.1962, p. 1385/62). Consolidated text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140701

(7)  https://commission.europa.eu/jobs-european-commission/job-opportunities/managers-european-commission_en (only exists in English).

(8)  Members other than the Union means ‘any participating state, private member or international organisation that is a member of a Joint Undertaking’.

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

(10)  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).

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