External Vacancy Notice in the European Asylum Support Office (EASO)

REF.: EASO/2021/TA/007

1. EASO

The European Asylum Support Office (hereinafter referred to as “EASO”), established by Regulation 439/20101, strengthens European Union (EU) Member States’ practical cooperation on asylum, enhances the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and supports Member States whose asylum and reception systems are under particular pressure.

Specifically, EASO focuses on three main tasks:

1. Supporting practical cooperation among Member States on all matters pertaining to asylum mainly through training, quality activities, country of origin information (COI), statistics and analysis, specialised expert networks, practical cooperation workshops and thematic support on unaccompanied minors, trafficking in human beings and gender;
2. Supporting Member States under particular pressure through emergency support, including the deployment of asylum support teams to assist EU Member States in managing asylum applications and in putting in place appropriate reception facilities;
3. Contributing to the implementation of the CEAS by collecting and exchanging information on best practices, drawing up an annual report on the asylum situation in the EU covering the whole asylum procedure in EU Member States and adopting technical documents, on the implementation of the new EU asylum acquis.

The organisation chart of EASO can be consulted in the EASO Work Programme on EASO website (https://www.easo.europa.eu/about-us/easo-organisation-structure).

EASO’s headquarters is located in Valletta Harbour (Malta) with additional offices in Italy, Greece and Cyprus.

2. JOB DESCRIPTION

The Administrative Assistant will work either in one of the EASO Centres/ Units in the core business areas or in the Administration Centre (C4) within the Finance and Procurement Unit (FPU) or the Human Resources and Security Unit (HRSU).

Very important note:

Candidates are required to make a choice between one of the five profiles (Administrative Assistant (Generalist), Training Standards Assistant, Human Resources Assistant, Procurement Assistant, Finance Assistant) for which the tasks are indicated below.

Candidates who choose more than one profile will be disqualified from the selection for all the profiles applied for. Only one application per candidate will be accepted.

Profile A) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT (GENERALIST)

EASO has vacancies for Administrative Assistants in several Centres/ Units. The Administrative Assistant will be deployed in one of the EASO Centres/ Units and will be responsible for the day-to- day general administration of the Centre/ Unit assisting the Head of Centre/ Unit as well as supporting the Centre’s/ Unit’s staff. The nature of the tasks varies according to the needs of the specific Unit/Centre and may include the following tasks:

1. Providing logistic and administrative support and coordinate and organise meetings, conferences, workshops: room reservations, putting together working papers as well as taking care of the follow-up (travel cost reimbursements of the experts, sending of the meeting reports);
2. Ensure and coordinate the mission planning and administrative follow-up (mission requests, travel and accommodation arrangements, reimbursements, etc.);
3. Ensure the follow-up of the Heads of Centre / Unit decisions and assist in organisation and management matters, including drafting of briefings and replies;
4. Keeping track of work in progress/ deadlines and ensuring the follow-up of assigned tasks until completion;
5. Set up and maintain databases, contact lists, archiving systems and management of functional mailboxes;
6. Co-ordinate ad hoc projects related to areas of responsibility within the Centre;
7. Provide statistics, periodical reports and other documentation regarding the administrative operation of the Centre/ Unit;
8. Act as financial initiator and/or verifying agent for the Centre/ Unit financial transactions;
9. Act as operational initiator for the launching of tenders in cooperation with the procurement team and follow up the legal commitments in place for the routine administration of the Centre/ Unit in cooperation with EASO procurement team;
10. Contribute to monitoring the budgetary commitments for the routine administration of the Centre and plan the resources accordingly;
11. Manage the legal commitments in place for the routine administration of the Centre in cooperation with EASO procurement team;
12. Perform any other duty required in the interest of the Centre/ Unit.

Profile B) TRAINING STANDARDS ASSISTANT

The Training Standards Assistant will be working in the Training and Professional Development Centre (C2), Training Development Unit (TDU) and will be responsible for the following tasks under the supervision of the Head of Training Standards and Research Sector:

1. Support administrative processes in relation to training standards activities, in particular by managing functional email mailboxes to liaise with internal and external stakeholders;
2. Contribute to the internal monitoring of the Training and Professional Development Centre’s compliance with European educational quality assurance training standards;
3. Support the external reporting connected to compliance with European educational quality assurance training standards through liaison with relevant external bodies;
4. Assist in record-keeping on learner queries and correspondence, including on mitigating circumstances, appeals and complaints, etc.;
5. Coordinate and organise the convening of panels, committees and meetings on awards, appeals, complaints, etc;
6. Support the management and electronic maintenance of the European Training Needs Analysis Tool (ETNAT);
7. Support and contribute to the further development, fine/tuning and implementation of the European Sectoral Qualifications Framework for Asylum and Reception Officials (ESQF);
8. Support, contribute to and assist in the preparation of draft templates, guidelines, Training Quality Assurance Framework implementing instructions, as well as maintain policies and procedures in the area of training;
9. Assist in the coordination and maintenance of administrative processes relating to the establishment of training programmes, taking into account entry requirements and learning pathways, etc.;
10. Perform any other task, as required by the Head of Sector.

