26.3.2018

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CA 111/1

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VACANCY NOTICE FOR THE DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING (CEDEFOP)

(Cedefop/2018/01/AD)

(2018/C 111 A/01)

 

We are

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is the European Agency that promotes the development of vocational education and training (VET) in the European Union. It provides advice, research, analysis, information and facilitates European cooperation and mutual learning. It supports the development of VET and evidence-based policy-making in areas such as implementation of the European tools and monitoring of the ‘Copenhagen process’, anticipation of skill needs, improving understanding about qualifications and skills to support mobility across borders, and investing in VET.

Cedefop works closely with the European Commission, governments, representatives of employers and trade unions, as well as with researchers and practitioners. It provides them with up-to-date information and analysis on developments, experience and innovation in VET and forums for policy learning.

Cedefop has a Governing Board in which governments of EU Member States, employers, employees and the European Commission are represented.

Cedefop was founded in 1975 and is since 1995 located in Thessaloniki, Greece. It has approximately 120 staff and an annual budget of EUR 17 400 000. Cedefop’s working language is English.

For more information on the Agency, see: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en

We propose

The Director is the legal representative and public face of Cedefop and is accountable to the Governing Board. He/she leads and manages the Agency and takes overall responsibility for its operations ensuring the achievement of the agency’s objectives.

The Director’s specific responsibilities include:

—	preparing and implementing the multi-annual strategy and annual work programme (1) of Cedefop in line with Cedefop’s mission and the decisions of the Governing Board;

—	preparing and supporting the activities of the Governing Board and implementing the decisions of the latter;

—	ensuring the quality of Cedefop’s work and the further development of its reputation as an acknowledged centre of expertise on VET and skills and qualifications;

—	being accountable to the budgetary authority and to the European Court of Auditors for the budget of Cedefop and responsible for the preparation and implementation of the budget as well as for sound financial management and internal control (2);

—	preparing the Annual Activity Report on the Agency’s activities and presenting it to the European Parliament;

—	assuring the day-to-day management of the Centre and of all staff matters, including recruitment, supervision and development of staff, and fostering a good team spirit and sound working environment;

—	organising the Centre for it to operate in the most efficient and effective manner in light of the available resources, including by fostering cooperation and sharing services with the Commission and other EU Agencies, as appropriate;

—	ensuring the effective representation and public relations of Cedefop at the most senior level in its dealings with the European institutions and bodies throughout the European Union, including representation of Cedefop at conferences, seminars and media events;

—	facilitating cooperation in its field of competence between the Agency, the Commission, the Member States, social partners and other stakeholders of the Agency, as well as with competent bodies in the Member States carrying out similar tasks to those of the Agency.

The mission and tasks of the Centre and the Director’s duties are described in the Founding Regulation, especially Articles 2, 3 and 7 (3).

We look for (selection criteria)

Candidates should have:

—	strong management and leadership skills, including proven experience in managing budgetary, financial and human resources;

—	a successful track record of managing large teams at a high management level, including the ability to lead, motivate and develop the potential of a team with multinational and multidisciplinary backgrounds;

—	deep understanding of the complexities of organisational change management processes;

—	a high level of interpersonal and presentation skills, including written and oral communication/negotiation skills;

—	proven experience in managing complex and politically sensitive relationships, including communication and negotiation with different stakeholders;

—	a good understanding of the EU policy in VET, of EU institutions and how they operate and interact, and of broader EU policies of relevance to the activities and role of Cedefop;

—	the ability to develop and implement a strategic vision for Cedefop and to contribute to policy debate at European level in the field of VET and skills and qualifications;

—	a good command of English, as it is the working language of Cedefop.

The following will be considered as additional assets:

—	relevant professional experience in the field of VET (strong asset);

—	management experience gained in different organisations, including in an international/European context and in a multicultural environment (strong asset);

—	experience in conceiving and implementing organisational change processes;

—	experience in interacting and negotiating at senior level in and between organisations in a European/international context, including with public authorities and social partners;

—	experience in managing applied research in the fields of VET, skills and qualifications, labour markets, or related fields.

Applicants must (eligibility criteria)

Candidates will be considered for the selection phase on the basis of the following formal criteria to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:

—	Nationality: be a national of a Member State of the European Union.

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University degree or diploma: — 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 — have 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 (this one year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below).

—	Professional experience: at least 15 years proven postgraduate level professional experience acquired after having obtained the university degree.

—	Management experience: of these 15 years professional experience, at least 5 years must have been gained in a high-level management function involving responsibility for the management of staff and finance (4).

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Languages: have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (5) and a satisfactory knowledge of another language to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties; 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: be able to complete, at the deadline for application, the full five-year mandate before reaching retirement age; for temporary staff of the European Union, retirement age is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 (see also Article 47 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants and Article 52(a) of the Staff Regulations) (6).

—	Other requirements: have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws on military service and be physically fit to perform the duties relating to the post (7).

Independence and declaration of interests

The Director will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make a declaration in relation to any interests which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence. Applicants must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

Selection and appointment

The Director is appointed by the European Commission from a list of candidates submitted by Cedefop’s Governing Board. Candidates should note that the list may be made public and that inclusion in the list does not guarantee appointment.

The selection process will be based on an examination of the application forms followed by a series of interviews and tests, as outlined below:

1.

