NOTICE OF OPEN SELECTION PROCEDURE: DEPUTY DIRECTOR (EF-TA-19/02)

(2019/C 69 A/01)

Job title	Deputy Director
Reference	EF-TA-19-02
Type of contract	Temporary agent 2(a) CEOS (1)
Function group/grade	AD 13
Initial contract duration	5 years
Place of employment	Dublin, Ireland
Deadline for applications	28 March 2019

Eurofound is organising an open selection procedure to fill a vacancy and to form a reserve list for the recruitment of a:

Deputy Director

1.   WE ARE

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) was established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 of 26 May 1975 (2), as repealed by Regulation (EU) 2019/127 (3).

Eurofound is an agency of the European Union, based in Dublin, Ireland which provides knowledge to assist in the development of social, employment and work-related policies for key actors in the field of EU social policy and for the citizens of Europe.

Eurofound’s objective is to provide the Commission, other EU institutions, bodies and agencies, the Member States and the social partners with support for the purpose of shaping and implementing policies concerning the improvement of living and working conditions, devising employment policies and promoting the dialogue between management and labour. To that end, Eurofound enhances and disseminates knowledge, provides evidence and services for the purpose of policy-making, including research-based conclusions and facilitates knowledge-sharing among and between European Union and national actors.

Eurofound undertakes or commissions research on socioeconomic developments and related policy issues throughout Europe. This is done by collecting data and analysing trends in living and working conditions, employment and labour market developments, industrial relation systems, and in particular social dialogue at Union level and in the Member States.

For more information on Eurofound’s activities, please visit our website:

www.eurofound.europa.eu

The governing and management structures of Eurofound comprise a Management Board, an Executive Board and an Executive Director.

Eurofound’s Management Board consists of representatives of Governments, Employers and Employee organisations from all EU Member States, as well as the European Commission. One independent expert is also appointed by the European Parliament. The Management Board is assisted by an Executive Board of 8 members. Eurofound’s headquarters are located in Dublin. It currently has a budget of c. €21 million and an authorised staffing level of 91 people. The staff of Eurofound are recruited from the EU Member States and have a wide range of professional experience and background. The agency also maintains a Brussels Liaison Office which performs the dual role of strengthening the visibility and impact of Eurofound research at EU level and monitoring developments in policy-making.

2.   WE PROPOSE

The Deputy Director supports the Executive Director in carrying out Eurofound’s functions and activities, as described in particular in Article 11 of the Founding Regulation.

More specifically, the Deputy Director assists the Executive Director in the:

—	general management of Eurofound. This includes the direct management or supervision of specific functions or activities of the Agency;

—	preparation of the activities of the Management Board and the implementation of its decisions;

—	development of Eurofound’s strategy and work programmes;

—	preparation and implementation of financial decisions. In this context, the Deputy Director performs the duties of Authorising Officer by delegation, according to the financial regulation;

—	assurance of the quality of Eurofound’s work and the development of its reputation as an acknowledged leader in its field of expertise;

—	representation of Eurofound at the most senior level in order to build and maintain its public relations with the EU Institutions and bodies, and with other organisations;

—	execution of the powers entrusted to the Executive Director in respect to staff (4), such as their recruitment, stipulation of the qualifications required of them and their dismissal. This also includes fostering a good team spirit and working environment.

The Deputy Director replaces the Executive Director when the latter is absent or otherwise unable to perform his/her duties and performs tasks where delegated by the Executive Director.

The Deputy Director will assume additional and more detailed responsibilities as defined in the job description.

3.   APPLICANTS MUST

3.1.   ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The selection procedure is open to candidates who, by the closing date for applications, fulfil the following conditions:

—	are nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union with full rights as a citizen;

—	have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;

—

have: — 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 — 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;

—	have minimum 15 years relevant postgraduate professional experience, including five years senior management experience involving responsibility for the management of staff and finance (5), and including at least 5 years in the area of work covered by Eurofound;

—	have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the Union (6);

—	are able to produce character references as to suitability for performance of the duties of the post;

—	be able to carry out the entire five-year-mandate before reaching retirement age, which is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years for temporary agents.

3.2.   SELECTION CRITERIA

The ideal candidate should have:

—	relevant professional experience in the field of living and working conditions as well as good knowledge of social dialogue;

—	a good scientific reputation, documented by experience in managing research activities or teams, publications and/or research work;

—	strong management, leadership and people management skills, preferably in an international and multicultural environment;

—	solid experience in the management of significant financial resources in a national and/or European environment, including budgetary planning and internal control;

—	advanced interpersonal and presentation skills and a high sense of confidentiality;

—	the ability to interact and negotiate at a senior management level with the European Union Institutions, public authorities and a range of social partners, preferably with experience in this area;

—	a good knowledge of other languages of the European Union in order to be able to work effectively in Eurofound and with its institutional and personal associates; a good command of English is essential, as it is the working language of Eurofound.

4.   INDEPENDENCE AND DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The Deputy Director will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in Eurofound’s interest and to make a declaration in relation to any interest which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence. Candidates must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

5.   EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Eurofound applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1(d) of the Staff Regulations and accepts 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, age or sexual orientation.

6.   SELECTION PROCEDURE AND APPOINTMENT

The selection procedure will be based on an examination of application form (including a letter of motivation), followed by a series of interviews and tests, as outlined below.

6.1.   EXAMINATION OF APPLICATIONS

1.

