4.12.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 295/1

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DG RESEARCH (RTD)

Publication of a vacancy for a post of Principal Adviser (grade AD 14)

Director Designate of the European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA) in Brussels

(Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations)

COM/2009/10222

(2009/C 295 A/01)

We are

The European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA) (1), which is a component of the European Research Council (ERC) (2), is a newly established Agency, dedicated to the promotion of frontier research. The ERCEA works in conjunction with the ERC Scientific Council, which is responsible for establishing the scientific strategy.

As other executive agencies, the ERCEA is in charge of the implementation of Community programmes and is managed by an official of the European Communities seconded to the Agency as Director.

ERCEA is in particular responsible for all aspects of administrative implementation and execution of the ‘Ideas’ specific programme, which forms part of the FP7 (Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013)) and supports investigator-driven frontier research carried out across all fields by individual national or transnational teams in competition at European level. The projects are proposed by individual investigators and funded at European level, by the sole criterion of excellence: of the proposer (‘principal investigator’) and the project. The projects are evaluated by international panels of experts, who are selected by the planning and strategy component of the ERC, the Scientific Council.

ERCEA supports the work of the ERC Scientific Council, implements the evaluation and selection procedures, organises peer reviews according to the principles established by the Scientific Council and ensures the proper financial and scientific management of the grants.

The ERCEA is located in Brussels and is expected, subject to the evaluation of its operations every 3 years, to manage the specific programme at least until 2017. By 2013, ERCEA should have a staff complement of 389 and manage an operational budget of EUR 1 679 million.

We propose

We propose a position of Principal Adviser/Director Designate of the ERCEA. The selected candidate will be recruited as an official of the European Communities in a function of Principal Adviser assigned to the Directorate-General ‘Research’. He/she will be seconded as Director of ERCEA for the 4-year period of the mandate. At the end of the mandate, or at the end of the second mandate if it is renewed, the selected candidate will be reassigned in Directorate-General ‘Research’.

The ERCEA Director is the chief executive officer, the legal representative and public face of the Agency. In close cooperation with the Scientific Council, he/she is expected to promote the further development of the ERC into a world-class frontier research organisation (3). The Director's responsibilities include, in particular:

—	developing and executing the Agency's activities in accordance with its missions and the scientific strategy and policies established by the ERC Scientific Council (4),

—	adopting decisions concerning the responsibilities of the Agency according to the powers delegated to it by the Commission,

—	preparation and execution of the Agency's annual administrative and operational budgets and ensuring that it is managed efficiently and according to the principles of sound financial management,

—	facilitating cooperation between the ERC Scientific Council, the Agency, the Commission and the Member States and stakeholders of the Agency including cooperation with bodies in the Member States and elsewhere carrying out similar tasks to those of the Agency,

—	recruiting, managing the development and supervising the Agency's staff and fostering a good team spirit and working environment,

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drafting and implementing, along the lines established by the ERC Scientific Council, the annual work programme of the Ideas programme; drafting and implementing the annual work programme of the Agency, ensuring the most effective use of its resources, as well as the ERC and the Agency's annual reports of activities and contributing to the integrity and consistency of the Commission's information,

—	taking part, without the right to vote, in meetings of the Steering Committee of the ERCEA and providing its secretariat,

—	communicating directly and indirectly to the public in relation to all matters within the ERC's mission.

The tasks of the Director are described in Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 of 19 December 2002 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes (OJ L 11, 16.1.2003, p. 1), which also specifies the term of office as 4 years. We expect, therefore, that the successful candidate will be able to carry out the entire 4-year mandate before reaching retirement age.

We look for

—	a distinguished scientist with robust administrative experience.

Applicants should have

—	high-level qualifications (PhD or equivalent experience) in any field of science or scholarship and very strong professional record in any field of fundamental research,

—	knowledge of policy and practice relevant to scientific and technological research and experience of leadership in this area; excellent understanding of the challenges at stake in relation with frontier research,

—	experience of budgetary, financial and human resources management in a national, European and/or international context,

—	the capacity to develop and manage a large agency, both at strategic and internal management level,

—	the ability to lead and motivate a large team in a European, multicultural and multilingual environment,

—	an understanding of the EU institutions, their functioning and interaction as well as EU policies and international activities of relevance to the activities of the Agency,

—	the ability to communicate to the public and cooperate with stakeholders (European, international, national and local authorities, international organisations, etc.),

—	excellent written and oral communication and negotiation skills; in particular, excellent knowledge of English.

Applicants must

—	be a citizen of one of the 27 Member States of the European Union,

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have: (i) 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 (ii) 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 at least 15 years' postgraduate professional experience at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission,

—	of the 15 years of professional experience, have acquired at least 10 years in the field of fundamental research,

—	have at least 5 years of professional experience in a scientific management function at high level (5),

—	have the prospect to complete a full 4-year mandate as Director of the Agency before reaching the retirement age, retirement age being defined as being the last day of the month in which the person reaches the age of 65 (see Article 52(a) of the Staff Regulations),

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have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and an adequate knowledge of another of these official languages (candidates should note that the selection procedures will be carried out in English, French or German only. As this might give an advantage to native speakers, these will be tested also in one or more other languages).

