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.

The Directorate for Strategic Communication and Foresight (SG.STRAT) steers communications and outreach to promote the role of the EU as a strong global actor, ensures the EEAS’ contribution to EU efforts to fight disinformation, information manipulation and interference, and coordinates strategic policy analysis with a view to inform policy and decision-making. The Directorate develops Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy activities across a wide range of geographic and thematic topics and works in close cooperation with EU Delegations, Member States, international partners and relevant services from other EU institutions.

Within the Directorate, the Division “Strategic Communication regional teams and coordination of Task Forces” (SG.STRAT.3) provides strategic communication support in the implementation of EU foreign and security policy in Europe and the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Sub Saharan Africa, Americas and Asia Pacific. The Division develops and implements specific strategic communication actions focused on advancing EU policies, values and interests. The Division also conducts awareness raising campaigns about the harmful impact of disinformation and contributes to the development of effective policy responses in the EU and at the international level. The Division - and the geographic Task Forces it coordinates - contribute to effective and fact-based strategic communication and the strengthening of the overall media environment and civil society in the regions it covers.

WE PROPOSE

The position of the Information and Communication Officer - Contract Agent FGIV 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: 01/01/2025

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 IV), 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 highly motivated person for the Contract Agent FG IV position of Information and Communication Officer to reinforce the Stratcom Task Force South team and contribute to EU strategic communication efforts towards the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region and produce analysis of the information environment and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference to help design and enhance Strategic Communications in the region.

S/he will work in close coordination with the relevant policy divisions of the EEAS, the European Commission (DG NEAR, DG ECHO, DG COMM among others), EU Delegations, the Spokesperson’s Service, the Council, the Parliament, EU MS representatives and the expert community, as well as external contractors and other relevant networks.

The responsibilities include:

• Contribute to deliver strategic communication in support of the HRVP and the EU Foreign Policy in close cooperation with EU Delegations in the region and other EU institutions in HQ in line with communication strategic and political priorities.
• Contribute strategic advice to the EEAS, in particular the MENA Department, on communication strategies towards local audiences in the region by serving as contact point of the MD for communication and advising on adapting messages, narratives and other communication content;
• Develop communication strategies, campaigns and products that promote and support the EU policy actions in the MENA region using the whole strategic communications toolbox and are tailored to the MENA region, including adapting EU messaging to MENA audiences and languages, that engage the audiences both on social media and on the ground in promoting the EU brand.
• Contribute to the design, implementation and follow-up of communication campaigns, projects and capacity building initiatives to achieve EU communications objectives for the region. Manage related budgets and relationships with contractors for campaigns and events.
• Develop content, including in local languages, to communicate the positive impact of EU policies and EU values and interests in the region and to localise social media content for the MENA region;
• Analyse the information environment of countries in MENA including actors, channels, and narratives; monitor and counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), promote independent media, freedom of expression and healthier public debates;
• Engage with relevant stakeholders and target groups in the EU and in MENA in strong cooperation with the EU Delegations to build trust and understanding on the EU and on the approach and objectives of EU strategic communications and public diplomacy efforts.
• Contribute to shaping and implementing communication activities around high-level missions and summits with EU leaders, together with other stakeholders (Council, Commission, Spokesperson’s Service), related to the MENA region;
• Support EU Delegations on communication, press and public diplomacy activities including by organizing and participating in the regular regional conference calls, communication training and regional seminars.

• Work together with relevant EU Institutions, Services and bodies on strategic medium-long term communication activities and campaigns, and representing the Division in relevant internal and external meetings;
• Design and develop support activities, including training and coaching, for EEAS HQ and EU Delegations in the region, in order to increase their capacity to analyse their overall communication environment as well as to detect and analysis potential threats coming from disinformation and foreign manipulative interference;
• Provide briefing notes, reports, assessments, analysis, draft policy decisions/suggestions in the area of geographical competence.

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 FG IV; OR
• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent 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 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:

A.       Professional knowledge

• Have at least three years of relevant professional experience in strategic communications, and public diplomacy (for instance strategic communication, media relations, campaigning, content production, social media management and audio-visual content development, media analysis) in the international context;
• Good knowledge of the current political and cultural context in the MENA region and the EU's policies and positions towards these countries.
• Good knowledge of the media and social media environment in the MENA region

B.       Skills

• Have excellent communication skills;
• Have strong drafting, communication and analytical skills combined with sound judgement, ability to write and produce communication products, news items, features and video scripts; creativity; capacity to work and communicate under time pressure in a multilingual international environment.
• 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 the ability to work in a multicultural team, to coordinate and to communicate effectively; understand cultural and political sensitivities.
• Have the capacity to work and communicate under time constraints in an international diplomatic and multilingual environment;
• Have solid analytical capability as well as drafting and reporting skills. Rapid grasp of problems and capacity to identify issues and solutions.
• Have good working knowledge of the EU (institutional) environment and instruments in the area of foreign policy.
• Have good knowledge of external relations and the Common and Security Foreign Policy;
• Have capacity to create constructive working relations in the field of strategic communication with national authorities, international organisations and EU Member States;
• Have good knowledge of Microsoft Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Have advanced social media skills: X, Facebook and Instagram.
• Have professional experience in project management, including working with contractors/service-providers, developing terms of reference, managing a budget, following up on deliverables.

C.       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.

D.       Languages

• Fluency (excellent capacity to write and speak) in English is required.
• Very good knowledge of French

Furthermore:

• Very good knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic;
• Direct experience working with civil society / media organisations in MENA;
• Experience in analysing and countering disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI);
• Experience in working with or within other EU institutions;

would be considered as strong 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 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 in accordance with national laws and regulations.

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 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. The date of taking-up-duty (TUD) on the post shall be postponed until the PSC is issued by the competent authority of the Member State concerned.

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[7]

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: 20/11/2004 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]    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).