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 European Security and Defence College (ESDC) provides training in the field of the Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) at the European level in order to develop and promote a common understanding of CSDP among civilian and military personnel, and to identify and disseminate, through its training activities, best practice in relation to various CSDP issues. It is organised as a network bringing together civilian and military institutes, colleges, academies, universities, institutions and other actors dealing with security and defence policy issues within the Union as identified by Member States and the EU ISS to support the conduct of training activities in the field of CSDP.

The ESDC works under the overall responsibility of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy ('HR').

In particular, the Strategic Communication Officer in ESDC will be responsible for:

• the ESDC's communication strategy and social media;
• the public image of the ESDC;
• the lessons learned and best practices within the respective area of responsibility;
• supporting on the financial management and procurement processes for all communication activities.

We propose

The position of Strategic Communication Officer 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:  immediately

We look for

Someone who is passionate about strategic communication, along with social media skills. The successful candidate shall ensure that the ESDC strategic communications reflect the mandate of the ESDC and are consistent with EEAS Strategic Communications. The successful candidate will in that respect liaise with the EEAS Division of Strategic Communication, Task Force and Information Analysis (SG.STRAT.2).

If you are a highly motivated, dynamic and proactive person with excellent communication and organizational skills and a well-developed sense of service, join our team.

Functions and Duties:

The Contract Agent is expected to perform the following tasks:

• advising, planning, developing and implementing strategic communication activities of the ESDC,
• engaging with relevant stakeholders;
• contributing to the development of diverse communication products and communication campaigns in order to raise awareness about ESDC;
• supporting the Head of the ESDC to organise and conduct briefings and other media Social Media Management;
• contributing to the strategic communication efforts by handling social media activities. This includes managing social media accounts, creating engaging content, monitoring online conversations, and implementing social media campaigns to enhance the division's visibility and impact;
• supporting the financial management and procurement processes for all communication activities, public relations (PR) activities, ESDC public events, information related to CSDP/CFSP, and ESDC training activities;
• drafting of communication action plans and developing EU narrative to communicate the ESDC activities;
• acting as ESDC spokesperson and communicate the work of the ESDC to the public as required;
• team leadership
• contributing to establishing the ESDC as an inclusive and diverse workplace including on sexual orientation, gender identities, disabilities and ethnicity.  

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 have:

A. Professional knowledge

• Have relevant professional experience in communications and media/information analysis, preferably in the international context;
• Have in-depth knowledge of the EEAS strategic communication strategy, FIMI, and their implementation;
• Have knowledge of foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, with its main narratives, tactics, techniques and procedures;
• Have professional experience in strategic communications and communications;
• Have professional experience in project management;
• Good working knowledge of the EU (institutional) environment and decision-making processes, in particular in relation to the CFSP and CSDP;
• Experience in agile, multicultural teams;
• Have good organisational skills, the ability to work under pressure and with tight deadlines and to manage multiple tasks and unexpected demands;
• Proficiency with social media and graphic design software.

B. Skills

• Have the capacity to work and communicate under time constraints in an international diplomatic and multilingual environment. Intercultural sensitivity skills are required;
• Have solid analytical and drafting skills. Rapid grasp of problems and capacity to identify issues and solutions;
• Have experience of independently leading and managing projects, including in the field of communications.

C. Languages

• Thorough knowledge (excellent capacity to write and speak) of English is required.
• Knowledge of another EU language would be an asset.

D. Personal Qualities

• Be dynamic, motivated and flexible;
• Able to adapt quickly to new situations and deal with new challenges;
• Have the ability to work in a team, to coordinate with other teams and to communicate effectively.

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:

esdc-vacancies@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 11 December 2023 at 5 PM (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.

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)