18.8.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 273/1

VACANCY NOTICE No 22/17

concerning one post

of HEAD OF UNIT (M/F)

in the Communication Department

Unit D.1 — Press

(Publication under Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)

(2017/C 273 A/01)

Closing date for applications: 18 September 2017 at 12 noon (Brussels time)

1.

 Vacant post: AD 12

2.   Duties:

Reporting to the Head of the Communication Department, the Head of Unit is responsible for the management of the Press Unit. The Head of Unit’s tasks include:

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developing and implementing a comprehensive, proactive press and media strategy;

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promoting EESC members’ work using all the tools available, including personal contacts and social media;

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managing, motivating and coordinating the press team and playing an active part in the Communication Department’s management team;

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contributing to the development of the press policy of the EESC President’s office and of EESC departments in general;

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ensuring press and media coordination for major EESC events;

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developing contacts and fostering good relations with the media (ensuring regular, personal contacts with journalists, organising conferences and attending press meetings, amongst other things) to secure and promote media coverage of EESC activities;

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supervising and contributing to the production of news content for the web and social media, press releases, the newsletter, audiovisual products and photo services;

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monitoring media coverage of the EESC’s activities and developing press services on the web and social media platforms;

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devising the unit’s annual work programme and ensuring its implementation;

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ensuring the unit is represented in the EESC Communication Group;

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managing the Press Unit’s budget, including framework contracts, to ensure optimal use of the budget;

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representing and following up EESC activities at different interinstitutional meetings on communication.

Who we are:

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is a consultative body of the European Union. Committed to European integration, the EESC contributes to strengthening the democratic legitimacy and effectiveness of the European Union by enabling civil society organisations from the Member States to express their views at European level.

The Press Unit works closely with the directorates for legislative work and focuses on raising the profile of EESC members’ activities by drafting and publishing press releases, articles and editorials and establishing strong links with the press and media, be these correspondents based in Brussels or media outlets in the Member States. While around 5 000 subscribers receive the EESC Newsletter and EESC press releases, press conferences and other press activities such as press meetings are also organised. Journalists are invited to attend specific events or to accompany the President and Vice-Presidents in their activities.

Media coverage of plenary sessions and other major meetings and events also constitutes part of the unit’s responsibilities. The Press Unit handles the EESC’s audiovisual policy, including the overall organisation of photographer services.

For further information, please go to the EESC’s website: http://www.eesc.europa.eu

What we offer:

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a friendly, dynamic working environment where effective management, a strong sense of initiative, team spirit and flexibility are highly valued;

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a job in the communication department where creativity is encouraged;

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opportunities to develop skills through training and by taking on responsibilities.

3.   Eligibility:

On the closing date for applications, candidates must meet the conditions set out below:

a)

General conditions

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be a national (1) of one of the European Union (EU) Member States and enjoy full rights as a citizen (2);

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have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws on military service;

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provide character references appropriate to the performance of the duties concerned. Candidates’ attention is drawn to the restrictions imposed by the Staff Regulations of Officials of the EU concerning outside activities, elected office and conflicts of interest (Article 11, Articles 11(a) and 12(b), and Articles 13 and 15 of the Staff Regulations);

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fulfil the physical fitness conditions required for the performance of the duties involved (3);

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be below retirement age, which is, for officials of the EU, set at the end of the month in which the age of 66 is reached.

b)

Special conditions

(i)

Qualifications and skills required

Candidates must have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma (4) officially recognised in one of the European Union Member States in a field relevant to the duties described under point 2:

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of at least 4 years’ duration, when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more,

or

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of at least 3 years’ duration followed by 1 year’s professional experience in a field relevant to the job description, when the normal period of university education is 3 years or more. This year of experience will not be taken into account when evaluating the professional experience stipulated under point 3(b)(ii).

(ii)

Professional experience required

After gaining the qualifications set out under 3(b)(i), candidates must have acquired professional experience of at least 15 years relevant to the job description, including at least 3 years in a managerial position.

