Call for expression of interest OMB/8/2015 for an Own-initiative Inquiries Officer - Temporary agent - AD5

The European Ombudsman

The European Ombudsman seeks fair outcomes to complaints against European Union institutions, encourages transparency, and promotes an administrative culture of service. She aims to build trust through dialogue between citizens and the European Union and to foster the highest standards of behaviour in the Union's institutions.

Our guiding principles: Integrity, Fairness, Accountability, Dialogue, and Service.

The European Ombudsman is an equal opportunity employer who encourages applications from qualified men and women and does not discriminate on the basis of, among others, age, disability, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

1. Purpose of the call for expression of interest

The European Ombudsman is organising a selection procedure in order to draw up a reserve list of candidates to fill a permanent post on a temporary basis for the position of an Own-Initiative Inquiries (OII) Officer. The candidates selected at the end of the selection procedure will be placed on a reserve list consisting of a maximum of five candidates. The reserve list will be valid for two years and its validity may be extended.

2. Place of employment

Brussels.

The post may involve missions to other working places of the institutions. It may also involve missions to other countries in or outside the European Union.

3. Conditions of employment

The successful candidate will be engaged as a temporary agent of AD5 grade under a contract of definite duration of four years. The contract may be renewed not more than once for a maximum period of two years. At the end of that time, the individual shall no longer be employed as temporary staff under these provisions. On the expiry of their contracts, such servants may be assigned to established official posts in the institutions only if they are appointed as officials in accordance with the Staff Regulations.

Ideally, the contract should start on 1 November 2015.

4. Nature of the tasks

The own-initiative inquiries team has the specific task to develop OIIs as a key instrument to achieve the Ombudsman's strategic objectives. Under the supervision of the own-initiative inquiries co-ordinator, the OII officer will be responsible for:

● Identifying systemic issues in the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies that could form the subject of own-initiative inquiries by the Ombudsman;

● Researching, proposing and dealing with inquiries conducted on the European Ombudsman's own initiative;

● Conducting public or targeted consultations as part of the Ombudsman's OIIs;

● Analysing material submitted to the Ombudsman in the context of OIIs;

● Drafting and proposing notes and decisions for the Ombudsman's signature, as well as other official documents relating to her inquiries and correspondence with citizens;

● Helping to evaluate the results of OIIs;

● Drafting reports to enable the Ombudsman to draw up her position in a range of policy areas;

● Assisting in the Ombudsman's work in relation to EU Agencies, as well as the European Central Bank and European Investment Bank;

● Contributing towards propagating a culture of service in the EU civil service;

● Assisting the Ombudsman in the preparation of her external activities and representing the institution at certain public events.

5. Eligibility

The OII Officer in the Ombudsman's office should fulfil the following conditions:

(a) Minimum conditions

Candidates must:

1. possess citizenship of the European Union;

2. enjoy full rights as a citizen;

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

4. have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested to by a diploma;

5. have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties.

(b) Specific conditions

(i) Knowledge required

● Thorough knowledge of the EU institutions and of EU legislation and policies, in particular in areas of transparency, ethics and citizens' rights;

● Very good knowledge of the administration and law of the EU. Studies of European and public administrative law would constitute an advantage;

● Very good knowledge of the work of the European Ombudsman.

(ii) Skills

● Excellent drafting skills in English, including the ability to write clearly;

● Ability to:

○ identify the critical facts in complex issues and develop creative and practical solutions;

○ communicate clearly and precisely both orally and in writing;

○ take personal responsibility and initiative for delivering work to a high standard of quality within set procedures;

○ develop and improve personal skills and knowledge of the organisation and its environment;

○ prioritise the most important tasks, work flexibly and organise own workload efficiently;

○ work co-operatively with others in teams and across organisational boundaries and respect differences between people;

○ work in a multicultural environment;

○ remain effective under a heavy workload, handle organisational frustrations positively and adapt to a changing work environment;

● Commitment to a culture of service.

(iii) Languages

● Excellent knowledge of English (both oral and written);

● Knowledge of additional official language(s) of the European Union would be an advantage.

(iv) Professional experience

No professional experience is required. However, proven professional experience on issues of EU transparency, ethics, good administration, and citizens' rights would constitute an advantage. Previous experience in relation to the European Central Bank, European Investment Bank and/or the European Union agencies would also constitute an advantage.