A list of candidates who have submitted their applications (using the online recruitment system and by the closing date specified — see Section VII) and who fulfil the general conditions set out in Section 3.1, will be drawn up. The list and the application forms will be shared with the Selection Committee.

2.

The Selection Committee will examine the applications and draw up a first list of best-qualified candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria (section 3.1) and most closely meet the selection criteria (section 3.2) for the post. It will base its decision exclusively on the information given on the application form. Candidates who do not fulfil the requisite conditions for admission under Section 3.1 will be eliminated at this stage.

3.

The most suitable candidates will be invited to an interview with the Selection Committee. Candidates will be tested on their oral and written proficiency in English, or in their second language if their mother-tongue is English. They will also be invited to an assessment centre and/or psychometric testing. The Selection Committee will establish a reserve list of proposed candidates which will be submitted to Eurofound’s Executive Director. He/She will call the candidates on the reserve list for an interview and decide on the appointment of the Deputy Director. A hearing of this candidate by the Management or Executive Board may be organised before his/her formal appointment.

7.   CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The Deputy Director will be engaged as a member of temporary staff at AD 13 grade pursuant to Article 2(a) of the CEOS for a period of five years. The contract may be renewed once for up to five years.

7.1.   PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT

Dublin, Ireland. Residence within reasonable distance of Eurofound’s offices will be required.

7.2.   REMUNERATION

The remuneration consists of a basic salary and allowances. The Deputy Director may be entitled to various allowances, based on his/her personal situation. This may include an expatriation or foreign residence allowance and family allowances.

Pay is subject to EU tax deducted at source and to other deductions laid down in the Staff Regulations. Salaries are, however, exempt from any national taxation.

The pay is subject to the Irish weighting factor, which is currently 117,7 %.

8.   SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Interested persons must submit their application through the online recruitment system via Eurofound’s vacancies page and should be completed in English which is the daily working language of Eurofound.

In order to be considered, applications must be received before 23:55 (GMT) on 28 March 2019.

The successful candidate will be expected to take up the post within 3 months of nomination by the Executive Director.

9.   IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Important information for candidates:

—	In preparing their applications, candidates may in no event refer to documents, applications or other forms submitted in connection with previous applications;

—	The successful candidate who receives an offer of employment will be required to produce the originals of their diplomas, academic qualifications or employment certificates;

—

Candidates are reminded that the selection procedures and deliberations are confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with any individuals involved in the selection process or for anybody to do so on their behalf. All enquiries or requests for information or documentation in relation to the competition should be addressed to the Secretary to the Selection Committee: recruit@eurofound.europa.eu;

—	Candidates are asked to give careful attention to this vacancy notice and to use only the official application form.

10.   APPEAL PROCEDURE

If an applicant considers that he/she has been adversely affected by a particular decision during the selection process leading up to the appointment decision, he/she can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations as outlined on Eurofound’s website.

11.   PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA

Eurofound ensures that applicants’ personal data are 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 (7).

More information on how we process your personal data may be found here.

The legal basis for the selection procedures of temporary staff are defined in the CEOS (8).

The purpose of processing personal data is to enable Eurofound to carry out the selection procedure in order to fill in the announced vacancy.

The selection procedure is conducted under the responsibility of Human Resources within the Resources Unit. The controller for personal data protection purposes is the Head of Resources Unit.

The information provided by applicants will be accessible to strictly limited number of staff in Human Resources and to the Selection Committee members. If necessary it will be provided to the staff in ICT (in case of technical issues with the application).

Processing begins on the date of receipt of the application. Data storage policy is as follows:

—	For applications received from non-selected applicants: the data are filed and stored in archives for 2 years and after this time the data are destroyed;

—	For applicants placed on a reserve list but not recruited: the data are kept for the period of validity of the reserve list + 1 year and after this time the data are destroyed;

—	For recruited applicants: the data are kept for a period of 10 years after the termination of employment or as of the last pension payment and after this time the data are destroyed.

All applicants may exercise their right of access to and right to rectify personal data. In case of identification data, applicants can rectify those data at any time during the procedure. In the case of data related to the eligibility or selection criteria, the right of rectification can only be exercised by submitting/uploading a new application and it cannot be exercised after the closing date for submission of applications.

Should an applicant have any query concerning the processing of his/her personal data, he/she shall address them to Human Resources at: recruit@eurofound.europa.eu. For further remarks and/or complaints regarding processing of their personal data, applicants should contact Eurofound’s Data Protection Officer: dataprotectionofficer@eurofound.europa.eu. Applicants may have recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor: edps@edps.europa.eu.

---

(1)  Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No 259/68 of the Council of 29 February 1968 laying down the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities and instituting special measures temporarily applicable to officials of the Commission (OJ L 56, 4.3.1968, p. 1), hereinafter referred to as ‘Staff Regulations’ and the ‘CEOS’.

(2)  Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 of the Council of 26 May 1975 on the creation of a European Foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions (OJ L 139, 30.5.1975, p. 1), hereinafter referred to as the ‘Founding Regulation’.

(3)  Regulation (EU) 2019/127 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Foundation for the Improvement of living and working conditions (Eurofound), and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1365/75 (OJ L 30, 31.1.2019, p. 74) (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Founding Regulation’).

(4)  The powers conferred by the Staff Regulations on the appointing authority (AA) and on the authority empowered to conclude contracts of employment (AECC).

(5)  In their application form, 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.

(6)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01958R0001-20130701&qid=1408533709461&from=EN

(7)  OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39.

(8)  In particular the provisions governing conditions of engagement in Title II, Chapter 3 (Articles 12-15).