PE/258/S - TEMPORARY STAFF, ASSISTANT IN RELATIONS WITH NATIONAL AUTHORITIES (AST 5)

2. Job description

Working in the Office of the Secretary-General, the assistant in relations with national authorities will be in charge of contacts with national and regional authorities mainly of the three host states of the European Parliament’s places of work, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. Mainly, the assistant will prepare, support and follow-up working groups with national and regional authorities at the administrative and political level in numerous areas of Parliament’s activities. The assistant will also:

• draft correspondence, mainly in French, with regional and national authorities, including at the highest level,
• deal with partnership agreements and visitors,
• deal with associations involved in European affairs, in particular those of France, Belgium, Luxembourg and bordering regions of Germany.

In this context, solid organisational skills are required. Previous experience in an international setting and especially in a Parliament constitutes an asset. As the post involves numerous internal and external contacts, it requires excellent writing skills, a highly developed sense for diplomacy, great ease of communication and very good interpersonal skills.

The post is based in Brussels but may be transferred to one of Parliament’s other places of work. It involves travelling on a regular basis between Parliament's three places of work (Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg), as well as other places.

The main duties will include the following:

• Preparing, supporting and following up on, the activities of working groups with national and regional authorities, in particular those of France, Luxembourg and Belgium, passing on information up and down the hierarchy;
• Making contacts and liaising with national and regional authorities, in particular those of France, Luxembourg and Belgium;
• Assisting working groups with national and regional authorities with various administrative tasks, particularly the drafting of minutes;
• Preparing, supporting the conduct of and finalising negotiations of administrative agreements with national or regional authorities, as well as associations involved in European affairs, in particular of France, Luxembourg, Belgium and bordering regions of Germany;
• Compiling files following established procedures, in paper or electronic form, and providing the decision-making authorities with finalised files with relevant background information, if necessary;
• Following up on decisions, providing information in answer to inquiries on progress in the cases, drawing up summaries, often with tight deadlines;
• Organising visits, receiving visitors and carrying out other specific tasks within the department's area of activities.

These duties call for the following competencies:

• Organisational and planning skills
• Analytical and comprehension skills
• A meticulous approach
• Interpersonal and networking skills
• Confidentiality/discretion
• Ability to deliver under time pressure
• Tact and diplomacy

3. Eligibility

On the closing date for applications, candidates must meet the following conditions:

(a) General conditions

In accordance with Article 12(2) of the CEOS, candidates must:

• be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union,
• enjoy full rights as a citizen,
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws concerning military service,
• produce the appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of
  their duties.

(b) Specific conditions

(i) Qualifications and skills required

Candidates are required to 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, followed by at least three years professional experience relevant to the duties. These three years of experience will not be taken into account when assessing the professional experience required below.

The selection committee will take account of the differences between the Member States’ education systems. Examples of the minimum qualifications required are given in the table included in the Guide for Candidates in selection procedures organised by the European Parliament.

(ii) Professional experience required

After gaining the above-specified qualifications, you must have acquired at least five years of professional experience relevant to the duties specified in section A.2. Previous experience in an international setting, and especially in a Parliament, constitutes an asset.

(iii) Knowledge of languages

Candidates must have a thorough knowledge (level C1) of one of the European Union’s official languages (language 1): Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish or Swedish,

and

a thorough knowledge (level C1) of French (language 2). Language 2 must be different from language 1. In case language 1 is French, a satisfactory knowledge (level B2) of one of the other 23 European Union’s official languages is required.

Knowledge of German and/or Dutch constitutes an asset.

Please note that the minimum levels required above apply to each area of linguistic aptitude (speaking, writing, reading, listening) referred to on the application form. These aptitudes correspond to those specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference).

Applicants are informed that the specific language requirement, i.e. thorough knowledge of French, has been laid down in the interests of the service with respect to specific requirements of the post.

More specifically, French is the main language in the communication with national and regional authorities of the three host states of the European Parliament’s places of work, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg and one of the languages most frequently used in the internal communication of the European Parliament. Consequently, in order to carry out her or his duties, as referred to in section A. 2 of this recruitment notice, and to ensure the smooth running of the service, the temporary agent recruited must be able to work and communicate effectively in French.

