ESTABLISHMENT OF A DATABASE CONTRACT STAFF (FUNCTION GROUP IV) IN THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION: PRESS OFFICER AND COMMUNITY MANAGER

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

ESTABLISHMENT OF A DATABASE

Contract staff (function group IV) in the area of communication:

Press officer and Community manager

1. General remarks

The Secretariat of the European Parliament is issuing this notice with a view to establishing a database of candidates (contract staff in function group IV) in the area of communication in its Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM).

The database will serve as a pool of candidates for possible future recruitment in the EU Member States (European Parliament Liaison Offices - EPLOs).

Once the database has been established, persons who have expressed their interest may be selected for auxiliary contract staff vacancies arising in the Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM), in accordance with the provisions of Article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). Selection is carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 7 ('Joint committee for the selection of auxiliary contract staff (COSCON)') and Article 8 ('Selection procedure for contract staff') of Parliament's 'General Implementing Provisions governing competitions and selection procedures, recruitment and the grading of officials and other servants of the European Parliament'.

The European Parliament is an equal-opportunities employer and accepts applications without discrimination on any ground such as gender, skin 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.

Persons interested in having their names included in the database should submit a CV and fill out the application form via the APPLY4EP platform, starting by creating an account. To do so, they should read this notice carefully, click on the ‘Apply online’ tab and follow the steps of the online application procedure. They should also read carefully the guide attached to this notice. Only one account may be created in APPLY4EP. The personal data recorded in the account will be processed in full compliance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council and will remain modifiable, so that these can be updated. The privacy statement for APPLY4EP is available on its homepage.

2. Job description

DG COMM’s mission is ‘to build the reputation of the European Union by showcasing its democratic legitimacy, embodied in the European Parliament’, as the democratic power and influence of Parliament rests on the mandate of its voters in all Member States. All decisions taken by the EU have a strong impact on citizens. DG COMM’s main objective is to deliver complete and impartial information to citizens and media about the work done by Parliament, and to empower citizens to engage in the European democratic process. To achieve these goals, DG COMM has several key channels to communicate on what Parliament does and stands for, including press relations, liaison offices in the Member States, visitors services, traditional and online owned and paid media, public and private multiplier networks, a community of engaged citizens and influencers. 

Furthermore, DG COMM assists Members in their communication activities and provides Parliament’s political authorities with expert support and advice in the communication field.

DG COMM is looking for:

a) Press officers

b) Community managers

Posted in the Liaison Offices in the Member States (EPLOs), press officers and community managers can be requested to carry out, one or more of the following activities:

3. Duties

In line with the programmes and priorities defined by Parliament’s bodies and/or management, and under the authority of the officials responsible:

a) Press officers

• Preparing, editing, publishing and distributing information on Parliament’s activities to the media and/or the general public.
• Adapting and drafting texts in their national language and distributing them to relevant media.
• Developing new relations with the media, visiting media houses, regularly involving new journalists and content creators.
• Assisting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the contacts with the press: organising briefings off and online, ensuring the presence of journalists and arranging interviews.
• Contributing to campaigns or media actions linked to editorial priorities, EPLOs projects and major items of Parliament’s legislative activity.
• Identifying and targeting journalists and media based on their interests, competences and style in order to cater them an ad hoc offer. Updating journalists on real-time developments via instant-messaging applications.
• Inviting journalists to Parliament plenary sessions or other communication events and assisting them in their press trips.
• Organising press seminars and press briefings (online, offline and in a hybrid form) in Brussels, Strasbourg or in the Member States.
• Alerting on possible disinformation/misinformation about Parliament and help shaping responses if/when needed.
• Monitoring the national and local press, producing media analysis, alerting on political developments and other useful reporting.
• Promoting multimedia products, services and facilities available and help journalists who utilise them.
• Contributing to the sound administrative and financial management of the department, in accordance with the regulations in effect.

Specific knowledge sought

• Writing skills (press releases, texts for the general public, etc.).
• Knowledge of the journalism sector, of media relations and of communication strategies, including the preparation of media strategies and media plans.
• Knowledge of the media landscape in the Member States.
• Knowledge of communication trends.
• Knowledge of multimedia, digital communication, use of social media in journalism and media relations.
• General knowledge of European affairs.
• Knowledge of administrative, budgetary and management procedures in the relevant field.

b) Community managers

• Managing and maintaining Parliament’s presence on all online platforms, including the preparation and publication of original contents, as well as the monitoring and moderation of third-party material.
• Monitoring and moderating the social media conversation in real time to identify current public concerns.
• Running digital communication activities in the European Parliament Liaison Offices (EPLOs), specifically monitoring, maintaining and activating the Customer Relations Management (CRM) database.
• Ensuring that an impact assessment is carried out on the communication activities of the EPLOs and/or media services.
• Designing and developing all available communication and information instruments: website and social media, audio-visual co-productions, publications intended for the general public, etc.
• Devising, organising and implementing communication activities with citizens, stakeholders, opinion multipliers, young people, civil society, schools, universities, etc.
• Managing and maintaining a presence for the department on social networks.

Specific knowledge sought

• Knowledge of the use of social networks.
• Knowledge of Internet media communication techniques.
• Knowledge of analytical tools and data based management relevant to the field of activities, in order to identify, analyse, and interpret trends or patterns in complex data sets.
• Understanding of internal, national and international political issues.
• Knowledge of graphic and multimedia production tools (of the Adobe type).
• Knowledge of the use of social media in journalism.
• Knowledge of multimedia journalism techniques, online publishing methods, editorial strategies on the new media, electronic distribution processes and web communication techniques.
• Knowledge of the media of one or more geographic sectors in the country of employment.
• Knowledge of administrative, budgetary and management procedures in the relevant field.

4. Eligibility

a. General criteria

• Be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service.
• Produce the appropriate character references as to his/her suitability for the performance of his/her duties.

b. Specific criteria

i. Qualifications and skills required

• a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma,

 or

• where justified in the interest of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.

Prior to being recruited, selected candidates whose names are included in the database will be asked to provide documents substantiating the information contained in the application form (diplomas, certificates and other supporting documents).

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.

Candidates holding diplomas issued in a non-EU country must provide an EU-equivalence for their diplomas. You may find further information on recognition of non-EU qualifications in the ENIC-NARIC networks (https://www.enic-naric.net/).

ii. Knowledge of languages

Candidates must have a thorough knowledge (at least 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, Slovene, Spanish or Swedish,

and

a very good knowledge (at least level B2) of English (language 2). Language 2 must be different from language 1. If language 1 is English, a satisfactory knowledge (level B2) of one of the other 23 European Union’s official languages is required.

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/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills).

Applicants are informed that English as language 2 for this procedure to establish a database has been specified in the interests of the service and, specifically, of the Directorate-General for Communication. The persons whose names are included in the database must be able to communicate effectively with the Headquarters in Brussels.

In fact, English is the language most commonly used to communicate within and among the units in the Directorate-General. It is also the language most frequently used in dealings with the other directorates in the Directorate-General for Communication, the other Directorates-General and Parliament’s political and administrative authorities.

In addition, the existing applications and frameworks for community management - most Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and software to do engagement online use English as their back-end language and the major applications that are used for performing the daily tasks of an engagement specialist - are established in English.

For Press Officers, the contacts with Members of Parliament (MEPs) and journalists from other countries, as well as the organisation of press conferences, seminars and briefings with a trans-national or a pan-European dimension is part of their daily tasks.

Accordingly, in order to perform their duties, the recruited candidates must be able, to work and communicate effectively in English.

For reasons of equality of treatment, all candidates, even if they have English 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.

iii. Professional experience required

After obtaining the qualifications mentioned in section (4.b.i) above, applicants must have acquired at least one year of professional experience relevant to the duties specified in section 3.a or 3.b, above.

5. Database

If you

• meet the general eligibility criteria,
• and have completed the application form via the APPLY4EP platform and indicated the codes correctly (see below, ‘Applications’) in accordance with the procedure and by the deadline,

your name will be included in the database.

Inclusion of your name will be based solely on the information given on the application form and in the attached documents. This information and these documents will be verified at a later date, if you are made an offer of recruitment.

Following your inclusion in the database, you may be invited to take part in a selection test. If you are invited to a selection test, you will receive more information about its nature at that time.

6. Applications - how to express your interest?

Interested persons must complete their application form via the APPLY4EP online platform. Expressions of interest can only be submitted via that platform.

Once you have created your account, you must upload a detailed curriculum vitae. You must use the Europass format (https://europa.eu/europass/select-language?destination=/node/1).

You must then complete the remainder of the application form.

Candidates are requested to use specific codes in their application for the part on Professional Experience. For each experience, if relevant, candidates are invited to add one or multiple codes in the section Job content to highlight certain skills when describing that professional experience. Candidates may use several codes depending on their background. Candidates can put the code(s) for each experience at the end of the text box for the job content. An example (screenshot) of how a code can be added to the application can be found in the guide for candidates. The codes (e.g. [MJ], idem in all languages) are meant to enable identifying candidates with specific, technical skills. Each code matches with a specific skill.

The following codes can be used by the candidates:

Press Officers - Media - Special codes to use, if applicable:

• [MJ] Journalism
• [MN] National Media
• [MD] Digital Media
• [MPSO] Press Seminar Organisation
• [MRM] Media Relations Management
• [MEU] EU Affairs

Community managers - Social Media (SM) - Special codes to use, if applicable:

• [SMCM] Community Management
• [SMDOLC] Digital/On-line Communication
• [SMSMP] Social Media Platforms/Management
• [SMCRM] Customer Relations Management
• [SMNEU] National and EU Affairs

This information must be substantiated by supporting documents.

The closing date for expressions of interest is 15 March 2023. Applications received after that date will not be accepted.

Inclusion of your name in the database or passing the selection test is not a guarantee that you will be offered a job. If a contract becomes available, the recruiting services will consult the database and issue invitations to those candidates whose profiles most closely match the requirements of the post in question. If it emerges that the information they have provided is incorrect, candidates will be excluded from the procedure and their names will be removed from the database.

The European Parliament applies a strict equal opportunities policy in its selection procedures, in order to guarantee equal treatment of all candidates.

The conditions of employment at the EU institutions are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). Full details of the working arrangements can be found here:  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140501&from=EN  (Title IV) ‘Contract staff’).

Since 1 July 2022 the basic monthly salary has been between EUR 3 877,47 and EUR 7 189,80 (function group IV) depending on the candidate’s training and specific professional experience.

The database will be valid until 31 December 2025. 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.