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.

The South-East Europe/Western Balkans Division (EUROPE.2) is responsible for general EU policy and strategy aspects with the Western Balkan region, i.e. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia. The Division cooperates closely with the European Commission, in particular DG NEAR, in policy areas that fall under the Commission's responsibility. We also work with the Council Secretariat and the European Parliament. We are also in close contact with Member States as well as third countries active in the region and international organisations.

We propose

The position of the Assistant/Secretary in the Western Balkans Division, as well as the secretariat of the Western Balkans region Working Party, contract agent FGII 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

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

In full cooperation with the Division’s other assistant, he/she will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• provide general secretarial support and agenda keeping for the Head of Division and the Division team members;
• carry out a range of administrative tasks such as managing the functional mailbox of the Division with incoming requests, responding to general enquiries, taking messages, dealing with correspondence, filing and ordering supplies;
• document management and registration of incoming/outgoing correspondence, archive and filing including retrieval of documents and data in the appropriate files or IT databases (ARES, e-Brief, Decide...)
• co-ordinate Division’s activity on administrative level, ensure that tasks are well attributed and that deadlines are respected;
• ensure the timely attribution and follow up for requests for briefing files, speeches, etc;
• organize missions of staff using MIPS and NEO applications and assist mission performers in the preparation of mission orders and declaration of expenses;
• organize meetings and events and carry out the necessary arrangements for visitors to the building, including handling catering orders, and assist in welcoming and informing outside visitors in accordance with protocol and  security rules;
• co-ordinate and authorize translation requests.

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 passes the CAST exam, 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 6 years.  

Eligibility criteria

Candidates for this contract agent II post should:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in a valid FG for this post

Or

• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent 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 years;

• 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:

• be self-motivated with experience in the secretarial field
•      be well-organised with the ability to deal with files in a timely manner
•        be a responsible team player with good inter-personal and communication skills
• be able to handle a heavy workload as part of a dynamic team
• have very good knowledge of English and knowledge of French
• Have good computer skills with a sound knowledge of the standard IT applications (MS Office, Ares, MIPS, NEO etc.)

Furthermore:

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions

would be considered as assets.

Specific conditions of 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 the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS[2].

The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance (PSC)[3] 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(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS[4]. 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 1d.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 [email protected]

Deadline for sending application: 26/07/2024 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, 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 also 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 then 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]    The ‘Personnel Security Clearance’ is defined under point 2 of Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 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’.”

[4]    OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

[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).