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/her tasks of conducting the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy and chairing the Foreign Affairs Council. It also supports the High Representative in his/her capacity as Vice President of the Commission with regard to his/her responsibilities within the Commission in the external relations field including the coordination of other aspects of the Union’s external action. The EEAS works in close cooperation with Member States, the Council and relevant services of the European Commission.

The Consular Affairs Division (SG.CRC.2) contributes to the consular protection of EU citizens facing emergencies outside of the European Union. In particular, we support coordination and cooperation measures among EU Member States to facilitate the consular protection of unrepresented EU citizens, i.e. those who do not have an Embassy or a Consulate of their own Member State.

We are part of the EEAS Crisis Response Centre (CRC), and cooperate closely with the other Divisions of the CRC, namely the EU Situation Room and the Field Security Division.

We work mostly with Member States (Crisis Centres and Consular Departments), with EU Delegations around the world, and in close cooperation with the European Commission (DG ECHO-ERCC, DG JUST, DG HOME), as well as with like-minded countries.

We propose

The position of Policy Officer, contract agent FGIV as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS) [1] .

Under the overarching authority of the Head of Division, the Policy Officer is expected to perform the following tasks:

• Supporting EU Delegations on their consular crisis preparedness activities, including the organisation of local consular coordination, the drafting/update of EU consular contingency plans (“Joint Frameworks”), and the preparation and conduct of consular crisis exercises;   
• Supporting the EEAS and EU Delegations in consular crisis response, including through deployments in the field to support local coordination at times of crises on an exceptional and need basis;
• Contributing to briefings, policy papers, analysis and reporting tools on consular matters, including briefings for high-level engagement and lessons learned documents;
• Supporting the EEAS’ engagement with partners, notably with EU Member States in the context of the Council’s Working Party on Consular Matters (COCON) or in consular dialogues with third countries  (including drafting briefings and reports for the EEAS management);
• Supporting work on the review of the Consular Protection Directive, including by engaging with relevant EU actors;
• Providing training and capacity building of relevant EU actors on consular matters, with a particular focus on the network of Consular Correspondents in EU Delegations;
• Other tasks and duties in the interest of service, in particular contributions to internal and external communication activities and development of communication material on consular matters.

Place of employment: EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available: 1 October 2024

We look for

The Consular Affairs Division of the European External Action Service (EEAS) is seeking a dynamic, flexible, proactive and highly motivated colleague with strong pragmatic skills to occupy the post of Policy Officer working essentially on consular crisis preparedness and response.  Consular or crisis management experience would be a strong asset, as well as prior work experience in an Embassy, a Consulate, an EU Delegation or an International Organisation.

The candidate should have a good understanding of EU policy-making and decision-making processes in the foreign policy field, and an understanding of inter-institutional relations as well as have relevant experience in the proposed area of work. The candidate will be working in a friendly and dynamic environment and contribute to the work of the EEAS Crisis Response Centre. He/she will have to work in an international and multicultural environment in close synergy with Member States and EU institutions. The candidate should ideally have prior experience of working in crisis situations and be ready to be deployed if necessary to support EU Delegations on an exceptional basis.

Legal basis

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the CEOS , in particular Article 82 thereof.

S ubject to having passed the CAST exam, the successful candidate will be offered a contract agent position (Function group IV), on the basis of a contract with an initial duration of one year that may be successively renewed for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates for this contract agent IV post should:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in FG IV;

or

• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent Contract Agent Selection Tool (CAST) for FG IV ( 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 c ompleted university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
• 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 a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience;
• have a good understanding of consular affairs, of the relevant legal and institutional  framework and, in particular, of the role of the EEAS and of EU Delegations;
• have specific geographical or thematic expertise relevant to the work of the Division, for instance on consular or crisis management issues;
• have the ability to maintain diplomatic relations and to ensure representation and communication in a complex, multicultural environment;
• have the capacity to create constructive working relations in the field of external relations with national authorities, international organisations and EU Member States;
• have    strong  drafting and analytical skills combined with sound judgement;
• have knowledge of external relations, internal policies and functioning of the Union;
• have excellent communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain a network of contacts both within and outside the EEAS;
• have the ability to communicate clearly on complex issues and the capacity to perform with accuracy and in a flexible manner a diversity of tasks in a   complex institutional environment;
• have strong service attitude;
• be fluent in English (both orally and in writing) and have some knowledge of French;
• be a flexible team player

Furthermore: 

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment, ideally in a Consulate, an Embassy, an EU Delegation or an International organisation;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions;
• knowledge of other languages used in international relations, in particular Spanish;
• prior experience in communication;

would be considered as strong asset.

Specific conditions of employment

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

The requested level of security clearance for this post is: SECRET UE/EU SECRET. A 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 [2] .

The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance (PSC) [3] issued by the competent authority of the Member State concerned.

Candidates who do not already have a valid PSC will be required to go through the security clearance vetting procedure of their Member State to obtain this clearance in accordance with national laws and regulations and with the procedure laid down in the Decision ADMIN(2019)7 on Security Clearance Requirements and Procedures for the EEAS of 08 March 2019 and in Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS [4] . Until the PSC is issued by the competent authority of the Member State concerned, the selected candidate will not be authorised to access EUCI at the level of CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above, or to participate in any meetings or workflow where EUCI is processed.

Please note that the necessary procedure for obtaining a PSC can be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate.

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 .

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 in French via email, with reference to the Vacancy number in the Subject field, to:

consular-affairs-division@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 04/09/2024 at 12.00 (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 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 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]    OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

[3]    The ‘Personnel Security Clearance’ is defined under point 2 of Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS as “a statement by a competent authority of a Member State which is made following completion of a security investigation conducted by the competent authorities of a Member State and which certifies that an individual may, provided his ‘need-to-know’ has been determined, be granted access to EUCI up to a specified level (CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above) until a specified date; the individual thus described is said to be ‘security cleared’.”

[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: (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eeas-privacy-statement-data-protection-notice-purpose-processing-personal-data-related-public_en) and on the EEAS Intranet:( https://intranet.eeas.europa.eu/page/eeas-work/data-protection/privacy-statements-dp-notices )