PE/277/S/EPRS - TEMPORARY STAFF MEMBER  - ADMINISTRATOR-CURATOR OF LIBRARIES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (THEMATIC ANALYST) (AD 7)

Before applying, please read carefully the Guide for Candidates attached to this recruitment notice.

The Guide is an integral part of the recruitment notice and helps to understand the rules governing selection procedures and how to go about applying.

CONTENTS

A.  JOB DESCRIPTION AND ELIGIBILITY

B.  PROCEDURE

C.  APPLICATIONS

ANNEX: GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES IN SELECTION PROCEDURES ORGANISED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

A. JOB DESCRIPTION AND ELIGIBILITY

1. General remarks

The European Parliament has decided to open the procedure for filling a temporary staff member post (AD 7).

The profile sought is that of administrator-curator of libraries open to the public (thematic analyst) in Brussels.

The contract will be concluded for an indefinite period. Recruitment will be at grade AD 7, first step, the basic salary for which is EUR 6 568.39 per month. This salary is subject to Community tax and to the other deductions provided for by the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). It is exempt from national tax. The step at which the successful candidates are recruited may be adjusted in accordance with their professional experience. Moreover, in certain circumstances allowances will be paid in addition to the basic salary.

The European Parliament is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without discrimination on any ground such as gender, ethnicity, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or family situation.

2. Job description

The Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS) provides Members of the European Parliament, its parliamentary committees and the European Parliament as a whole with independent, objective and authoritative analysis of, and research on, policy issues relating to the European Union.

The Directorate for the Library and Knowledge Services in the EPRS provides Members and staff of the European Parliament with a wide selection of physical and digital books, journals, newspapers, newswires, databases and other sources of information relevant to all aspects of the work of the European Parliament as an institution. Committed to sharing its knowledge base with the general public, it answers citizens’ questions and is gradually expanding its open collections to help teachers, researchers and all those interested in the European Union, its history, memory and policies.

Within this directorate, the Citizens’ Library Unit is a team of around 12 staff based in Brussels and Luxembourg. The Citizens’ Library Unit is coordinating the setting up of a large multilingual public library in Brussels (the Citizens’ Library for Europe), manages Parliament’s Library in Luxembourg, whose historical collections are already open to the public, and is in the process of creating a reading area for visitors in Strasbourg. The unit also develops partnerships with major public research libraries in Europe and beyond and with other major public reading platforms, such as Europeana. Lastly, the service preserves, enriches and enhances the European Parliament’s historical collection, which includes some items that date back to the early stages of European integration in the 1950s.

The Citizens’ Library Unit is looking to recruit a curator of libraries open to the public (thematic analyst) in Brussels.

The main duties will include the following:

In close cooperation with the Director of Collections and the relevant head of unit:

• contributing to the activities of acquiring, preserving and promoting the collections of the Citizens’ Library in the three places of work and in all reading sites accessible to visitors, in all the languages of the collections;
• helping with the financial process involved in invitations to tender, negotiating with service providers and checking the services provided;
• helping to create and enhance the online public reading platform;
• organising, coordinating and monitoring online and on-site exhibitions;
• organising, coordinating and monitoring facilities for on-site visitors at the various public reading sites in collaboration with the librarians;
• organising, coordinating and monitoring the event programme of public reading sites;
• promoting all the collections of the Citizens’ Library among the general public and researchers: historical collection, general collection, European integration collection, recent publications of the European Parliament;
• promoting the European Parliament’s multimedia collections among the public;
• organising courses, conferences and talks on the memory, sites and collections of Parliament open to the public;
• producing works on Parliament’s memory, sites and collections open to the public; producing works and seminars on the memory of the institution, where appropriate in cooperation with the historical service of the European Parliament;
• producing briefings in response to Members’ questions on the memory, sites and collections of the European Parliament.