Profile C) HUMAN RESOURCES ASSISTANT

The Human Resources Assistant will work in one of the two sectors (Recruitment and Career Development or Payroll and Entitlements) of the Human Resources and Security Unit. Reporting to the Head of the respective Sector, the Human Resources Assistant will assist in one or more areas of competence in achieving the Sector’s objectives within the context of EASO’s overall mission.

1. Selection and Recruitment

​

1. Contribute in the management of the establishment plan of posts and reserve lists;
2. Draft, publish and advertise vacancy notices;
3. Support the selection processes of EASO for statutory (temporary and contract) staff, Seconded National Experts and trainees (including screening applications, organising written tests and interviews and preparing the respective reports) and non-statutory staff when applicable;
4. Provide support to the Selection Boards members in the conduction of selection procedures, guidance and advice on best practice and applicable rules;
5. Establish and maintain paper and electronic records of the selection procedures in accordance with agreed standards;
6. Assist in the recruitment procedure (draft employment offers, handle pre-employment medical examinations, pre-employment contacts with newcomers, etc.);
7. Assist in the timely payment of HR related invoicing, e.g. interim services, invoices from contractors and sound financial management of the related budget.

2. Learning and Development

1. Contribute in the implementation of the annual performance appraisal and reclassification exercises;
2. Provide support in the management of the training budget;
3. Assist in the management of learning activities for staff members and induction training for newcomers;
4. Assist in evaluation of training activities and in drawing conclusions on its effectiveness and efficiency with a view to improving learning strategies and activities;
5. Provide support in the organisation of in-house learning activities, teambuilding events and other EASO social events.

3. Payroll and Entitlements

1. Assist in the coordination of the entry-into-service processes, staff induction and exit processes;
2. Assist in the process of establishment of staff financial rights, in accordance with the applicable legal framework;
3. Assist in the overall payroll process and ensure sound financial management of the Agency’s Human Resources-related budget;
4. Assist in the coordination of leave management and special working arrangements;
5. Assist in the management of all administrative tasks related to the administration of personnel and overall employment cycle;
6. Ensuring that information on personnel is kept up to date in full compliance with the rules on personal data protection.

4. General Responsibilities (cross-cutting to all profiles)

1. Ensure the correct application of the Staff Regulations and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union as well as relevant implementing rules;
2. Assisting in the preparation, development and implementation of rules, reports, policy proposals and management information;
3. Assist in preparing Human Resources statistics and reports;
4. Support in the management of Human Resources electronic tool;
5. Organise and manage Human Resources Archives (electronic & paper);
6. Act as Operational Initiator, Financial Initiator (in ABAC) and/or Operational Verifier;
7. Any other tasks as required by Head of Sector/ Unit.

Profile D) PROCUREMENT ASSISTANT

The Procurement Assistant will be working in the Administration Centre (C4), Finance and Procurement Unit (FPU) and will be responsible for the following tasks under the supervision of the Head of Procurement Sector:

1. Preparation of procurement documents in cooperation with the operational units based on the nature of the requirements; provision of advice in the choice of procurement procedures and types of contracts;
2. Contributing to the development and the correct application of the EASO’s procurement and contract management procedures;
3. Preparing and processing negotiated, restricted and open tender procedures including preparation, evaluation, verification and analysis to ensure sound financial management in all procurement activities;
4. Drafting the tender specifications in cooperation with operational staff of EASO, assisting the Evaluation Committees in replying to tenderers’ enquiries; providing legal and procedural advice during all stages of procurement procedures;
5. Drafting and preparing contracts in the procurement field;
6. Monitoring and checking contracts implementation, supporting the contract managers and initiating the necessary steps for the contract renewal or other amendments if applicable;
7. Promoting the best practices, sound financial management and knowledge-sharing in the field of procurement and contract management across EASO;
8. Contributing to the drafting of annual procurement plan, monitoring and reporting on its implementation under the supervision of the Head of Sector;
9. Liaising with Finance Sector and other relevant stakeholders for matters related to contractors’ payments;
10. Performing any other related tasks upon request of the Head of Sector.