(iii)

Knowledge of languages

Candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (EU) and satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the EU. For operational reasons (5), a good (6) knowledge of English and French, both oral and in written, is required.

4.   Selection criteria:

If the eligibility criteria set out in point 3 (Eligibility) (a) and (b) are met, candidates’ applications, including CV and cover letter, will be assessed on the basis of the selection criteria below:

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At least 5 years’ proven experience in journalism;

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Experience in organising press conferences and drafting press releases and news for the web and social media;

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Good knowledge of the various spheres of activity of the EU institutions and the way they operate, in particular a knowledge of the EESC’s role in the European Union’s institutional set-up;

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Good knowledge of the press and media world which deals with European Union affairs. A strong network of well-established contacts in the media world would be an asset;

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Experience working in or with the European institutions;

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Very good interpersonal and networking skills for maintaining contacts with a wide range of stakeholders in the EESC, in other institutions and outside the European institutions;

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Excellent communication and drafting skills;

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Proven ability to deal discreetly with sensitive issues; excellent diplomatic skills;

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Ability to lead and motivate a team;

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Creativity, initiative, dynamism and flexibility;

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Good analytical and planning skills and a capacity for impact assessment;

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Ability to multitask and solid stress management skills;

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Knowledge of languages other than English and French.

5.   Selection procedure:

5.1.    Admission to the selection procedure

A list will be drawn up of candidates who have submitted a complete application by the closing date and who meet the general conditions set out in point 3(a). This list will be forwarded to the chairman of the selection board with the applications.

The selection board will examine the applications and draw up a list of candidates who meet the specific conditions set out in point 3(b). It will base its decision solely on the information given on the application form and substantiated by the supporting documents enclosed with it.

Candidates whose applications do not fulfil the conditions listed in point 3(a) and (b) will not be deemed eligible. They will be informed accordingly.

5.2.    Assessment of qualifications

On the basis of criteria laid down in advance, the selection board will assess eligible candidates’ qualifications with a view to drawing up a list of the candidates whose profiles most closely match the description of duties set out in point 2. To do this, the selection board will first assign each selection criterion a weighting that reflects its relative importance. The points will be added up to identify those candidates whose profiles best match the duties to be performed.

The selection board will base its decision on the information given by the candidate in the application form (qualifications and professional experience), Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter.

Eligibility (general and specific conditions) and selection criteria must be met by the deadline for submitting applications. To facilitate examination of the applications, candidates should highlight in the cover letter their motivation and the aspects of their CV which they find most relevant for the duties involved.

The selection board may limit the number of short-listed candidates going through to the next stage to the 12 who obtain the highest number of total points in the assessment of their qualifications.

The candidates who are not short-listed will be informed of the fact.

5.3.    Interview and test

Candidates who have successfully completed the previous stage will be invited for an interview in order to be assessed and compared on the basis of their qualifications, professional experience, abilities and knowledge, as set out above. These candidates will also sit a written test to assess their drafting skills.

The interview and test will be conducted in English and in French; they may also be assessed in any other languages they have put down on their application form.

Interviews are expected to be held at the EESC’s Brussels offices (7) in September/October 2017.

A maximum of four candidates who, after the interview phase and written test, are deemed to best meet the requirements of the post will be invited for assessment at an assessment centre. They will be informed of the programme and methodology in good time and will be able to indicate their preferred language (English or French). The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate their managerial skills (managing tasks, people and information, and personal and interpersonal management). The result of the assessment will be non-binding and is intended to provide the selection board with additional input for the selection procedure.

If, at any stage in the procedure, it is established that the information provided in the candidate’s application cannot be backed up by supporting documents or that the candidate does not meet all of the conditions set out in this vacancy notice, the application will be declared null and void.

5.4.    List of suitable candidates

To complete the procedure, the selection board will draw up a list of suitable candidates and forward it to the appointing authority for final decision.

6.   Summary of recruitment conditions:

The appointing authority has decided to open the procedure for filling the post of Head of the Press Unit in accordance with Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations of the European Union. There will be a probationary period of 9 months.