A Pre-selection Committee, composed of representatives of the three groups in the Governing Board as well as the European Commission and assisted by an external consultant, will examine the applications and draw up a list of best-qualified candidates who fulfil all eligibility criteria and most closely meet the selection criteria for the post.

2.

The best-qualified candidates will be invited for an interview, which may be conducted by telephone, and testing by external consultants on behalf of the Pre-selection Committee. Based on the results of these interviews and tests, the Pre-selection Committee will draw up a list of most suitable candidates. These most suitable candidates will be invited to an interview with the Pre-selection Committee which will establish a shortlist of candidates. The shortlist will be submitted to Cedefop’s Governing Board for approval and shortlisted candidates will be invited to give a presentation to the Governing Board. The Governing Board will submit the final shortlist to the Commission.

3.

Candidates shortlisted by Cedefop’s Governing Board will then be called for an interview with the Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA) and will participate in a full-day management assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants. Candidates who are shortlisted by the CCA will then be interviewed by the relevant Commissioner.

4.	Following these interviews, the Commission will appoint the Director of Cedefop. The successful candidate will be expected to take up the post within three months of nomination by the Commission.

For functional reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible, the selection procedure will be carried out in English (8).

Equal opportunities

Cedefop and the European Commission apply a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1(d) of the Staff Regulations.

Terms and conditions of employment

The Director will be appointed as temporary agent at grade AD14, pursuant to Articles 2(a) and 10 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS) of the European Union for a period of five years.

The selected candidate will be expected to complete the full five-year mandate from the start of the contract. Where necessary, Article 47(a) of the CEOS may be applied in order to allow the selected candidate to carry on working beyond the age of 66.

Salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the CEOS for temporary agents occupying a function corresponding to the basic post of Director at grade AD14 of the European Union (9). The selected candidate will be classified depending on the length of his/her experience in step 1 or step 2 within the grade.

As an indication, the current basic monthly salary for grade AD 14 (step 1) is approximately EUR 14 300. The salary is subject to a salary weighting (currently 79,9 % for Greece and subject to a yearly review), social security and other contributions, and a European tax, but is exempt from national taxation.

Depending on the personal situation of the selected candidate, additional benefits may include: management allowance (certain given the position), household allowance, expatriation allowance, and dependent child and education allowances.

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

The place of employment is Thessaloniki, Greece.

Application procedure

Before submitting the application, the candidate should carefully check whether all eligibility requirements are met (‘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.

To register and apply, please go to the job opportunities section of Cedefop’s website (http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/about-cedefop/recruitment/vacancies), click on the name of the vacancy notice and follow the instructions.

Cedefop highly recommends that candidates read the instructions to applicants and the frequently asked questions before filling in the application.

For applications to be valid, candidates must use the online application system (http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/working-with-us/job-opportunities.aspx) and attach (upload) the following documents:

1.	a letter of motivation addressed to, Ms Tatjana Babrauskiene, Chair of the Governing Board;

2.	a curriculum vitae (CV), drafted using the Europass CV format (10); applicants are explicitly requested to give an account of the experience and expertise relevant to the job as well as details on the size (number of staff), budget and nature of the departments they have previously managed4;

3.	a copy of relevant diploma(s).

Supporting documents (e.g. certified copies of degrees/diplomas, references, proof of experience, etc.) should not be sent at this point but must be submitted at a later stage of the procedure if requested.

In order to facilitate the selection process, all communication with applicants concerning this vacancy will be in English.

Closing date

Applications must be submitted on-line by 8 May 2018 at 15:00 Greek time (CET+1). Applications sent by post, email, etc. will be rejected.

Important information for candidates

—	Applicants are asked to report any change of address, phone number or email in writing without delay to the Secretariat of the Pre-selection Committee: director-selection@cedefop.europa.eu

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

—	Candidates who are invited by the European Commission for an interview with the Consultative Committee on Appointments will be required to produce copies of their diplomas and academic qualifications, with proof of nationality.

—	Supporting documents will not be returned to candidates.

—	Please ensure that the email address provided on your application is correct (and that your mailbox is not full), as most correspondence will be by email.

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 Secretariat of the Pre-selection Committee: director-selection@cedefop.europa.eu

Protection of personal data

The Commission and Cedefop will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council 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). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Should the candidate have any queries concerning the processing of his/her personal data, he/she shall address them to the Data Protection Officer of Cedefop, DATA-PROTECTION-OFFICER@cedefop.europa.eu

In case of discrepancies between the language versions of the vacancy notice, the English language version prevails.

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(1)  See the last Programming Document: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/about-cedefop/what-we-do/work-programme

(2)  These tasks are described more in detail in Cedefop’s financial rules: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/about-cedefop/finance-and-budget/financial-rules

(3)  http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/about-cedefop/governance/cedefop-founding-regulation.aspx

(4)  In their CVs applicants should indicate at least for the required 5 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, and (4) numbers of hierarchical layers above and below and (5) number of peers.

(5)  https://europa.eu/european-union/topics/multilingualism_en

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

(7)  Before appointment, the successful candidate must undergo a medical examination.

(8)  The selection panel will ensure that no undue advantage is given to native speakers.

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

(10)  The Europass CV can be downloaded from the website: https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/

(11)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.

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