European GNSS Agency (GSA)

Publication of a vacancy for the function of Executive Director in Prague

(Temporary Agent — Grade AD 14)

COM/2019/20044

(2019/C 323 A/01)

 

We are

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) operates since 2005 and is a decentralised agency of the European Union. In accordance with Regulation (EU) No 912/2010 (1), as amended by Regulation (EU) No 512/2014 (2), and Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 (3), the Agency has various tasks in the implementation of the European GNSS Programmes, composed of Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).

More precisely, the Agency, in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Commission, has the following missions:

—	Ensure security accreditation of EGNOS and Galileo, through its independent Security Accreditation Board (4). To that effect it initiates and monitors the implementation of security procedures and performs system security audits;

—	Ensure the operation of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre;

—	Perform certain tasks provided for in Decision No 1104/2011/EU on the rules for access to the public regulated service of Galileo;

—	Contribute to the promotion and marketing of Galileo’s and EGNOS services, including by carrying out the necessary market analysis, by establishing close contacts with users and potential users of the systems;

In addition, the Agency also performs other tasks relating to the implementation of the Galileo and EGNOS programmes, entrusted to it by the Commission by means of delegation agreements, such as:

—	operational activities including systems infrastructure management, maintenance and continuous improvement of the systems, certification and standardisation operations and provision of the services;

—	development and deployment activities for the evolution and future generations of the systems, and contribution to the definition of service evolutions, including procurement;

—

promoting the development of applications and services based on the systems, as well as raising awareness of such applications and services, including identifying, connecting and coordinating the network of European centres of excellence in GNSS applications and services, drawing on public and private sector expertise, and evaluating measures relating to such promotion and awareness-raising;

—	promoting the development of fundamental elements, such as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers.

The missions of the Agency could be subject to a further evolution, depending on future European Union legislation following the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation establishing the space programme of the Union and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (COM(2018) 447) (5).

The Agency has its headquarters in Prague, Czechia, and has operational centres also in France, Spain and the Netherlands. It currently employs a staff of about 200, subject to the rules applicable to officials and other servants of the Communities. The 2019 budget of the Agency amounts to around EUR 34 million, including an operational budget of around EUR 7 million. In addition, in the context of its Galileo and EGNOS exploitation activities and Horizon 2020 applications activities, the Agency manages a delegated budget of around EUR 4,5 billion over the period 2014-2021.

We propose

The Agency’s Executive Director will be the Agency’s legal representative and will be in charge of its day-to-day leadership and management, in accordance with the Commission guidelines, and under the supervision of the Agency’s Administrative Board. He/she will be responsible for directing and managing the Agency’s staff.

The Executive Director’s responsibilities will include:

—	Defining the Agency’s vision for endorsement by the Administrative Board and developing and implementing the Agency’s strategic activities in accordance with its mission;

—	Defining the organisational structure of the Agency and submitting it for approval to the Administrative Board;

—	Recruiting and evaluating Agency’s staff, while fostering a good team spirit and working environment.

—	Facilitating cooperation and establishing close working relationships between the Agency and the Commission, as well as with the Member States, third countries and establishing working relations with the European Space Agency (ESA) and other stakeholders, as required;

—	Organising and taking part, without the right to vote, in meetings of the Administrative Board and providing its secretariat;

—	Preparing and executing the Agency’s budget, in full compliance with the European Union’s budget cycle and the Financial Regulation’s rules and principles;

—	Proposing and implementing the annual work programme/single programming document;

—	Ensuring the most effective use of the financial and human resources of the Agency;

—	Preparing the annual report of the Agency’s activities and presenting it to the European Parliament.

