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.

Global communication, international cultural relations and public diplomacy Division (SG.STRAT.2) leads the European Union's efforts on the public dimension of European diplomacy and its communication on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as its external action more broadly. It pro-actively communicates and enhances support for the values, policies, priorities, actions and impact of the EU as a global actor among EU citizens and at the international level. 

The Division supports the EU Delegations and relevant Missions and Operations around the world in communicating and enhancing support for the EU and its activities and policies to the relevant audiences. It also supports and facilitates the internal communications in the European External Action Service and plays a leading role in information management activities. 

We propose

The position of Social media officer at the Global communication, international cultural relations and public diplomacy Division (SG.STRAT.2)  – contract agent FGIV 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:  1/09/2024

We look for

Global communication, international cultural relations and public diplomacy Division (SG.STRAT.2) is seeking to recruit an experienced and dynamic communications professional with knowledge in the field of digital communications, with a focus on social media.

We seek for a social media professional who under the supervision of the Head of Sector Digital Communications would contribute to the:

• management and monitoring of EEAS social media platforms, audio-visual production and editorial planning in coordination with the Head of the Digital communications team; 
• the overall responsibility for strategy, development and optimization of EEAS social media platforms;
• social media coverage on EEAS channels of HR/VP activities;
• develop and optimize synergies with social media accounts of the High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP);the Secretary-General of the EEAS and the accounts of EU Delegations, Missions and Operations;
• guidance and training of HQ, EU Delegations, Military and Civilian Missions and Operations and Electoral Observation Missions on social media and digital media;

• development, implementation and evaluation of digital campaigns, including paid advertising, in coordination with the Digital Team and Strategic Communication Officers, Delegations and other internal and external stakeholders;
• liaison with other EU institutions’ and other international partners’ social media teams;
• supervision of external contractors on creation and implementation of social media campaigns and audio-visual products;
• supervision of external contractors on reporting and assessing social media activities;
• organisation of internal courses, seminars, workshops and presentations and assure participation and reporting on the activities of the social media / digital media network;
• development of guidelines, orientations and new approaches relating to the proper implementation of social media and audio-visual production (projects, policies, networks).

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 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 year
• 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 sound experience  managing social media platforms, namely X/Twitter, Facebook Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, Threads, Mastodon, etc.;
• demonstrate a clear understanding of integrated digital communication (digital campaigns, web/social media content production, advertising, online marketing, web/social media management and audiovisual content development);
• be able to demonstrate solid experience in strategic communications;
• be able to show practical experience in communication, e.g. developing social media strategies, planning and implementing digital campaigns;
• have experience with digital content production and optimization, and curation, management and monitoring of social media accounts;
• have sound experience of graphic design tools, i.e. Canva;
• have ability to work with external contractors and manage communication budgets;
• have knowledge of social media analytics, performance monitoring and reporting using specific tools such as Emplifi, Creator Studio, Talkwalker,
• have knowledge of EU institutions, related decisional processes, EU’s external action and relevant policies;
• have excellent communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain a network of contacts both within and outside the EEAS;
• have strong drafting and analytical skills combined with sound judgement;
• have solid reporting skills, a rapid grasp of issues at stake and capacity to present the topic to a wide range of audiences as well as appearing in expert panels;
• excellent written and oral communication skills in English (native speaker equivalent) and a good knowledge of French.

Furthermore:

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions, government or corporate communications;
• experience in coalition or network building on fast-developing policy issues;
• experience of working with social media analytics, and social media monitoring tools;
• expertise with social media marketing/boosting tools and managing a budget to be spent across channels on promoting social media posts;
• knowledge on social media trends;

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:SG-STRAT-1-RECRUITMENT@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 15/05/2024 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)