We are

The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the work of the High Representative in defining and implementing an effective and coherent EU foreign policy. The EEAS supports his tasks of conducting the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and chairing the Foreign Affairs Council. It also supports the High Representative in his capacity as Vice President of the Commission with regard to his responsibilities within the Commission in the external relations field including the coordination of other aspects of the EU's external action. The EEAS works in close cooperation with Member States, the Council and relevant services of the European Commission.

Within the Directorate for Budget and Human Resources, the Career, Learning and Development Division (RM.BHR.4) is in charge of:

• the smooth implementation of the statutory career development policies (i.e. appraisal, promotion/reclassification, probation, certification);
• the development of related career policies;
• modern and effective learning and development opportunities for staff;
• the annual training budgets for Delegations and Headquarters;
• the organisation of pre-posting and annual seminars for Delegation staff, and the annual Ambassadors Conference;
• the traineeship programmes at EEAS Headquarters and in Delegations
• the implementation of the European Union Diplomatic Academy (EUDA).

The present number of staff in the Division is 30.

We propose

The position of the Secretary/HRM Agent - contract agent FGII as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS) [1] .

Place of employment: EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available : 01/09/2024

We look for

A dynamic, flexible and proactive colleague with good communication and organizational skills with a developed sense of service. The colleague should be able to quickly adapt to new working environment and be a good team player. The successful candidate should have good computer skills with a sound knowledge of the standard IT applications and administrative procedures. He/she will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• Assisting in the smooth running of the Division’s daily work;
• Keeping and updating agendas of hierarchy/Head of Division;
• Follow up of briefing requests;
• Regular checking of functional mailboxes of the Division and ARES for Head of Division and HR.4 virtual entity;
• Validating absences/flexitime/leaves in Sysper for the Division;
• Archiving;
• Assisting in the preparation and organization of seminars and related trainings (back office administration, setting up meetings and booking meeting rooms, ordering catering and material)
• Seminar presence and ad hoc administrative assistance (working outside core hours, as per the seminar programme, required);
• Participating in the organisation and coordination of the yearly EU Ambassadors’ Conference, eg. administrative issues, including logistics (working outside core hours, depending on the Conference programme, required);
• Assistance in side events to courses, seminars, such as catering services;
• Validation of requests in PRESTO;
• Operational Initiation (OIA) for external trainings, individual language courses and catering payments, as appropriate;

Legal basis

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). ^[2]

The successful candidate will be offered a contract agent position (Function group II); renewable contract for a maximum duration of 6 years (with a valid CAST exam).

Eligibility criteria

Candidates for this contract agent II post should:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in a valid FG for this post

or

• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent CAST in a valid FG for this post ( https://epso.europa.eu/en/job-opportunities/open-for-application ). In that case, while the registration will render the candidate eligible for the selection procedure, the recruitment of a candidate on this vacant post will be subject to their successfully passing the CAST exam that this candidate will be called to attend.

• have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education and appropriate professional experience of three years ;
• have the capacity to work in languages of CFSP and external relations necessary for the performance of their duties. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an asset.
• be a national of one of the member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Candidates should have:

• Good communication and organisational skills and a developed sense of service.
• Flexibility in working hours, when appropriate;
• Proven experience in secretarial work. Experience in the field of event management/ conference organisation or external relations will be an asset;
• Sound computer skills (MS Office) and good knowledge of standard administrative procedures. Knowledge of IT tools used in EU institutions will be an asset;
• Ability to perform multiple tasks and adjust to changing priorities and respect deadlines;
• Very good knowledge of oral and written English and/or French;
• Previous experience in EU institutions and/or EU Delegations would be an asset.

Furthermore: 

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions

would be considered as assets.

Specific conditions of employment

The signature of the contract will be subject to prior favourable opinion of the Medical Service.