Profile E) FINANCE ASSISTANT

The Finance Assistant, will be working within the Finance Sector and will be responsible for ex-ante controls or initiation of financial transactions in accordance with the principles of sound financial management. Finance Assistant, may also be allocated to other Centres and/or Offices within EASO.

The Finance Assistant, will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Financial verification and/or initiation of financial transactions;
2. Enforce legality, regularity and sound financial management of expenditure operations;
3. Ensure effectiveness and continuous improvement of quality of financial services delivered;
4. Support colleagues on the interpretation and implementation of rules and regulations, contracts, internal control framework, processes compliance, constraints, duties and responsibilities of the Agency;
5. Recommend efficient solutions to clients while ensuring compliance with the regulatory financial framework of EASO, in particular the EASO Regulation, Financial Regulations, Management Board and Executive Director Decisions;
6. Handle reimbursement of travel expenses for candidates and monitoring the execution of the relevant budget;
7. Report conclusions and findings on any budgetary and financial matter to his/her line managers;
8. Any other tasks upon request of the Head of Sector.

3. REQUIREMENTS

A. Eligibility Criteria

Candidates will be considered eligible for selection based on the fulfillment of the following formal criteria, by the deadline for applications:

1. Have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma2 and, after having obtained the diploma, appropriate professional experience of at least 6 years,

or

Have a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and after having obtained the diploma, appropriate professional experience of 9 years;

2. Be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland;

3. Be entitled to their full rights as citizens;

4. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws on military service;

5. Possess a thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these languages to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties pertaining to the post;

6. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved3;

7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post4.

B. Selection Criteria

If the eligibility criteria set out in section A) Eligibility criteria are met, the candidates’ applications will be evaluated on the following selection criteria. These criteria have been subdivided into two categories: Essential and Advantageous Selection Criteria.

Please note that all Essential criteria are mandatory, meaning that no application will be assessed further if a candidate obtains a zero score in any of the Essential Criteria. The most suitable candidates with the highest overall scores will be invited to an interview.

Profile A) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT (GENERALIST)

Essential

1. Proven professional experience as an Administrative Assistant with tasks closely related to those described in ‘2. Job Description for Profile A)’;
2. Proven professional experience in drafting of internal administrative files/notes and proof- reading letters, reports etc.;
3. Proven professional experience in missions administration and organisation of meetings, conferences and events;
4. Proven professional experience working with the Microsoft office package, Outlook and Internet.

Advantageous

1. Proven professional experience as administrative assistant within a European Institution, Agency or Body, International Organisation or Public Administration of the Member States;
2. Proven professional experience working with the following: Staff Regulations, Conditions of Employments of other servants of the European communities, the EU Financial Regulations or with other similar regulatory frameworks;
3. Knowledge of Financial applications/software (e.g. ABAC software).

Profile B) TRAINING STANDARDS ASSISTANT

Essential

1. Proven professional experience as an Administrative Assistant with tasks closely related to those described in ‘2. Job Description for Profile B)’;
2. Proven professional experience in administrative tasks connected to European, National or Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks;
3. Proven professional experience in drafting, developing and/or implementing training policies, procedures, guidelines, templates, etc.;
4. Professional experience in supporting institutional compliance with Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015);

Advantageous

1. Master’s Degree in Education or in a field related to education;
2. Professional experience in an international and/or multicultural working environment.

Profile C) HUMAN RESOURCES ASSISTANT

Essential

1. Proven professional experience in the Human Resources field in one of the following areas:

​– Recruitment;

• Learning and development;
• Staff administration.​

2. Proven professional experience working with and/or knowledge of HR IT applications, tools and/or databases;

3. Proven professional experience in drafting, developing and/or implementing Human Resources policies, procedures, guidelines, templates etc.

Advantageous

1. Professional experience acting as financial initiator for financial procedures linked to Human Resources activities;
2. Proven professional experience working with Staff Regulations, Conditions of Employments of other servants of the European Union, ABAC software and the EU Financial Regulations or with other similar regulatory frameworks.

