Head of Operational Support - Hoofdinhoud

EUROJUST

Vacancy notice for the post of:

Head of Operational Support

Reference: 12/EJ/02 Temporary agent AD 13 M/F

Applicants are invited to apply for the post of Head of Operational Support

.

EUROJUST is a European Union body established in 2002 (Council Decision 2002/187/JHA of 28 February 2002 on the setting up of EUROJUST, amended by Council Decision 2003/659/JHA of 18 June 2003 and by Council Decision 2009/426/JHA of 16 December 2008 on the strengthening of Eurojust) to enhance the effectiveness of the competent authorities within Member States dealing with serious cross-border and

organised crime. The College of EUROJUST is composed of 27 National Members, one nominated by each Member State. The College elects one of the National Members to be its President. The Administrative Director is responsible, under the supervision of the President, for the day-to-day administration of Eurojust and staff management.

For further information, please consult our website: www.eurojust.europa.eu The role of the Head of Operational Support within Eurojust is to ensure adequate, effective and high-quality direct support for all operational matters and support the Administrative Director in the strategic and organisational development of Eurojust.

He/she will report to the Administrative Director, and will replace and deputise for him if needed.

Eurojust is undergoing an organisational structure review; depending on its outcome, the job's scope of accountabilities might be revised.

1. Key accountabilities

The successful applicant will be responsible for:

Supervising and managing all support activities related to the coordination of the investigation and prosecution of serious cross-border crime in close interaction with the College and the National Desks;

Overseeing and coordinating the work of the direct support entities (i.e. the Legal Service and the Case Analysis Unit);

Coordinating the development and operation of the Case Management System (Article 16 of the Eurojust Decision) and its components;

Acting as "account manager" for the National Desks and the College, and their activities and projects;

Supervising and appraising the performance, risk and budget for the direct support units;

Ensuring overall quality of products and/or services delivered by organisational entities according to organisational entity standards (performance management);

Setting, implementing and controlling agreements with internal clients;

Directing the functional management of secretaries and the secretariats to National Desks;

Assisting the Administrative Director in the following:

Making daily management decisions within the boundaries of the work programme and budget;

Contributing to formulating the (draft) work programme and responsible for preparing the (draft) budget and establishment plan of the organisation and external reporting to the European Commission and the Court of Auditors;

Supervising the internal client-supplier relationship within the organisation; and

Initiating and supporting organisational development; and

Replacing the Administrative Director or acting as alternate if/when needed in all areas of his responsibility and, in particular, executing his function as Authorising Officer and Appointing Authority.

2. Qualifications and experience required

a- Eligibility criteria

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

· A level of education that corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma and, after having obtained the university diploma, at least 16 years of appropriate professional experience;

OR

· A level of education that corresponds to completed university studies of at least 4 years attested by a diploma and, after having obtained the university diploma, at least 15 years of appropriate professional experience;

AND

· Thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Community and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Community to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties.

Furthermore, in order to be eligible, a candidate must:

· Be a national of one of the Member States of the Community;

· Enjoy his/her full rights as a citizen;

· Have fulfilled any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws on military

service;

· Meet the character requirements for the duties involved; and

· Be physically fit to perform his/her duties.

b- Selection criteria

Candidates selected on the basis of the above eligibility criteria will then be evaluated according to the following selection criteria:

Essential

· University degree in Law;

· At least 9 years of relevant professional experience and knowledge in the

area(s) mentioned above under "key accountabilities";

· Knowledge of the EU regulatory framework;

· Knowledge of judicial cooperation in criminal matters and related EU policies;

· Solid and proven experience in managing a team (please indicate the size and

how many years you have lead the team);

· Motivated and service-oriented personality;

· Ability to work with others and understand cultural differences;

· Ability to understand "client needs" and to translate them into support

activities;

· Political sensitivity;

· Excellent planning and prioritisation skills;

· Ability to communicate clearly and precisely at all levels, both orally and in

writing;

· Excellent negotiation skills;

· Excellent strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills;

· Strong and proven leadership skills;

· High degree of resilience; and

· Fluency in English, as this is the vehicular language of Eurojust.

Advantageous

The following characteristics are considered additional assets:

· Proven practical experience in judicial cooperation in the field of criminal law;

· Knowledge of project and programme management and planning and control;

· Business acumen/commercial insight; and

· General knowledge of EU staff rules and regulations.

3. Selection phase

A Selection Board is nominated by the Appointing Authority. The Human Resources Unit assists the Selection Board by checking the fulfilment of all formal requirements and eligibility criteria. The responsibility for any decision made during this exercise lies with the Selection Board. Failure to comply with one of the formal requirements or eligibility criteria will result in a disqualification of the applicant concerned.

The Selection Board then makes the decision on who is to be considered an eligible applicant for the selection process, in accordance with the requirements outlined in the vacancy notice, and decides from among the eligible applicants those who are to

be invited to attend an interview. Candidates invited for an interview may be asked to undergo a written test.

The selection phase consists of an interview with the Selection Board, in order to evaluate the capacities of the candidates to perform the key accountabilities mentioned above. During the interview, special attention will be paid to the specific knowledge required for the post and the suitability and capacity of the candidate to adapt to a multicultural environment. The work of the Selection Board ends with the drawing up of a list of applicants suitable and a list of applicants unsuitable to occupy the position advertised.

Reserve list

The list of suitable applicants is submitted to the Appointing Authority, who decides on the appointment of the successful candidate and the establishment of a reserve list for the post advertised. Candidates should note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment.

Recruitment will be based on availability of posts and budget.

The reserve list may be used by other units or services in order to fulfil the same or similar positions within Eurojust.

