WE ARE

The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the High Representative in the exercise of his/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 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 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.

Translating clear EEAS objective to help foster regional integration and multilateralism, the EEAS MENA. 1 Division primarily is organizing regular official meetings as defined in relevant agreements with the League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The Division furthermore coordinates EEAS’ role as co-chair of the Union for the Mediterranean. It also coordinates the implementation of regional policies, such as the 2021 Joint Communication on a Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood, the “New Agenda for the Mediterranean”. The division also oversees the relevant aspects of the implementation of the 2022 Joint Communication on “an EU Strategic Partnership with the Gulf” and acts as the EEAS’ focal point of other regional organisations such as the Anna Lindh Foundation.

Within the MENA Directorate, MENA.1 also acts as focal point for programming issues for the GLOBAL.GI.5 Division (Financing Instruments and international cooperation) and is itself responsible for all regional programming, in close coordination with the other MENA Divisions and the European Commission.

WE PROPOSE

The position of the administrative assistant to the Head and Deputy Head of Division in the MENA.1 division for a contract agent FGII as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (hereafter, the “CEOS”)^[1].

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 II), on the basis of a contract with an initial duration of one year that may be successively renewed for 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

A dynamic, flexible and proactive colleague with good communication and organizational skills with a developed sense of service. The administrative assistantshould be able to quickly adapt to new working environment and be a good team-player. The successful candidate should have good computer skills with a sound knowledge of the standard IT applications and administrative procedures.

He/she will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• Provide efficient secretarial support to the Head and Deputy Head of Division as well as to the other members of the Division, as necessary and in close coordination with the other administrative assistant of the Division secretariat
• Carry out administrative tasks related to the daily management of the Division including diary-keeping, filtering telephone calls and  dealing with correspondence

• Ensure the timely preparation and delivery of the Division’s output by registering, routing, filtering, uploading and archiving incoming and outgoing correspondence and briefings (ARES, CIS, e-BRIEF etc)
• Ensure the proper workflow for the clearance of briefings and the respect of deadlines in close cooperation with the other Division administrative assistant
• Assist in the preparation of mission travel, missions orders, visa requests and declaration of expenses of staff members (MIPS)
• Assist in the organisation of meetings and events and provide the necessary logistical support
• Manage functional mailboxes and send requested information and documents
• Manage holiday, leave and absence records and assist with personnel administration matters
• Perform other tasks as requested by the Head of Division

Eligibility criteria[4]:

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

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in a valid function group for this post, OR
• (ii) 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 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 the languages of the CFSP and external relations (English and 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 possess:

• excellent organisation skills
• the ability to maintain good interpersonal relations and to communicate in a multicultural environment
• capacity and experience of working in a team
• good knowledge and experience in handling EEAS IT tools

Furthermore:

• work experience in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment
• work experience with or within other EU institutions
• knowledge of other languages

would be considered as assets.

CONDITIONS OF RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

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

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 EEAS5.

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 [email protected]  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[5]

Please send your CV and cover letter (with your EPSO CAST number), in English or French via email, with reference to the Vacancy Number in the Subject field, to MENA-1@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 29/11/2024 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.

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