Profile D) PROCUREMENT ASSISTANT

Essential

1. Proven professional experience obtained in public and/or private sector of all of the following areas:

• Preparation of call for tenders documents;
• Drafting contracts and preparing purchase orders;
• Contract management;

2. Professional experience with assisting users with drawing up tender specifications, contract management and legal issues arising from the contract management;

3. Professional experience with the financial and budgetary aspects of procurement.

Advantageous

1. Proven working experience or very good knowledge, in particular, of the EU Financial Regulation, Rules of Application, Vade-mecum on Public Procurement, or any other relevant legislative frameworks in an international organisation and/or the public or private sectors;
2. Experience in an international and multicultural working environment.

Profile E) FINANCE ASSISTANT

Essential

1. Proven relevant professional experience in the field of finance, accounting, or financial audit;

Advantageous

1. Proven experience in ex-ante financial verification financial transactions (e.g. payments, commitments), for instance as Financial Initiating or Verifying Agent;
2. Professional experience gained in an EU Institution or body, such as EU agencies or Joint undertakings, an International Public Administration or a private sector company using similar principles;
3. Excellent knowledge of the EU General Financial Regulation and/or EU Framework Financial Regulation or similar frameworks, demonstrated through working experience and/or training or equivalent;
4. Knowledge as user of off-the-shelve or tailored IT systems for financial management, such as ABAC Workflow;
5. Proven professional experience in contract management and/or contract interpretation.

C. Evaluation during interviewing process

Candidates invited to the interviewing process (interview and written test) will be assessed based on the essential and advantageous criteria described in this Section, and the following additional criteria relevant to the post:

1. Excellent written and oral command of English;
2. The ability to use electronic office equipment and applications (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, electronic communication, internet, etc.).

During the interviewing process candidates may also be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Analysis and problem solving;
2. Resilience, remaining effective under a heavy workload and respecting deadlines on multiple tasks;
3. Excellent time management and organisational skills;
4. Clear and precise communication skills both verbally and in writing and well developed interpersonal skills;
5. Attention to detail;
6. Strong service-oriented attitude;
7. Strong sense of confidentiality, integrity and discretion.

4. RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The Regulation which provides the legal basis for EASO was adopted in May 2010 (Official Journal of the European Union L 132 of 29.5.2010).

A. Identifying eligible candidates

After the deadline for submission of applications, the Selection Committee will verify the submitted applications against the eligibility criteria described in Section 3A (“Eligibility Criteria”). Applications satisfying these conditions will then be assessed against the “Selection Criteria” under Section 3B.

B. Further analysis of applications

Following this initial assessment, the Selection Committee will compare the applications of eligible candidates with reference to:

• The Selection Criteria (“Essential” and “Advantageous”);
• The overall quality of the application  and the candidates’ suitability for  the post when compared to the established job profile.

Please note that the Essential Selection Criteria are mandatory and no application will be further assessed if one of these criteria is not satisfied.

The Selection Committee will then establish a shortlist of the most suitable candidates to be invited for a written test, an interview and/or other tests based on the order of merit. These assessments will be held in English and, where applicable, other languages Due to the large volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates invited to the interview and written test will be notified thereof.

C. Assessment phase

The assessment phase is composed of the following components:

• Technical competency written test and/or any other assessment deemed necessary for the post
• Interview with the Selection Committee

The assessment phase will be devised to evaluate the following components:

• General aptitude and language abilities to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties in accordance with Article 12.2(e) of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
• Specific competences with reference to the applicants’ profiles in line with the selection criteria included in the Vacancy Notice.

Please note that only candidates who are successful in all aspects of the assessment phase (interview, written test and/or language tests) will have the possibility of being placed on the reserve list.

D. Verification of supporting documents

Only candidates who receive an offer letter will be required to present originals or certified copies of the documents listed below to confirm the accuracy and eligibility of the application against their supporting documents:

• A document proving their citizenship (e.g. passport);
• Any academic qualification mentioned in the application;
• Any professional professional experience mentioned in the application;

This selection procedure may be organised online. In such case, further information will be provided by EASO to candidates invited for an interview regarding the practical modalities for the assessment.

E. Establishing a reserve list

A reserve list will be established based on the outcome of the assessment phase and will remain valid until the end of the current year from the date of its establishment.

The reserve list may be extended at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Candidates shall note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. Recruitment will be based on availability of posts and budget.

Prior to taking up duties, the successful candidate will be asked to undergo a compulsory medical examination by one of the institutions’ medical officers which will enable EASO to ensure that he/she fulfils the requirement stated in Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Union.

5. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

EASO applies an equal opportunities policy and accepts applications without discriminating on the basis of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

6. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The Temporary Agent will be appointed by the Executive Director, upon recommendation of the Selection Committee, following the selection procedure.

He/she will be recruited as a Temporary Agent according to Article 2(f) of the CEOS for a period of 5 years which may be renewed. The Temporary Agent post in question will be placed in group AST 3.

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

The pay for a Temporary Agent, AST 3 (step 1) consists of a basic salary of 3,841.17 € weighted by the correction coefficient (for Malta currently 94.70%) supplemented with various allowances, including expatriation and family allowances. The salaries of staff members are subject to a European Union tax deducted at source. Staff members are exempt from national tax on salary and are members of the European Union social security and pension schemes.

For further information on working conditions of Temporary Agents please refer to CEOS: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF

The place of employment is Valletta Harbour (Malta).

7. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

All EASO’s vacancies can be found on our Vacancies page and online e-Recruitment tool. For applications to be valid, candidates shall use EASO’s online e-Recruitment tool to create a candidate account, activate it and complete all sections of the EASO application form, as detailed in the User Manual found on the landing page. Candidates are requested to complete their application in English.

Very important note:

Candidates are required to choose only one of the five profiles: Administrative Assistant (Generalist), Training Standards Assistant, Human Resources Assistant, Procurement Assistant, Finance Assistant.

Candidates who choose more than one profile will be disqualified from the selection for all the profiles applied for. Only one application per candidate will be accepted.

Incomplete applications will be disqualified and treated as non-eligible. Please note that the selection process may take several months. In order to facilitate the selection process, all correspondence to candidates concerning this vacancy will be in English.

Candidates should not approach, directly or indirectly, the Selection Committee under any circumstances in relation to this recruitment process. The Executive Director reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards this instruction.

To help us with our recruitment effort, please indicate in your cover letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.

Closing date:

The closing date for the submission of applications is 26 April 2021 at 13:00 (CET). EASO will disregard any application received after this date and time.

Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the date of the deadline to submit their applications. EASO is not held responsible for any delays in submission of applications due to technical difficulties or any other factors that may arise.

If a candidate is found to have provided false information at any stage in the selection procedure, EASO is within its capacity to disqualify the candidate in question.

8. DATA PROTECTION

The purpose of processing of the data submitted by the candidate is to manage the application(s) of the candidate in view of a possible selection and recruitment at EASO.

EASO does not make public the names of successful candidates on reserve lists. However, it is possible that, for the purposes of recruitment and related planning purposes, members of the EASO management team may have access to reserve lists and, in specific cases, to the application form of a candidate (without supporting documents, which are kept in confidence by the personnel department). Application files of non-recruited candidates are kept for two years from the expiry date of the reserve list after which time they are destroyed.

The personal information requested will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/ECText with EEA relevance.

9. APPEAL PROCEDURES

Pursuant to Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, a candidate may submit a complaint against an act affecting him/her adversely. The complaint must be submitted within 3 months from the date of notification to the following address:

The Executive Director European Asylum Support Office

MTC Block A, Winemakers Wharf, Grand Harbour Valletta, MRS 1917 Malta

Should the complaint be rejected, pursuant to Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, a candidate may request judicial review of the act. The appeal must be lodged within 3 months from the date of notification to the following address:

Court of Justice of the European Union Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald

L-2925 Luxembourg Luxembourg

If you believe that there was maladministration, you may lodge a complaint to the European Ombudsman within two years of the date when you became aware of the facts on which the complaint is based (see http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu ), or write to:

European Ombudsman

1, Avenue du President Robert Schuman – BP 403 F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex

France

Please note that complaints to the European Ombudsman do not have the effect of suspending the period mentioned in Articles 90 and 91 of the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union for lodging complaints or submitting an appeal pursuant to Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Do not forget to mention that you found this job ad on the EURACTIV Jobsite!

1 Regulation (EU) No 439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 (OJ L 132, 25.5.2010, p.11).

2 Only diplomas and certificates that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration.

3 Before the appointment, the successful candidate shall be asked to provide an extract from their police file.

4 Before the appointment, a successful candidate shall be medically examined by one of the institutions’ medical officers in order that EASO may be satisfied that he/she fulfils the requirement of article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Union.

3 Before the appointment, the successful candidate shall be asked to provide an extract from their police file.

4 Before the appointment, a successful candidate shall be medically examined by one of the institutions’ medical officers in order that EASO may be satisfied that he/she fulfils the requirement of article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Union.