Evaluation Officer

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

REF.: EASO/2021/CA/002

1. EASO

The European Asylum Support Office (hereinafter referred to as “EASO”), established by Regulation 439/2010, 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 Evaluation Officer will be working in the Quality Management and Evaluation Sector (QMES) within the Executive Office and will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Assist the Head of Sector in planning, coordination and reporting activities in relation to Agency evaluations;
2. Draft documents and prepare presentations in the context of implementation of the Agency’s evaluation framework and methodology;
3. Contribute to and participate in organising, conducting, reporting and quality reviewing internal and external evaluations;
4. Provide support to evaluations, including meetings organisation and drafting of meeting outcomes, and engage with external evaluation teams;
5. Coordinate follow-up of management responses to evaluation recommendations;
6. Coordinate activities of the secretariat of the Agency’s evaluation advisory body;
7. Carry out other related tasks as requested by the Head of the Quality Management and Evaluation Sector or the Head of the Executive Office.

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 education that corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma; 
2. Be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland; 
3. Be entitled to full rights as an EU citizen; 
4. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws on military service; 
5. Possess a thorough knowledge (level C1 in all dimensions as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or CEFRL) of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge (level B2 in all dimensions as per the CEFRL) of another one 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 involved; 
7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post. 

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.

Essential

1. Professional experience related to tasks described under functions and duties.
2. Proven experience in the evaluation of interventions and applying evaluation methodologies.  

Advantageous

1. Professional experience in a position related to the aforementioned duties, preferably in a European Institution, Agency or body;
2. Post-graduate degree obtained in a field relevant for the above-mentioned functions and duties;
3. Previous experience within an international and multicultural environment.

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. Effective written and spoken communication skills in English language, a working language of EASO;
2. Competent user of electronic office equipment and applications (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, electronic communication, internet etc.);
3. Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines on multiple tasks; 
4. Excellent analytical capabilities and problem-solving skills;
5. Good communication skills and well-developed interpersonal skills;
6. Strong service-oriented attitude and flexibility; 
7. Accuracy and attention to detail;
8. Knowledge of the mission and organisation of EASO.

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).

D. 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. 

E. 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.

F. Assessment phase

The assessment phase is composed of the following components:

• Technical competency written test and/or other tests as 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 will have the possibility of being placed on the reserve list. 

G. 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 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. 

H. 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 Contract 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 Contract Agent according to Article 3a of the CEOS for a period of 3 years which may be renewed. The Contract Agent post in question will be placed in group FG IV. 

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

The pay for a Contract Agent FG IV (grade 13, step 1) consists of a basic salary of EUR 3,555.98 weighted by the correction coefficient (for Malta currently 94.70%) supplemented with various allowances, where appropriate, such as 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 Contract 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. 

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. 

Closing date: 

The closing date for the submission of applications is 07 June 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.