Periods of postgraduate studies completed after the diploma mentioned under point 5(a) above has been obtained may, if relevant, count towards this professional experience for a maximum of 12 months.

6. Deadline for submitting applications

Applications^[1] must refer to the call for expression of interest OMB/08/2015 - OII Officer and must be sent by postal mail to the address indicated below. The date of posting of the application shall be 21 August 2015 at the latest. Applications posted after that date shall be deemed inadmissible.

European Ombudsman's Office
Personnel, Administration, and Budget Unit
Call for expression of interest OMB/08/2015
1, avenue du Président Robert Schuman
CS 30403
67001 Strasbourg Cedex
France

Applications must include:

a) A duly filled in application form, which can be found on the European Ombudsman's website at the following address: http://ombudsman.europa.eu/vacancy;

b) a letter explaining the candidate's reasons for applying;

c) a copy of the candidate's curriculum vitae in English (preferably a Europass CV: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu);

d) a copy of a document proving the applicant's citizenship;

e) a copy of the diploma which satisfies the requirements set out in Section 5(a) of the present call for expression of interest;

f) in case candidates have acquired professional experience, copies of evidence of professional experience (such as a contract, payslips or a signed attestation by the employer) for each position, clearly indicating the starting and finishing dates, the job title, and the exact nature of the duties carried out;

g) a numbered list of all the supporting documents.

The copies mentioned above do not need to be certified. Since the documents will not be returned to the candidates, the submission of original documents should be avoided.

Incomplete applications will be excluded from the selection.

Candidates are invited to provide a valid e-mail address to be used for communications by the Ombudsman's Office concerning this procedure.

7. Procedure

a) Applications posted after that closing date set out above shall be deemed inadmissible.

b) Applications sent within the closing date will be examined by a Selection Board to be appointed by the European Ombudsman in order to determine whether candidates fulfil (and have submitted the required evidence that they fulfil) the first and the fourth of the minimum conditions for eligibility set out in Section 5(a) of this call for expression of interest. Candidates who do not fulfil (or who have failed to submit the required evidence that they fulfil) these minimum conditions, shall be excluded. Only the candidate who will actually be recruited will be asked to provide information confirming that she or he fulfils the second and the third of the minimum conditions for eligibility.

c) Eligible applications will be assessed by the Selection Board on the basis of candidates' qualifications in order to draw up a shortlist of the most suitable candidates.

d) The candidates on this shortlist will be invited to an interview (indicative timetable: mid-September) in order for the Selection Board to evaluate the candidates' profile, knowledge and skills. The Selection Board may also invite the candidates to take a written test.

e) On the basis of its evaluation of candidates' applications and the interviews, the Selection board will draw up a reserve list of a maximum of five candidates[2].

f) Candidates will receive an acknowledgement of receipt of their applications. Those candidates whose applications are deemed to be inadmissible or who do not fulfil the minimum conditions for eligibility will be informed as soon as possible.

Candidates whose applications are admissible and who fulfil the minimum conditions for eligibility will be informed about whether their name has been included in the shortlist of the most suitable candidates as soon as such a shortlist has been drawn up.

Candidates are invited to provide a valid e-mail address to be used for communications by the Ombudsman's Office concerning this procedure.

Strasbourg, 23/07/2015

 

Emily O'Reilly

 

[1] The processing of personal data by the European Ombudsman is governed 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, OJ 2001 L 8, p. 1. By submitting an application for a post within the European Ombudsman's Office, candidates are understood to have given their consent, within the meaning of Article 5(d) of the Regulation, to the processing of the personal data contained in the application and the supporting documents enclosed therewith. The personal data in question are collected by the European Ombudsman's Office for the sole purpose of the present selection procedure. Candidates have a right to access and to rectify their own personal data kept by the European Ombudsman's Office.

Personal data concerning unsuccessful candidates shall be destroyed two years after the reserve list has expired. Applications submitted for the purposes of the present selection procedure shall not be taken into consideration for the purposes of future ones.

Personal data concerning the recruited candidates shall be kept by the European Ombudsman's Office and might be transferred to other Community Institutions for administrative purposes.

Candidates may at any time consult the European Ombudsman's Data Protection Officer or have recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor.

[2] Please note that inclusion in the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment.