WE ARE

The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the High Representative in the exercise of her mandate to conduct and implement an effective and coherent Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), to represent the EU and to chair the Foreign Affairs Council. 

It also supports the High Representative in her capacity as Vice-President of the Commission with regard to her 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 the EU Member States, the General Secretariat of the Council, the services of the Commission and the Secretariat General of the European Parliament.

The Civilian Operations Headquarters (CivOpsHQ) is the permanent structure supporting the Civilian Operations Commander. The Civilian Operations Commander is the overall commander at the strategic level of currently 13 civilian CSDP crisis management missions and provides strategic guidance and direction to the Heads of Mission. The Civilian Operations Commander reports directly to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and through her to the Council of the EU. Under the political control and strategic direction of the Political and Security Committee and the overall authority of the High Representative, the Civilian Operations Commander ensures the effective planning and conduct of civilian CSDP crisis management operations, as well as the proper implementation of all mission-related tasks.

The Personnel Division (DMD.CivOpsHQ.3) is responsible for supporting on behalf of the Commander civilian CSDP missions in all matters related to Human Resources (HR), providing guidance, organising selection and recruitment and developing horizontal HR policies. The Division is composed of three sections: SEC.1 HR Policies, SEC.2 Selection and Recruitment, SEC. 3 Capacity Generation and Personnel Development.

WE PROPOSE

The position of HRM Assistant contract agent FGIII as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (hereafter, the “CEOS”)^[1].

As point of contact and main interlocutor on human resources related issues, the successful candidates will play a key role in implementing all tasks related to the human resources capacity generation for the civilian CSDP Mission. 

The HRM Assistants will be assigned to the Selection and Recruitment Section. The jobholders will be responsible for continuously aiming to improve the effectiveness and efficiency in the implementation of human resources selection, management, and procedures, in particular in relation to the civilian CSDP Mission mentioned above. In addition, the successful candidates will be supporting the development of civilian CSDP policies in the field of human resources, with a specific focus on the implementation of the 2023 Civilian CSDP Compact and in close coordination with the Missions Staffing Policy Section.

PLACE and DATE OF EMPLOYMENT

‎EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available: immediately

LEGAL BASIS 

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the CEOS, in particular Article 82 thereof. In case of recruitment, 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 up to a maximum duration of six years[2], subject to the maximum duration of engagement by the EEAS allowed under successive limited duration contracts of different types[3]. 

WE LOOK FOR

DMD.CivOpsHQ.3 is seeking a proactive, service-oriented, flexible and highly motivated colleague with strong analytical and teamwork skills to fulfil the post of HRM Assistant. The candidates should have a good understanding of EU policy and decision-making processes, inter-institutional relations as well as relevant experience in human resources. The candidates will work in an international and multi-cultural environment in close synergy with Member States and other EU institutions.

The HRM Assistants are expected to perform the following tasks: 

–      Act as point of contact for specific civilian CSDP Missions;

–      Provide back up and support for other missions, as necessary;

–      Plan, prepare and manage the Calls for Contributions process, coordinate and support the Mission in conducting a timely capacity generation process;

–      Advise and supervise the preparation of job descriptions in accordance with applicable rules;

–      Participate in and ensure oversight of all the recruitment, selection and deployment of international personnel;

–      Process applications and maintain rosters and databases on recruitment;

–      Participate in the preparation of human resources planning and reporting, and elaborate quantitative and qualitative analysis;

–      Advise, provide guidance and instructions to the Mission (Senior Management and Human Resources teams) on Human Resources Policies and Procedures as per applicable rules;

–      Provide timely support and guidance to the CSDP Mission on all human resources issues, including status of personnel, personnel administration processes, implementation of leave policy, financial entitlements, international staff contracts, among others, and help establish and maintain Standard Operating Procedures;

–      Provide briefings, advice and assistance on human resources and other administrative issues to CivOpsHQ and Member States as required;

–      Support CivOpsHQ’s annual Human Resources Capacity Generation Conference;

–      Contribute to the analysis and provide guidance on legal questions related to Human Resources policies in the Mission, in close coordination with the CivOpsHQ Legal Adviser;