The official will be recruited at grade AD 12 and the final grading will be determined by the EESC on the basis of professional experience in line with the relevant rules in application (8).

For further information on working conditions, please refer to the Staff Regulations of the European Union:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:FR:PDF

The place of employment is Brussels.

7.   Applications:

Applicants for this post must complete the online application form (http://cdweb.eesc.europa.eu/cn/ae77k/hou-press-2017) with the following documents attached in English or French:

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cover letter;

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Curriculum Vitae based on the Europass model (9);

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copies (10) of identity card or passport;

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copies of university or post-graduate degree certificates;

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copies of attestations of employment, clearly indicating the nature and duration of the relevant activity;

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unless clearly indicated on university degree certificates, proof of knowledge of languages in the form of certificates or, failing that, a detailed explanation of how the knowledge was acquired;

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for EU officials, an official document attesting career progression and current grade.

Incomplete applications will not be deemed valid and will not be considered.

The successful candidate will at a later date be required to produce originals of all the requisite documents.

Copies of supporting documents in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by a summary in one of those two languages.

The closing date for the submission of applications is 18 September 2017 at 12 noon (Brussels time). The EESC will disregard any application received after this date and time. Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their applications, since heavy internet traffic or a faulty internet connection could lead to difficulties in sending in the application. The EESC cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such difficulties.

Candidates with a disability or in circumstances which are such that they might cause difficulties during the procedure (e.g. because of pregnancy or breastfeeding, or because of health problems or undergoing medical treatment), must state that fact on the application form and provide any relevant information so that the administration can take appropriate measures, where possible. If applicable, candidates are invited to enclose with their application form a separate sheet giving details of any arrangements which they consider necessary to assist them.

8.   Observations:

Applicants must not under any circumstances try to contact the members of the selection board, directly or indirectly. The appointing authority reserves the right to exclude candidates who do so.

The EESC believes in diversity and strongly favours balanced representation of genders, of all Member State nationalities and of all the official languages of the European Union. It has an equal opportunity policy that precludes any discrimination based on gender, disability, race, political or religious views or sexual orientation. In line with these principles and the provisions of the Staff Regulations, applications from the least represented gender and nationalities are particularly encouraged.

The EESC is committed to protecting the environment.

In accordance with Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (11), the recipient will process personal data only for the purposes for which they were transmitted.

9.   Requests for review — complaints:

Regardless of their right to lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) or to submit an appeal to the General Court of the European Union under Article 91 of the Staff Regulations, candidates can request an internal review of any decision of the selection board that directly and immediately affects their status in the selection on grounds of non-compliance with the rules governing the selection procedure as laid down by the vacancy notice. The request must be made by email (selection2017-Press@eesc.europa.eu) within 10 calendar days of the date on which the candidate is notified of the decision by email. It must indicate the decision and the grounds on which the request is based.

The selection board will take a decision and a reasoned reply will be sent to the candidate in due course.

(1)  As stated in Article 28(a) of the Staff Regulations (SR).

(2)  Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record.

(3)  Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be examined at one of the EU medical centres in order to confirm that the candidate meets the requirements of Article 28(e) of the SR.

(4)  Only diplomas and certificates that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by authorities in the said Member States will be taken into consideration.

(5)  Since the information and IT tools the recruited person will be working with are solely available in English and French, as is the training provided to new recruits in these domains, a good command of these languages is required. Moreover, staff in the Press Unit are required to have a good knowledge of English and French as they must be able to work with all the staff as well as members and carry out communication activities (Intranet, social media, mailing, press releases, etc.) in these two languages.

(6)  Minimum B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr).

(7)  Interviews may be held via videoconference/Skype with candidates who are not in Brussels at the time of the interviews. The EESC will otherwise reimburse travel expenses and grant a daily allowance.

(8)  Professional experience of 15 years for grade AD 12 step 1 and of 18 years for grade AD 12 step 2.

(9)  http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions

(10)  Copies can be provided in the original language. The online application form is to be completed in English or French.

(11)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.