We look for (selection criteria)

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

a)

Management experience, and in particular: — Capacity and ability to lead and manage an entity within an international context of closely co-operating organisations, both at a strategic and at an operational level; — Capacity to lead and motivate a team with technical competences in a multicultural and multilingual environment; — Capacity and ability to manage a wide range of different stakeholders in the public and private sectors; and — Knowledge of the budgetary and financial management in a national, European Union and/or international context.

b)

Technical knowledge and experience, and in particular: — Experience in space programmes; — Knowledge of the European space policy; — Knowledge of and experience in the EU satellite navigation programmes would be an asset; — Experience with security-sensitive activities would be an asset; — An excellent understanding of the EU institutional system.

c)

Communication/negotiations skills, and in particular: — Excellent written and oral communication and excellent negotiation skills; — Ability to communicate to the public and cooperate with stakeholders; — A very good working knowledge of English, which is the predominant working language in the Agency. Knowledge of further official languages of the EU would be an additional asset.

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.

—

University degree or diploma: candidates must have: — either 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 at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must be in the area of the activities of the agency.

—	Management experience: at least 5 years of the post-graduate professional experience must have been gained in a high–level management function (6) in a field relevant for this position.

—

Languages: candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (7) 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 be able to complete, at the deadline for application, the full mandate of 5 years before reaching the retirement age. For temporary staff of the European Union, the retirement age is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 47 of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union (8)).

In addition, candidates have to 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.

Selection and appointment

The Director will be appointed by the Administrative Board of the European GNSS Agency on the basis of a shortlist provided by the European Commission.

To establish this shortlist, the European Commission organises a selection in accordance with its selection and recruitment procedures (see the Document on Senior Officials Policy (9)).

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 Executive Director of the European GNSS Agency.

Candidates on the CCA shortlist will be interviewed by the Member(s) of the Commission responsible for the Directorate-General in charge of the relations with the Agency (10).

Following these interviews, the European Commission adopts a shortlist of the most suitable candidates, which will be communicated to the Administrative Board of the European GNSS Agency. The latter may decide to interview the candidates before appointing the Director from among the candidates on the Commission shortlist. Inclusion on this shortlist does not guarantee appointment.

Candidates may be required to undergo further interviews and/or tests in addition to those indicated above. They could also be required to deliver a statement before the relevant committee(s) of the European Parliament.

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 (11).

Equal opportunities

The European Commission and the European GNSS Agency apply a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (12).

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (13).

The successful candidate will be engaged by the European GNSS Agency as a Temporary Agent at grade AD14 (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.

She/he will be appointed for an initial mandate of 5 years, with a possible prolongation for a maximum 4 years according to Regulation establishing the Agency as applicable at the time of appointment.

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 Prague, Czechia, where the European GNSS Agency is based.

The post is available from 1 February 2020.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up his/her duties, the 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 e-mail 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 e-mail 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 your 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, your application has not been registered!

Please note that it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application on-line. 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 e-mail to: HR-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 4 November 2019, 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 (15). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

---

(1)  Regulation (EU) No 912/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 setting up the European GNSS Agency, repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1321/2004 on the establishment of structures for the management of the European satellite radio navigation programmes and amending Regulation (EC) No 683/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 11).

(2)  Regulation (EU) No 512/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 amending Regulation (EU) No 912/2010 setting up the European GNSS Agency (OJ L 150, 20.5.2014, p. 72)

(3)  Regulation (EU) No 1285/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the implementation and exploitation of European satellite navigation systems and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 876/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 683/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 1).

(4)  The activities related to security accreditation, described in Chapter III of Regulation (EU) No 912/2010, including the agency staff performing them, are fully in the responsibility of the Chairperson of the Security Accreditation Board.

(5)  Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing the space programme of the Union and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision 541/2014/EU, Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing the space programme of the Union and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision 541/2014/EU, COM/2018/447.

(6)  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.

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

(8)  http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

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

(10)  Unless the Member of the Commission concerned, in line with the Commission Decision of 5 December 2007 (PV(2007) 1811), has delegated this task to another Member of the Commission.

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

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

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

(14)  The correction coefficient applicable to the remuneration and pensions of officials and other servants of the European Union for Prague is set at 83 % as from 1 July 2018. This coefficient is subject to an annual revision.

(15)  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).