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.

The Division "RM.BHR.5 - Local Agents” mission is to formulate a comprehensive human resource policy for over 3200 local agents employed in the EU Delegations and to help the delegations implement it.

We develop rules, policies and guidelines pertaining to HR policy, employment conditions, health insurance, pension and emoluments of local staff employed in Union Delegations and we ensure their conformity with the respective local laws of host states (outside the EU).

The Division is currently composed of 20 members of staff dealing with Policy Management (LA recruitment, employment conditions, performance management, salaries) and Social Security (including EU complementary medical cover and pension benefits).

We propose:

The position of HRM Officer – Local Agent Emoluments contract agent FGIV as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS)[1].

who, working under the direct supervision of the Division hierarchy, will: 

• oversee implementation by the delegations and the Division of the existing EU system for establishing and adjusting local agent remuneration;
• reinforce the Division’s expertise on local taxation and social security regimes in Delegation host countries;
• steer the upcoming review process concerning the future of the EU system for establishing and adjusting local agent remuneration; and
• Assist the Head of Division and Deputy Head of Division in co-ordinating the Division’s activities in this area, where required.
• Establish a financial dashboard to follow the staff costs of local staff and improve the forecasting of the Delegation’s budgets;
• Represent the Division in contact with the heads of administration and external stakeholders, on issues relating to salary reviews and local taxation.

Place of employment: EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available:  Immediately

We look for

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated colleague who is comfortable in dealing with numbers and financial issues, can explain complex concepts both orally and in writing, and enjoys using their imagination to craft pragmatic solutions. He will work on a daily basis with the Division’s hierarchy, but also with the Policy and Legal officers and the HRM assistants.

The specific functions and duties will consist in:

• Supervising the Division’s handling of salary revisions for the Delegations;
• Organizing and chairing the biannual meetings of the joint Administration-Staff Representation “Technical Group on Remuneration” for local agents;
• Maintaining contacts with representatives of the countries/international organisations currently used as comparators for determining EU local agent remuneration, and developing such new contacts as may be useful to the upcoming review process;
• Advising the Division on questions from Delegations relating to local taxation and social security regimes;
• Conducting analyses required to evaluate the functioning of the current system for establishing and adjusting local agent remuneration, and producing a report thereon; 
• Steering consultations within EEAS and Commission HQ, with Delegations and with other relevant actors necessary for the review of the EU system of establishing and adjusting local agent remuneration, and helping the Division develop a proposal for a future system;   
• Budgeting and following the staff costs on a regular basis ;
• Making other suggestions for improvement of the Division’s work related to these fields. 

Legal basis

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

Subject 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 completed 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 possess:

• the capacity to create constructive working relations in the field of external relations with national authorities, international organisations and EU Member States;
• Representation skills, high resilience and resistance to stress, tact and communication skills, duty of discretion ;
• strong drafting and analytical skills combined with sound judgement;
• strong numerical skills;
• 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;
• good interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain a network of contacts both within and outside the EEAS;
• strong service orientation;
• fluency in English (both orally and in writing). Knowledge of French and/or Spanish would be an asset;
• flexibility of attitude and a creative approach to problem-solving.

Furthermore: 

• a relevant qualification in finance, accounting, human resources, business, economics or other related field; 
• relevant experience in human resource management, particularly in the field of setting/adjusting/calculating staff emoluments, payroll, salaries and taxation ;
• experience in working in an entity with staff employed in multiple jurisdictions worldwide;

would be considered as strong 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[2] 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[3].

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[4]

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: LOCAL-AGENTS@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application. 25 April 2024 at 12.00 (CET).

Candidates shall draft their CV following the European CV form 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.

[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]    OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

[4]    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)