The reserve list for this post will be valid until 31 December 2012 and may be extended at the discretion of the Appointing Authority of Eurojust.

4. Contractual conditions

The Appointing Authority will appoint the successful candidate as a member of the temporary staff pursuant to Article 2(a) of the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities, to which he/she will be subject, for a period of 5 years. The contract may be renewed.

Remuneration will be based on the Community scale of salaries. Pay is subject to Community tax and other deductions laid down in the Staff Regulations. Remuneration is, however, exempt from any national taxation.

The grade for this position is AD 13. The basic monthly salary of a temporary agent in the first step at AD 13 level, before any deductions or allowances, is approximately EUR 11.681.

The place of employment will be The Hague, where Eurojust has its official seat.

Prior to contract signature, the successful candidate will be requested:

• - 

  to provide Eurojust with original or certified copies of all relevant documents proving the candidate's eligibility criteria, including an extract from the candidates police file; and
• - 

  to undergo a compulsory medical examination to establish that the candidate meets the standard of physical fitness necessary to perform the duties involved.

For any further information on contractual and working conditions, please refer to the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and its Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities, which are available on the following web page:

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/human-resources/publications_en.htm

Confirmation of appointment

Temporary staff are required to serve a probationary period of six months.

Essential requirement for the selected applicants: Security Clearance

Eurojust requires selected applicants to sensitive posts to undergo a security screening procedure and obtain a positive national opinion. The level of the latter depends on the specific classified data that post-holders deal with. For this post, the required level of clearance is TOP SECRET.

Applicants who currently hold a valid and positive national security screening opinion at the above-mentioned level do not need to obtain a new one. They shall then provide a copy of such opinion to Eurojust and specify the issuing authority, level and date of expiry. In case the temporal validity of the opinion expires within one year, the renewal procedure shall be initiated expeditiously.

In case selected applicants do not currently hold a valid and positive national security screening opinion at the above-mentioned level, Eurojust will require them to sign a pre-screening self-declaration. Eurojust will request such opinion from the National Security Agency of the applicants' state of nationality.

In case such agency issues a negative opinion at the above-mentioned level after the signature of the contract of employment, Eurojust has the right to terminate the contract.

Declaration of commitment to serve public interest independently

The successful candidate will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make a declaration in relation to interests that might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

The successful candidate will be required to carry out his/her duties and conduct him/herself solely with the interests of the Communities in mind; he/she shall neither seek nor take instruction from any government, authority, organisation or person outside his/her institution. He/she shall carry out the duties assigned with objectivity, impartiality and loyalty to the Communities.

Equal opportunity

EUROJUST applies a policy of equal opportunity for men and women and accepts applications without distinction on grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic characteristics, and language, religious, political or other convictions

or opinions, financial situation, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or family situation.

5. Submission of applications

Your application must be sent to applications@eurojust.europa.eu by no later than 04 March 2012 at midnight CET.

Please indicate the reference number on the application form, in the heading of your e-mail and in all future correspondence relating to this application.

Candidates must use the E-application form available on the website of Eurojust and must mention the reference number and the title of the post for which they are applying. All the questions on the form must be answered in full. The application form must be completed in English. Eurojust publishes multiple posts at the same time and if the candidate wishes to apply for more than one post, he/she must submit a separate application form for each post.

Should applicants be invited for an interview, in order for the application to be considered complete, they must bring with them on the day of the interview originals or certified photocopies of all the supporting documents for their educational qualifications and

employment (diplomas, certificates, statements of employment, professional references, etc.) and photocopies of these documents necessary to prove that they fulfil the eligibility criteria.

All documentary evidence of professional experience must indicate both start and end dates of previous positions and the start date of the position held currently.

Eurojust has the right to disqualify applicants who fail to submit all the required documents on the date of the interview.

Please note that any documents submitted will not be returned to the candidates.

Application forms sent by fax or by post will not be accepted, except for candidates who have a proven disability that prevents them from applying via e-mail. These candidates may submit by post, no later than the indicated closing date for the submission of applications (the postmark date will serve as proof), a printed version of the application form, and mail it indicating the reference number of the selection procedure and title of the post to: EUROJUST, Recruitment Office, P.O. Box 16183, 2500 BD The Hague, The Netherlands.

Closing Date: Closing dates for the submission of applications are strictly adhered to. Your application must be sent to applications@eurojust.europa.eu by 04 March 2012 at midnight CET. In the heading of the e-mail, the reference number of the post and the title of the post for which a candidate is applying must be mentioned.

To summarise:

The application form must be fully completed in English. Applications must be sent to applications@eurojust.europa.eu n o later than the indicated closing date, mentioning the reference number and the vacancy and title of the position in the header of the e-mail.

The Human Resources Unit will acknowledge receipt of applications. Due to the volume of applications, only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted further. Candidates are invited to follow the recruitment process status on the

Eurojust website.

Please note that the Selection Board's work and deliberations are strictly confidential and that any contact, direct or indirect, with its members is strictly forbidden.

All personal data collected for any selection procedure to be handled by Eurojust will only be used for its purposes and will in no case be transmitted to any third party. Any data provided will be treated in the strictest confidence and with high standards of security. All documents provided to Eurojust during any selection procedure will be kept in Eurojust's files and will not be returned to applicants. Applicants' documents will only be kept for as long as it is mandatory to fulfil the requirements of existing auditing/control procedures applicable to Eurojust. The Head of the HR Unit of Eurojust acts as controller of such data, which will be collected and further processed in full compliance with all applicable data protection regulations and, in particular, with the rules on the protection and processing of personal data at Eurojust (OJ C 68/1, 19.3.2005). The rights of information, access, correction, blocking and deletion of personal data are guaranteed under these rules.

Date of publication on Eurojust website: 06.02.2012