Recruitment of Contract Agents

THE COMMUNITY FISHERIES CONTROL AGENCY -  CFCA -  IS A EUROPEAN UNION BODY ESTABLISHED IN 2005 TO ORGANISE OPERATIONAL COORDINATION OF FISHERIES CONTROL AND INSPECTION ACTIVITIES BY THE MEMBER STATES AND TO ASSIST THEM TO COOPERATE SO AS TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES OF THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY IN ORDER TO ENSURE ITS EFFECTIVE AND UNIFORM APPLICATION.

The Community Fisheries Control Agency is organising selection procedures with a view to drawing up a reserve list for the following positions:

FISH-CFCA-CA-GR3-0809: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS (3 positions)
 
FISH-CFCA-CA-GR2-0810: OFFICE AND UTILITIES MANAGER

The Agency will welcome applications from highly motivated candidates to participate in the development of CFCA.

1. Conditions of employment

The successful applicants will be appointed as Contract Staff members of CFCA, according to the provisions of Article 80, title IV of the Conditions of Employment of other servants of the European Communities (CEOS).

The successful candidates will be recruited in Function Group III for the position 0809, and in Function Group II for the position 0810.

The initial duration of the contract is of one year, with possibility of renewal.

The place of employment is Vigo, Spain, where CFCA will be relocated from June 2008.

2. General conditions for applications

 Candidates may apply only where meeting the following criteria for consideration of their application:

A. Common conditions to all positions

• You must be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union or of Iceland or Norway.
• You must be entitled to your full rights as a citizen.
• You must have fulfilled the obligations imposed on you by the laws concerning military service.
• You must meet the character requirements relating to the position you apply for.
• You must submit a completed application for each post applied for.

Candidates may apply in any of the official languages of the European Community, but it would be helpful to apply in English in order to facilitate the selection process, as the Agency follows a practise of using English as working language.
However candidates are also requested to state their educational qualifications and positions held in the language of origin.

The Agency is an equal opportunity employer and accepts applications without discrimination on the grounds of age, race, political and/or religious beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, marital and/or family status and regardless any kind of disability.

If you are invited to an interview, you will be asked to submit supporting documents to prove the information provided in your application.

B. Submission of applications

Each application shall contain the following documents:

• A detailed curriculum vitae in European format that can be obtained at the following address
  http://europass.cedefop.eu.int/europass/home/vernav/Europass+Documents/Europass+CV//navigate.action
• A motivation letter of 2 pages maximum including a clear mention of the post applied for and of your address for correspondence and for invitation to interview.
• A duly completed and signed declaration of honour. ( ~87 Kb),

These three documents should be sent by electronic mail only to:
cfca-vacancies-ca@ec.europa.eu

Please mention in the subject line your last name followed by the position reference:
        FAMILY NAME – CFCA-CA-XX-XXX

Please, note that only complete applications containing the above mentioned documents and information required will be taken into account.

Deadline for sending your application is Friday 22 February 2008.

3. Selection procedure

A. Selection

A selection board is set up for the selection procedure. The principle of confidentiality, which states that the proceedings of the selection board must be secret, shall apply. It works in two ways: first, it imposes obligations to ensure equal treatment for candidates; and second, it seeks to protect the selection board to ensure that its decisions are totally impartial.

The selection board adheres strictly to the conditions of admission laid down in the publication notice when deciding whether or not candidates are to be admitted. Candidates admitted to a previous selection procedure will not be automatically eligible.

Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the selection board, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure.

Should the selection board discover at any stage in the procedure that the candidate does not meet one or more of the general or special conditions for admission to the selection procedure or that the information on the application form does not correspond with the supporting documents, the candidate will be disqualified.

The selection board decides on those candidates who are admitted to the selection procedure in accordance with the requirements as specified in the publication notice. The applications of the candidates admitted to the selection procedure are reviewed and the selection board decides on those candidates who are invited to attend for interview. The selection board may decide on the need for interviewees to undergo one or more written tests related to the nature of the duties in order to facilitate the selection process. Following the interviews, which are conducted by the selection board, the selection board decides which candidates will be placed on the reserve list.

B. Reserve list and recruitment

Each candidate will be informed by mail whether or not he/she has been placed on the reserve list. Candidates should note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee appointment. The recruitment procedure is as follows: as and when funds become available, candidates on the reserve list will be considered and the reserve list will be drawn on to fill vacancies. If a letter of intention is issued, the candidate must undergo a compulsory medical examination to establish that he/she meets the standard of physical fitness necessary to perform the duties involved and the candidate must provide original or certified copies of all relevant documents.

Successful candidates who are recruited undergo an initial probation period of 9 months.

C. Pay and welfare benefits

The pay of staff members consists of a basic salary supplemented with various allowances, including family allowances.

Basic salary: there is a basic salary scale for each grade, divided into a number of steps. Staff members progress automatically to the next step every two years until they reach the top of the scale for that grade.
Allowances: in addition to their basic salary, staff members may be entitled to various allowances, in particular an expatriation or foreign residence allowance, and family allowances, including household allowance, dependent child allowance, pre-school allowance and an education allowance.