This post is currently not identified as a post which requires Personnel Security Clearance (PSC) to access EU classified information (EUCI) in accordance with point 7 of Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS [3] and as implemented by Decision ADMIN(2019) 7 on Security Clearance Requirements and Procedures for the EEAS of 08 March 2019 and its implementing decisions.

Nonetheless, candidates are informed that the list of posts requiring a PSC in the EEAS Headquarters is subject to regular review and that the current post might be identified in the future as a post which requires PSC.

If required after the taking of duty, the selected candidate will need to be in a position to obtain a valid PSC issued by the competent authority of their Member State in accordance with national laws and regulations.

In case of failure to obtain or renew the required PSC, the AACC may take the appropriate measures in accordance with Article 3(3) of the Decision ADMIN(2019) 7 on Security Clearance Requirements and Procedures for the EEAS of 08 March 2019 .

Description of the EU classified information levels is available under Article 2 of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS [4] .

Equal Opportunities

The EEAS is committed to an equal opportunities policy for all its employees and applicants for employment. As an employer, the EEAS is committed to promoting gender equality and to preventing discrimination on any grounds. It actively welcomes applications from all qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and from the broadest possible geographical basis amongst the EU Member States. We aim at a service, which is truly representative of society, where each staff member feels respected, is able to give their best and can develop their full potential.

Candidates with disabilities are invited to contact CONTRACTAGENTS-HQ@eeas.europa.eu  in order to accommodate any special needs and provide assistance to ensure the possibility to pass the selection procedure in equality of opportunities with other candidates. If a candidate with a disability is selected for a vacant post, the EEAS is committed to providing reasonable accommodation in accordance with Art 1d.4 of the Staff Regulations.

Application and selection procedure [5]

Please send your CV and cover letter (with your EPSO CAST number), in English or French via email, with reference to the Vacancy Number in the Subject field, to

CAREER-LEARNING-DEVELOPMENT@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 07/09/2024 at 18.00 (CET) .

Candidates shall draft their CV using the Europass CV,  which can be found at the following internet address: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae .

Late applications will not be accepted .

The selection panel will make a pre-selection on the basis of the qualifications and professional experience described in the CV and motivational letter, and will produce a shortlist of eligible candidates who best meet the selection criteria for the post. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be informed about the outcome of the pre-selection phase.

The candidates who have been preselected will be invited for an interview by a selection panel.

The selection panel may decide, in addition to the interview, to organise written tests, either for all pre-selected candidates or to the best ranked ones, after the interview. The content of such written tests will be defined by the selection panel and may include, but not be limited to, multiple choice questions, open questions and/or topics for a short essay.

Pre-selected candidates shall also be invited to sit the CAST exam before or after the interview stage by the  selection panel (in accordance with the eligibility criteria set out above). The panel will then recommend a shortlist of candidates for a final decision by the Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (AACC). The AACC may decide to interview the candidates on the final shortlist before taking this decision.

If, exceptionally, on the date of recruitment, the successful candidate has not yet had the opportunity to pass the tests necessary to obtain the CAST, the latter will be engaged on condition that he obtains the CAST within six months of taking up his duties. Failure to obtain the required CAST will give the EEAS the right to terminate the employment contract.

It is recalled, that the selection procedure may be terminated at any stage in the interest of the service.

In the interest of the service, after identifying the candidate that best fulfils the requirement of the post as set out in the vacancy notice, the AACC may also establish a reserve list of candidates. These candidates shall be informed that the reserve list shall remain valid for a period of one year from when it is established and that it may be used to fill the same post or an equivalent post in the EEAS having the same job profile.

[1]  Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (SR) and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140501&from=EN

[2]  Staff Regulations of Officials (SR) and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). For reference, see

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1570023902133&uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20190101

[3] OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

[4] OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

[5] Your personal data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, as implemented by ADMIN(2019)8 Decision of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The privacy statement is available on the Europa website: (http://eeas.europa.eu/data_protection/rights/index_en.htm) and on the EEAS Intranet:

( https://intranet.eeas.europa.eu/page/eeas-work/data-protection/privacy-statements ).