Applicants must provide precise information on the above eligibility criteria.

Independence and declaration of interests

Candidates are required to confirm their willingness to make a declaration of their commitment to act independently in the public interest and a declaration of any interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

Appointment and conditions of employment

With close involvement of the ERC Scientific Council, the Commission will select and appoint the successful applicant, in accordance with its selection and recruitment procedures. A shortlist of candidates will be drawn up, and candidates included on the list will be invited to an interview organised by the Commission's Committee on Appointments and held in an assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants.

Salaries and conditions of employment are those applicable to AD 14 grade officials of the European Communities.

Applicants should note the requirement under the Staff Regulations for all new staff to successfully complete a 9-month probationary period.

The recruitment will be made in Brussels.

The successful candidate will be appointed principal adviser to DG RTD, as an official of the European Community at AD 14 grade. He/she will be seconded in the interests of the service, as Director of the ERCEA, with the statute of temporary agent at grade AD 14 pursuant to Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities. His/her mandate as Director of the ERCEA will run for a 4-year period, which may be renewed, as stated in Regulation (EC) No 58/2003.

Equal opportunities

The European Union applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (6).

Procedure for submitting applications

This post may be published in parallel with a number of other senior management posts. In this case, candidates who wish to apply for more than one post must submit a separate application for each post.

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria, particularly concerning the types of diploma and professional experience required.

If you want to apply, you must register via the Internet by going to the website

https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/personnel_administration/seniormanagementvacancies/CV_Encadext/index.cfm

and follow the instructions there concerning the various stages of the procedure.

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time (7). 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 has passed, you will no longer be able to register online. Late registrations via normal e-mail will not be accepted.

On completion of your online registration, you will receive on screen a registration number that you must note — this will be your reference number in all matters concerning your application. When you receive this number, the registration process is finished — it is confirmation that we have registered the data you entered. If you do not receive a number, your application has not been registered!

Please note that you must have an e-mail address. This will be used to identify your registration as well as to inform you about the outcome of the procedure. You will be required to inform the Commission about any change in your e-mail address.

You will be required to attach a CV in Word or PDF format to your application and to enter, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Both the CV and letter must be written in English, French or German.

Please note that it is not possible to track the progress of your application online. You will be contacted directly by the recruiting DG regarding the status of your application.

If you have a disability that prevents you from registering online, you may submit your application (CV and letter of motivation) on paper by registered mail (8), postmarked no later than the closing date for registration. All subsequent communication between the Commission and you will be by post. In this case, you must enclose with your application a certificate attesting your disability, issued by a recognised body. You should also set out on a separate sheet of paper any special arrangements you think are needed to make it easier for you to take part in the selection.

If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an e-mail to: ADMIN-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu.

Contact person for additional information:

Mr Jack Metthey

Director of Directorate S in the Directorate-General for Research

ERCEA Director ad interim

Tel. +32 22968870

E-mail: Jack.Metthey@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 5 March 2010. Online registration will not be possible after 12 noon, Brussels time, on that day.

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(1)  Commission Decision 2008/37/EC of 14 December 2007 (OJ L 9, 12.1.2008, p. 15).

(2)  A review of the ERC's structures and mechanisms has recently been carried out by a Panel of independent experts, chaired by Prof. V. Vike-Freiberga (report released on 23 July 2009). The Commission's initial response to the Panel's recommendations are contained in the communication COM(2009) 552.

(3)  In line with the Panel of independent experts' recommendations and the actions mentioned in COM(2009) 552, the ERCEA Director will work in close liaison with the Scientific Council and will be responsible for ensuring that the ERC operates as a coherent and integrated structure in all aspects of its activities.

(4)  Specified in the Decision establishing the Ideas specific programme (Council Decision 2006/972/EC of 19 December 2006), the ERC Decision (Commission Decision 2007/134/EC of 2 February 2007), the Establishment Act and the Instrument of Delegation to the Agency, the annual work programmes (both of the specific programme and the Agency) and other relevant documents.

(5)  In your CV you should indicate at least for the 5 years during which you acquired high-level management experience: 1. the title of the management positions held and the nature of the duties; 2. the number of staff under your supervision when you held these positions; 3. the size of budgets managed; and 4. the number of levels of management above and below you in the hierarchy and the number of staff at the same level.

(6)  OJ L 124, 27.4.2004, p. 1; http://eur-lex.europa.eu/fr/index.htm

(7)  No later than 12 noon, Brussels time, on 5 March 2010.

(8)  European Commission, Directorate-General Personnel and Administration, Unit for Organisation Chart and Management Staff, COM/2009/10222, MO34 5/105, rue Montoyer/Montoyerstraat 34, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË.

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