European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

Publication of a vacancy for the post of Director of Directorate A ‘Expenditure – Operations and Investigations’ (grade AD 14) – Belgium/Brussels

(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)

COM/2021/10399

(2021/C 61 A/01)

 

We are

The fight against fraud and other illegal activities affecting the European Union’s financial interests is central to the credibility of the European project.

The mission of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is threefold: it protects the financial interests of the European Union (EU) by investigating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities; it detects and investigates serious matters relating to the discharge of professional duties by members and staff of the EU institutions and bodies that could result in disciplinary or criminal proceedings; it supports the EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, in the development and implementation of anti-fraud legislation and policies.

OLAF is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, but has statutory independence in the conduct of investigations. The implementation of its investigative function is monitored by a Supervisory Committee made up of five independent persons external to the European Commission.

Operational Directorates within OLAF are responsible for investigations, supported by the Knowledge Centre and a General Affairs Directorate, which manages the administration of OLAF.

The ‘Expenditure — Operations and Investigations’ Directorate of OLAF (OLAF.A) protects the EU’s financial interests and reputation by conducting administrative investigations and operations into fraud, corruption and other serious irregularities against the financial interests of the European Union.

The Directorate consists of five units comprising approximately 100 staff members, mainly specialised investigators from a variety of professional backgrounds, including former public prosecutors, police officers and auditors.

Unit A.1 conducts internal investigations in all European institutions, bodies, offices and agencies established by, or on the basis of the EU Treaties. Unit A.2 investigates allegations in the field of direct expenditure implemented by the European Commission, the EU Executive Agencies, the EU Decentralised Agencies, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Joint Undertakings as well as in the field of administrative expenditures of the EU Institutions, Bodies, Offices and Agencies. Units A.3, A.4 and A.5 carry out investigations and operations in the field of EU expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy, the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and other shared management funds. These three units also act in the area of the pre-accession assistance for rural development and cross-border cooperation between candidate/potential candidate countries and Member States under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Aid (IPA).

The Directorate also follows the progress of the implementation of financial, judicial and disciplinary recommendations related to their respective cases and records the outcome of actions taken by EU Institutions, bodies and other agencies and by national authorities.

The Director is located in Brussels and operates in close cooperation with the OLAF Deputy Director-General, and under the overall supervision of the Director-General.

The legal framework laying down the objectives and tasks of OLAF as well as its functioning may be found in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council (1). For more information on OLAF, as well as its organisation chart, please see: https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/european-anti-fraud-office_en

We propose

The post of Director responsible for providing the overall strategic orientation and sound management of the resources of the Directorate in accordance with the mission statement and annual work programme.

Under the supervision of the Director-General and the Deputy Director-General, the Director:

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Oversees the conduct of investigations that lead to the adoption of final reports and possible recommendations, which are referred to the authorities of European Institutions for possible prosecution, financial recuperation, administrative follow-up and/or disciplinary action, and — where relevant — to the judicial authorities of the Member States for possible prosecution,

—	Devises and implements OLAF’s investigative strategy in the fight against fraud, illegal activities and corruption, across the areas of responsibility of the Directorate,

—	Ensures effective planning and management of the activities of the Directorate (assuring quality standards, monitoring of deadlines, workflow, progress and achievement of objectives),

—	Supervises the work of the Heads of Unit and controls the performance of the Directorate,

—	Ensures effective planning, implementation and management of the human and financial resources of the Directorate as well as their effective allocation among units in cooperation with the Deputy Director-General.

The main challenge is to further develop OLAF’s operational activity, in particular with regard to higher risk areas, in a changing institutional context and taking into account the ongoing reorientation of EU expenditure that will generate new fraud patterns. Addressing this challenge requires effective investigations, and the development of lasting cooperation with the European Institutions and bodies, with the national authorities and with the international partners.

We look for

The ideal candidate will be an outstanding and dynamic professional who should fulfil the following selection criteria:

Personal qualities

—	Proven ability to plan and prioritise,

—	Proven ability to establish contacts and liaise effectively within OLAF and the Commission services, with other EU Institutions and OLAF’s partners in Member States, third countries and international organisations,

—	Ability to discuss effectively with internal and external stakeholders at a high level,

—	Ability to work effectively under pressure,

—	Ability to work in absolute discretion and to demonstrate sound situational judgement in matters concerning sensitive information.

Specialist skills and experience

—	Extensive professional experience at senior level in the conduct of investigations,

—	Very good understanding of the investigative process in anti-fraud cases and of the mechanisms to ensure its efficiency and legality,

—	Very good knowledge of and practical experience in budgetary, financial and human resources management issues,

—	Good knowledge of the role of OLAF, its mission and competencies as well as of the context within which OLAF operates,

—	Proven expertise or experience at a senior judicial or an executive investigative position would be an advantage; international experience will be considered an asset,

—	Good general knowledge of the institutional and legal framework of the European Union and of the working methods of the European Commission will be an advantage.

Management skills

—	Ability to lead a complex organisation in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment,

—	Proven leadership skills and ability to direct and motivate experienced investigators and administrative professionals from a wide variety of professional and national backgrounds,

—	Very good capacity to efficiently manage priorities and objectives and to work flexibly in terms of allocation of resources (human and financial) across units and to lead the Directorate in a strategic perspective,

—	Strong analytical skills, with the capacity to develop and generate strategic goals, to translate them into practical proposals for action and to solve organisational and operational issues.

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: — 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 (2) at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must be in a field closely related to this post.

—	Management experience: at least 5 years of the postgraduate professional experience must have been gained in a similar function at high level (3) 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 (4) 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.

—	Age limit: candidates must not have reached regular retirement age, which for officials of the European Union is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 52 lit (a) of the Staff Regulations (5)).

Selection and appointment

The European Commission will select and appoint the Director according to its selection and recruitment procedures (see: Document on Senior Officials Policy (6)).

As part of this selection procedure, the European Commission sets up a pre-selection panel. 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 Director.

Candidates on the CCA shortlist will be interviewed by the Member of the Commission responsible for OLAF.

Following these interviews, the European Commission takes the appointment decision.

The selected candidate must have fulfilled any obligations imposed by law concerning military service, produce appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of their duties and be physically fit to perform their duties.

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.

For functional reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates as well as that of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in English and/or French only (7).

Equal opportunities

In accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations, the European Commission pursues a strategic objective of achieving gender equality at all management levels by the end of its current mandate and applies an equal opportunities policy encouraging applications that could contribute towards more diversity, gender equality and overall geographical balance.

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Staff Regulations.

The successful candidate will be recruited as an official at grade AD 14. He/she will be classified depending on the length of his/her previous professional experience in step 1 or step 2 within that grade.

Applicants should note the requirement under the Staff Regulations for all new staff to complete successfully a nine-month probationary period.

The place of employment is Brussels, Belgium.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up his/her duties, the future 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 and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Your CV and 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 with a registration number, your application has not been registered!

Please note that it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application online. 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 22 March 2021, 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 (8). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

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(1)  Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council of 11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1).

(2)  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.

(3)  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.

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

(5)  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140701&from=EN

(6)  https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/compilation-of-the-senior-official-policy-at-the-european-commission_en.pdf

(7)  Selection panels will ensure that no undue advantage is given to native speakers of these languages.

(8)  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).