Please read carefully the Recruitment privacy statements.

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) located in Brussels, Belgium, invites EPSO /CAST FGII laureates to express their interest to participate in the selection procedure FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RESERVE LIST for the post of secretary in the EACEA.

1. The Agency

The EACEA (“the Agency”) is a European Commission Executive Agency established by the Commission's Implementing Decision 2013/776/EU. It operates by delegation of powers from the Commission and its statute is governed by Regulation (EC) No. 58/2003 . The Agency's parent Directorates-General within the Commission are DG for Education and Culture, DG for Communication and DG for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO).

The Agency is responsible for the implementation of certain EU programmes in the fields of education, audiovisual and culture, such as Erasmus+, The Creative Europe Programme, Europe for Citizens, EU Aid Volunteers and their predecessors. The Agency's current mandate runs until 31 December 2024 .

The Agency was established to enhance programme management and provide beneficiaries with a better service, in line with the principles of administrative governance adopted by the Commission.

As a legal entity, the Agency establishes an annual work plan and an annual activity report and has an operational budget of more than 600 Mio EUR per year.

In order to attain its objectives, the Agency has an internal structure consisting of 13 Units with a total of 458 staff members in 2014 (108 seconded officials/temporary agents and 350 contract agents).

The Agency working languages are English and French.

For further information on the Agency, please refer to our website: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu

2. Job Description

Within the Agency, the selected candidate(s) will provide secretarial and administrative support to their Unit. In particular, the Secretary(ies) will support a unit or a group of officers by providing general administrative support: calls and contracts follow-up, document management, internal communication, meeting organization, logistic needs and information. More specifically, he/she will:

• Manage the officers' agendas;
• Support the organization in the running of its projects and activities, including calls and evaluations and in organizing external events (book rooms, preparation of files, copy and handle the translation of documents);
• File correspondence and other documents, according to agency's procedures;
• Manage data and procedures on missions, holidays, leave and absence records, appraisal reports, job descriptions, training plans and similar personnel administration formalities;
• Provide support to quality audits, management reviews and corrective and preventive actions;
• Operate office equipment such as photocopiers, facsimile machines, and computers.

3. Qualifications and Experience Required

A. Eligibility criteria

Candidates will be considered eligible for selection on the basis of the following formal criteria which must be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:

A.1 General conditions:

• Be a national of a member state of the European Union;
• Enjoy full rights as citizen; 
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Meet the character requirements for the duties involved ;
• Be on an EPSO/CAST FG II reserve list;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post;
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties.

A.2 Specific conditions:

A.2.1. Qualifications

i.      a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma,      
or
ii.     a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of three years. In this context professional experience is considered to be appropriate if it has been obtained in one of the areas of activity of the European Commission following the award of the diploma giving access to this function group,        
or
iii.    following completion of compulsory education, a total of eight years of:

• appropriate professional training and/or
• professional experience of an equivalent level involving tasks similar to those that the member of the contract staff will be required to perform.

In this context, professional training cannot be taken into account unless it consists of at least one academic year of full-time training following compulsory education and is attested by a certificate recognised by a Member State of the European Union,
or
iv.    following completion of compulsory education, a total of ten years as a member of staff of the European Union and including training provided by the institution in a field relevant to the duties to be carried out,         
or
v.     in exceptional circumstances and where justified in the interests of the service, professional training or equivalent professional experience; the Joint Committee shall be informed annually of the use made of this provision.

A.2.2. Professional experience

• Have at least 6 years of proven fulltime relevant professional experience;

B. Selection criteria

Candidates who comply with the above eligibility criteria will then be evaluated according to the following selection criteria:

Essential:

• Languages:  English C2 and French B2 or English B2 and French C2.

Advantageous:

• Relevant additional certification, studies and/or training.
• Knowledge (acquired through experience or training/education) of the organisation, structure, working procedures and policies of European Commission services and/or Agencies and/or other EU institutions.
• Professional experience acquired in an international and multicultural environment.
• Ability to work independently, as well as in a team.
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and manage his/her responsibilities within tight deadlines.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint);

4. Equal Opportunities

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency applies a policy of equal opportunities and takes care to avoid any form of discrimination in its recruitment procedures.

5. Selection Procedure

The selection will be organised as following:

1. The selection committee will select the applications which comply with the eligibility criteria and then it will evaluate them against the selection criteria, establishing a shortlist. Supporting documents showing evidence of the information given in the application will be requested at a later stage. No documents will be sent back to candidates. If, at any stage in the procedure, it is established that information provided by a candidate is incorrect, this candidate will be disqualified.
2. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview (approximately 30 minutes). The interview will aim to assess the candidate suitability to perform the duties, his/her legal knowledge and background as well as his/her motivation. The interview will be marked out of 100; pass mark: 70). The selection committee will hold interviews in English and French.
3. Following the interview, the selection committee will place on the reserve list candidates who obtained a total mark of 70 or more. The Agency's appointing authority may then proceed to recruit the most suitable candidate. Inclusion of candidates on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment.

• • Please note that the Selection Committee's works and deliberations are strictly confidential and that any contact with its members is strictly forbidden.
  • The reserve list will be valid until 31/12/2015 (the Executive Agency appointing authority can decide to extend the validity of the list).

6. Appointment and Conditions of Employment

The Agency's appointing authority will appoint the successful candidate(s) as a Contract Staff member pursuant to Article 3(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, offering him/her a contract for a determined duration of 2 years. This contract may be renewed for another year. Any subsequent renewal will be for an indefinite period.

The successful candidates will be recruited as Contract Agents, Function Group II. The basic recruitment grade for Function Group II contract agents is grade 4. The actual recruitment grade will depend on the candidate's professional experience. The basic monthly salary for FG II (grade 4 step 1) is 1,934.53€. In addition to the basic salary, staff members may be entitled to various allowances, in particular household allowance, expatriation allowance (16% of the basic salary), dependent child allowance and education allowance. The salary is subject to a Community tax deducted at source and staff members are exempt of national taxation.

The place of employment will be Brussels, Belgium where the Agency has its seat.

For further information please consult:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/personnel_administration/publications_en.htm

7. Application Procedure

Applications, consisting of an updated CV and a motivation letter shall be submitted exclusively in English or French to the following email address EACEA-SPONTANEOUS-APPLICATIONS@ec.europa.eu by and not later than 31 October 2014 at midday (GMT Brussels time).

Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last minute to submit their application since heavy internet traffic or other dysfunction could lead to difficulties in submission. The Agency shall not be held responsible for such difficulties and it will disregard applications submitted after the deadline or which are not complete.

Given the high number of individuals expected to express their interest, only candidates shortlisted to be interviewed will be contacted by the Agency.

8. Data Protection

The Agency will ensure that candidates' personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data . This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.