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.

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, 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 implementation of the European Union Diplomatic Academy (EUDA).

The present number of staff in the Division is 30.

We propose

The position of HRM Assistant – seminar organiser - – contract agent FGIII 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:  1 September 2024

We look for

We are seeking a highly motivated, dynamic, flexible, committed and proactive colleague to join the EU Delegation Seminars Team of the Division. S/he should be able to quickly adapt to a new working environment and be a good team player. In a team of 3 colleagues, s/he will carry out the following main tasks:

• Assisting in the preparation and organisation of the annual Ambassadors Conference, pre-posting trainings and seminars and related trainings for Delegation staff (including back office administration, management of seminar venues);
• Contributing to the development of programme content, contacts with speakers, and other interlocutors;
• Assisting in the preparation of online/hybrid meetings (WEBEX, ZOOM, webstreaming);
• Ensuring seminar presence, including moderation of discussions where necessary, and ad hoc administrative assistance (welcome and support speakers, liaising with IT support);
• Assisting with the organisation of missions of seminar participants or external speakers of the Conference and follow up;
• Regular checking of functional mailboxes of the Division and ARES;
• Operational Initiation (OIA) for external trainings organised in the context of seminars, as appropriate;

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 III), 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 III post should:

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

or

• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent Contract Agent Selection Tool (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:

• excellent communication and organisational skills;
• a strong service attitude;
• good drafting skills;
• good computer skills (MS Office) and good knowledge of standard administrative procedures;
• good technical command of online conferencing tools (WEBEX, ZOOM, etc);
• ability to perform multiple tasks, adjust to changing priorities and respect deadlines;
• very good knowledge of English and/or French, orally and in writing;
• flexibility in working hours, when appropriate.

Furthermore: 

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions;
• knowledge of training needs for staff in EU Delegations;
• good command of IT tools used in EU institutions (EU LEARN, OUTLOOK, EXCEL, SYSPER);
• experience in event management/ conference organisation or external relations;

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:

CAREER-LEARNING-DEVELOPMENT@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 12/07/2024  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 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]    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)