Under certain circumstances, in particular where staff members are obliged to change their place of residence in order to take up employment, the Agency may also reimburse various expenses incurred on recruitment, notably removal expenses.

Additional information can be obtained from the web site of the European Commission at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/personnel_administration/contract_agents_en.htm

D. Important

Please, take note that a binding commitment can only be made after verification of all conditions and will take the form of a contract signed by the Executive Director.

Note that this call may be used for the recruitment of a similar post, for a period of 2 years following the closing date stipulated. Therefore candidates whose name will be put on a reserve list could be offered a contract during this period of time.
Please note that the selection process may take some time to be completed and that no information will be released during this period. Once a selection process has been completed, its status will be displayed on the web site of the CFCA.

4. Specific requirements and details of position offered

 Job description
 
Overall purpose:

The post as Administrative Assistant in the CFCA consists of a wide range of duties; including tasks of both internal and external characteristics, in an international setting. The work is distinguished by a high level of service attitude, discretion and multi tasking ability.

Functions and Duties:

Under the Head of Unit, the Administrative Assistant is responsible for:

• Providing administrative and organizational support to the planning, implementation, coordination and follow up of the Unit’s activities, both internal and external;
• Organising and monitoring overall activities and follow up on deadlines, implementation and reporting, including budget and staff resources;
• Controlling of the legality and regularity of financial transactions;
• Advising on financial and administrative practices in line with EU budgetary and financial rules;
• On his/her own initiative, preparing and finalising correspondence; taking minutes and transcribing;
• Managing documentation for briefings and publications;
• Being the focal point towards contractors.

Qualifications and experience required:

A. Eligibility criteria

• A level of post-secondary education of at least three years attested by a diploma and at least 6 years of professional experience after that diploma; or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education and at least 9 years of professional experience after that diploma;
• A minimum of 3 years of the above mentioned experience must have been spent in the functions relevant to the post;
• Thorough knowledge of English with a good knowledge of at least one other official language of the European Union;
• Proven abilities to use MS Project and MS Office tools.

  B. Selection criteria

Essential

• Proven experience as an administrative and financial assistant in an international organisation;
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritize;
• Ability to work independently and to take initiatives;
• Proven experience in handling external relations;
• Service oriented, flexible and with ability to work effectively within a multicultural team;
• Excellent communication skills – ability to communicate with people on all levels;
• High level of tact and discretion; honesty and integrity;
• Good knowledge of EU Financial Regulations and Rules.

Advantageous

• Experience in an EU Institution or Agency or in a multicultural environment;
• Knowledge of Sincom2/ABAC and Business Objects;
• Proven capacity to work in a start up situation;
• Knowledge of document management principles and tools.

Job description overall purpose:

The Office and Utilities Manager is in charge of office and equipment management, of facilitating working conditions of staff and of ensuring smooth running of office facilities.

Functions and Duties:

Under the Head of Unit Resources, the Office and Utilities Manager is responsible for:

• Acting as the first point of contact for general service support issues, whether submitted by telephone, e-mail or otherwise;
• Managing the facilities and the working environment of the Agency;
• Planning and managing the use of the building and office allocation;
• Ensuring maintenance and repair of the building and its infrastructure;
• Assisting for the security of the building and of CFCA staff, including business continuity planning;
• Ensuring compliance with occupational safety and health regulations, managing relations with health and safety authorities and local emergency services;
• Ensuring timely procurement of facility-related services (security, cleaning, catering, etc.), and ensuring proper implementation of service contracts and supervision of service providers;
• Facilitating relations with local authorities and the building landlord on building and maintenance matters;
• Ensuring timely procurement of furniture, equipment, and office and other supplies, and managing the asset inventory and stores;
• Preparing and monitoring the annual budget for the building and the facilities, controlling costs and verifying invoices;
• Ensuring adequate insurance cover, and dealing with insurance claims, and other insurance-related matters;
• Defining and updating Agency-specific implementing rules, guidelines and operating procedures in the fields of facility and building management;
• Contributing to various facility, logistics and infrastructure services, including reception, printing services, mail and transport, when necessary and in case of absence of personnel.

Qualifications and experience required:

C. Eligibility criteria

• Level of post secondary education attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 3 years or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least 6years;
• A minimum of 2 years of the above mentioned experience must have been spent in the functions relevant to the post;
• Thorough knowledge of English with a good knowledge of at least one other official language of the European Union;
• Proven abilities to use MS Office tools.

  D. Selection criteria

Essential

• Professional experience and knowledge in the areas mentioned above under "functions and duties"
• Ability to work under time pressure;  
• Troubleshooting and technical skills in relation to minor Building/Technical related problems;
• Pro-active and able to handle multiple tasks when required;
• Ability to work with and knowledge of a Facility Management Information System;
• Excellent written and communication skills and good knowledge of Spanish;
• Organisational and negotiation skills;
• Experience in Quality management.

Advantageous

• Degree or Diploma in Facilities Management;
• Working experience in an EU Institution or Agency or in a multicultural environment;
• Experience of starting up a new organisation or business unit.