–      Contribute to the development, coordination and implementation of initiatives to increase the number of women in the assigned civilian CSDP Missions, in close coordination with other relevant stakeholders at CivOpsHQ and Member States;

–      Support the business management of Goalkeeper-Registrar and CiMA - the IT tools on HR management developed specifically for MD CivOpsHQ and civilian CSDP missions - including providing user support to the two CSDP Missions as required;

–      Contribute to data collection and analysis of HR statistics and the preparation of specific CivOpsHQ Capacity Generation reports for Member States;

–      Contribute to designing and delivering trainings to CSDP Mission staff, CivOpsHQ staff and Member States representatives on civilian CSDP HR topics;

–      Participate in inter-institutional thematic working groups, and contribute to related briefings on Missions' human resources issues;

–      Participate in Technical Assessment Missions and other kind of in-theatre missions where relevant and required;

–      Undertake other tasks or civilian CSDP Missions as requested by the Division management.

Eligibility criteria[4]

Further to the conditions set out in Article 82 of the CEOS, candidates must:

• have passed a valid EPSO CAST in a valid function group for this post, or be registered in the EPSO Permanent CAST in a valid function group for this post (https://epso.europa.eu/en/job-opportunities/open-for-application). In the latter case, while the registration will make the candidate eligible for the selection procedure, the recruitment of a candidate on this vacant post will be subject to his/her successfully passing the CAST exam;

• 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 the languages of the CFSP and external relations (English and working knowledge of French) necessary for the performance of their duties; 

• 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 the ability to maintain diplomatic relations and to ensure representation and communication in a complex, multicultural environment;

  •       have professional experience in the field of Human Resources;

• 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 a flexible team player.

Furthermore:

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;

• experience in working with or within other EU institutions;

• experience/knowledge of CFSP/CSDP-related issues will be considered as strong assets. 

CONDITIONS OF RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND SECURITY RISKS

As a matter of policy, applications by individuals who have dual nationality of which one of a non-EU country, will be considered on a case-by-case basis taking account in particular of the functions attributed to the vacant post. The EEAS also examines if there could be a conflict of interest or security risks.

In this context, candidates shall fill in with their application a declaration of potential conflict of interest (see attached)

MEDICAL CLEARANCE

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

PERSONNEL SECURITY CLEARANCE (PSC)

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 Annex A of the Decision ADMIN(2023) 18 on the security rules of the EEAS^[5].

The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance (hereafter, the “PSC”)[6] 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(2023) 18 on the security rules of the EEAS. 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 1(d)(4) of the Staff Regulations.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE[7]

Please send your CV and cover letter (with your EPSO CAST number), in English or French, and the attached declaration of potential conflict of interest (download the conflict of interest form here) via email, with reference to the Vacancy Number in the Subject field, to:

civopshq-administration@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 18/05/2025 at 12.00 noon (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, subsequent to the interview, to organise written tests, either for all pre-selected candidates or to the best ranked ones. 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 without a valid CAST shall be invited to sit the CAST exam before or after the interview stage (in accordance with the eligibility criteria set out above). 

The panel will then recommend a shortlist of candidates for a final decision by the Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (hereafter, the “AACC”). The AACC may decide to interview the candidates on the final shortlist before taking this decision.

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 fits the requirements 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 with the same job profile.

Contact: Mr Mirco KREIBICH, Head of Division CivOpsHQ.3

Tel: +32 2584-1136 Email: Mirco.KREIBICH@eeas.europa.eu

[1] Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (SR) and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants  the European Union (CEOS). 

[2] Article 8 of the Commission Decision C(2017) 6760 of 16.10.2017 on the general provisions for implementing Article 79(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, governing the conditions of employment of contract staff employed by the Commission under the terms of Articles 3a and 3b thereof.

[3] Decision ADMIN(2023) 24 on the maximum duration of engagement by the European External Action Service of non-permanent staff under successive limited duration contracts of different types, and on the minimum lapse of time between successive contracts under Article 2(e) of the CEOS.

[4] All the eligibility criteria must be met on the closing date for applications to this post.

[5] OJ C 263, 26 July 2023, p.16. 

[6] The ‘Personnel Security Clearance’ is defined under point 2 of Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2023) 18 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’.”

[7]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).