These duties call for the following:

• excellent knowledge of European public policies, the history of European integration, the European institutions and, in particular, the European Parliament;
• familiarity with contemporary research on the history and memories of European integration;
• general knowledge of financial management and public procurement;
• familiarity with the management and preservation of archive and library sources in a multilingual context;
• proven experience in organising events, conferences and courses highlighting historical and intellectual heritage, in a multilingual context;
• experience of putting digital events and sources online, in a multilingual context;
• proven experience of project management;
• proven ability as a trainer, speaker, drafter and editor;
• interaction with national and local authorities in the three places of work;
• easy interaction with the natural constituency of the Citizens’ Library: university researchers, research managers in the institutions and beyond, directors of major libraries, etc.

The creation of a Citizens’ Library for Europe in Brussels, the management of Parliament’s Library in Luxembourg, the creation of a reading area for visitors in Strasbourg and the organisation of events and exhibitions at these public reading sites require frequent contacts with the national and regional authorities of the three host countries of the European Parliament (France, Luxembourg and Belgium). The main target audiences of the exhibitions, training courses and seminars held on site will be local people of all ages: French-speaking in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, German-speaking in Luxembourg and Strasbourg, and Dutch-speaking in Brussels.

3. Eligibility

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

(a)     General criteria

In accordance with Article 12(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, you must:

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

(b)     Specific criteria

(i) Qualifications required

Candidates must have:

• a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies officially recognised in one of the Member States;

or

• a level of education of at least three years of university studies attested by a diploma officially recognised in one of the Member States, followed by at least one year’s relevant professional experience.

Diplomas, whether issued in a Member State or in a non-EU country, must be recognised by an official body of an EU Member State, such as the ministry of education.

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.

The professional experience required under the second indent will not be taken into account when evaluating the professional experience required under point A.3(b)(ii). 

(ii) Professional experience required

In addition to the qualifications required under point A.3(b)(i), you must have acquired at least six years of professional experience relevant to the duties specified in section A.2, including at least two years in an international environment.

(iii) Knowledge of languages

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

Knowledge of German and/or Dutch would be 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 abilities correspond to those specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills).

B. PROCEDURE

The procedure is based on qualifications and tests.

1. Admission to the selection procedure

If you

• meet the general eligibility criteria, 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 criteria.

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

It will base its decisions solely on the information given on the application form and substantiated by supporting documents.

2. Assessment of qualifications

On the basis of 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 12 best candidates, who will be invited to the tests. The selection committee will invite any candidates tied for the final qualifying place.

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 history of European integration;
• experience of library work, including contribution to catalogues;
• experience of liaising with major libraries and university researchers;
• experience of work in and/or with political bodies;
• experience in organising exhibitions, symposia and seminars;
• familiarity with media and the world of communication;
• digital skills.

Marking: 0 to 20 points.

3. Tests

Written test

(a) Drafting test in French, based on a set of documents, to test your ability to perform the duties set out in section A.2 and your drafting and summarising skills.

Maximum time allowed: 3 hours.

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20).

This computer-based test will be held remotely.

Oral test

(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 will also test the language you specified as language 1 (or language 2 if your language 1 is French), and may decide to test your knowledge of Dutch and/or German if you have specified them on the application form.

Maximum duration: 45 minutes.

Marking: 0 to 40 points (pass mark: 20).

This test may be organised remotely.

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, 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 achieved the pass mark in each of the tests. The list will include any candidates tied for the final place.

You will be informed individually in writing of your results.

The list of suitable candidates will be published on Parliament’s intranet.

The period of validity of the list of suitable candidates will expire on 31 December 2026. Its validity may be extended by decision of the appointing authority. 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.

Candidates must read the Guide for Candidates carefully BEFORE completing their application form.

Deadline for applications

Candidates must apply online on the Apply4EP platform at the latest by

12.00 (noon), Brussels time, on 2 September 2022.

Please DO NOT TELEPHONE to ask about this selection procedure.

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