Knowledge of German and/or Dutch constitutes an asset, as Dutch can be required in the communication with Belgian authorities and German in the communication with Luxembourgish authorities and associations involved in European affairs from bordering regions of Germany.

In addition, in the interests of equality of treatment, all candidates, even if they have French as their first official language, are required to have a satisfactory knowledge of a second language, which must be one of the other European Union’s official languages.

B. PROCEDURE

1. Admission to the selection procedure

The procedure is based on qualifications and tests.

If you

• meet the general eligibility conditions and
• have submitted your application in accordance with the arrangements specified and by the closing date,

the selection committee will assess your application in the light of the specific eligibility conditions.

If you meet the specific eligibility conditions, the selection committee will admit you to the
selection procedure.

The selection committee will base its decisions solely on the information given on the application form and substantiated by supporting documents (for further details see the Guide for Candidates in selection procedures organised by the European Parliament).

2. Assessment of qualifications

Based on a marking grid laid down in advance, the selection committee will assess the qualifications of candidates admitted to the selection procedure and draw up a list of the twelve best candidates, who will be invited to the written test.

In assessing the candidates’ qualifications, the selection committee will take particular account of the following aspects (to be substantiated by supporting documents enclosed with the application file):

• additional qualifications and diplomas relevant to the duties;
• experience in compiling dossiers;
• experience in drafting letters, notes, summaries, minutes in French;
• experience of liaising with national and regional authorities;
• experience of assisting with administrative tasks and following up decisions;
• professional experience in a multicultural and multinational environment.

Marking: 0 to 20 points

3. Tests

Written test

a) French drafting test, based on a set of documents, to test your ability to perform the duties described in Section A.2. and to understand business requirements, provide solutions and support end-users

Time allowed: 90 minutes
Marking: 0 to 20 points (pass mark: 10 points).

The test may be organised remotely and online (computer-based).

The six candidates who obtain the highest number of points will be invited to the oral tests, provided they have achieved the pass mark.

Oral tests

b) Interview with the selection committee in French to assess, taking account of all the information contained in your application file, your suitability to perform the duties set out in Section A.2. The selection committee may decide to test your language knowledge as specified in the application form.

Time allowed: 45 minutes
Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20 points).
This test may be organised remotely and online (computer-based).

c) Role Play or Group exercise in French to enable the selection committee to assess your adaptability and negotiating skills and interpersonally skills.

Time allowed : 25 minutes
Marking: 0 to 20 points (pass mark: 10 points).
This test may be organised remotely and online (computer-based).

You will receive instructions concerning the written and oral tests in good time. The tests will take place at a specific time on a specific date. If you do not reply to an invitation, you cannot be contacted by email or fail to show up for a test, you will be disqualified. You must follow the instructions to the letter. Any failure to follow the instructions or any action not consistent with the instructions will lead to your immediate disqualification.

4. List of suitable candidates

The list of suitable candidates will contain, in order of merit, the names of the three candidates who have obtained the highest overall scores in the procedure (assessment of qualifications and tests) and have passed each of the tests.

Candidates will be informed individually in writing of their results.

The list of suitable candidates will be published on the intranet of the European Parliament.

The period of validity of the list of suitable candidates will expire on 31 December 2024; however, it may be extended. If it is extended, the candidates whose names have been included on the list will be informed in good time.

If you are offered a job, you will be required to produce the originals of all requisite documents, including diplomas and employment certificates, for verification.

Being included on a list of suitable candidates does not constitute either a right to, or a guarantee of, recruitment.

C. APPLICATIONS

To apply, you must have an account on the Apply4EP platform: https://apply4ep.gestmax.eu/search/index/lang/en_US. You may create only ONE account. To do so, click on the ‘Apply online’ tab at the bottom of the page.

You must read carefully the Guide for Candidates in selection procedures organised by the European Parliament before completing the application form and provide the relevant supporting documents.

The deadline for applications is

12.00 (noon), Brussels time, on 30 September 2021.

An acknowledgement of receipt will automatically be sent to you as soon as your application form has been validated.

Please DO NOT TELEPHONE to ask about the timetable for the procedure.