The Public Appointments Service, Ireland, has been requested to advertise a number of vacancies for National Experts to work on Secondment various Directorates General in the European Commission

PAS Reference Number: 1398210 ___________________________________________________________________________

GENERAL INFORMATION BOOKLET - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Job Vacancy List October 2013 - List

The European Commission

Requires 27 Experts to work on Secondment in various Directorates General of the European Commission. These include:

Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) 1 postDirectorate for European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE)

Communications Networks, Content and Technology (CNECT / DG CONNECT) 1 postDirectorate for Excellence in Science,Unit for Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) for Horizon 2020 in the specific area of "FET Flagships

Competition (COMP) 3 posts Antitrust Telecommunications Merger Regulation Basic industries, manufacturing and agriculture, Unit for

State Aids - Industrial Restructuring

Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN) 2 posts

Employment (EMPL) 1 post

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Enterprise and Industry (ENTR) 3 posts

ESTAT (Statistics) 1 post(IT project manager)

Internal Market and Services (MARKT) 4 posts

Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) 3 posts

Joint Research Centre (JRC) 1 post

Mobility and Transport (MOVE) 1 postDirectorate for Aviation and International Transport AffairsUnit: Aviation Safety

Regional and Urban Policy (REGIO) 2 posts

Research and Innovation (RTD) 2 posts

Secretariat-General (SG) 3 posts

Effective Closing Date Monday 21 st October 2013 is the for the receipt of completed applications

This is in advance of the actual closing date, in order that applications may be forwarded to reach the Commission on time.

Closing Time Deadline: 15.00 hours BST*Note: * BRUSSELS TIME /Central European /Summer Time (CEST/CET) is British Summer Time /Greenwich Mean Time (BST/GMT) + 1 Hour

Applications

Apply using the European Union CV/Application format. A step by step guide on completing your CV in EU format is available at:  http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu

Contact Address: (European Commission) Commission Européenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel – Belgium Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11

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European Commission

The European Commission is seeking to recruit “Seconded National Experts” (SNE’s) to work on secondment in the Commission (European Civil /Public Service). These are persons with knowledge, experience and expertise in particular fields which may include, for example, agriculture, economics, environment, statistics, etc.

If you are considering a temporary, but challenging career move, you may be interested in applying for one of these posts.

Who may eligible?

Eligible applicants those; generally, but nor exclusively; working in the civil, public and state sector services. Persons working in these sectors must have the agreement of their current employer before applying for these posts. Details relating to this are provided in the “General Guide for Applicants” on page 5, with further references on pages 6 and 7.

Why secondment to the EU?

The European Commission has a policy of promoting exchange of persons with particular knowledge and experience across Institutions of the European Union. These are called “Seconded National Experts” (SNEs). SNE’s have a dual role: they bring the experience they have gained in their national EU member state to the Commission; and take back to their home administration, the knowledge of EU issues that they acquire during their period of secondment.

Details in relation to SNE posts are generally circulated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to Personnel Officers. Intending applicants for SNE posts should contact their personnel officer and /or the Department of the Taoiseach for policy on this matter.

How long will the secondment last?

Normally secondments are for a period of up to 2 years, which may be extended, subject to agreement. However, intending applicants should address any enquiries to the nominated officer in the office of the Directorate General; Service or, Agency; for the listed vacancy concerned (please click on the MSWord icon hereunder for details).

VACANCIES - SECONDED NATIONAL EXPERTS (SNE) POST

27 SNE Posts October 2013 List

Effective Application Deadline: Monday 21st October 2013

What are the skills and experience required?

This will depend of the vacancy. Please click on the MSWord icon hereunder for details in respect of individual posts.

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General Guide for Applicants

This information is provided as a guide to applicants only.

Candidate Responsibility

It is entirely the responsibility of intending applicants to make themselves au fait with the European Commission rules in relation to Seconded National Expert posts, including Date and Time Deadlines; Eligibility; Sponsorship and the Application Process.

It is in the interest of potential applicants to look, not only at the Directorates / Services/ Agencies involved; but also at their responsibilities, together with the general and specific qualifications required in respect of individual posts (for example, an accountant may be required for Legal Service [SJ] and a legal advisor by the Directorate for Economic and Financial Affairs [ECFIN], as outlined in General Points of Interest on page 7).

More information about those who might be eligible to apply for SNE posts

While the * European Commission official information relating to SNE’s is provided in the link on page 5, a general outline is provided hereunder. However, if you are unsure of whether you fit into these categories, or require any further information on individual posts; please contact the nominee of the Directorate General / Service/ Agency for the SNE post in which you are interested.

The term “Seconded National Expert” (SNE) is used essentially to refer to a person with expertise in a particular area (generally though not always an employee in a nation state service), seconded to work for a time in the EU and who will be sponsored by his/her national employer (in terms of salary), for the duration of the secondment.

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* The concept of civil / public servant / state employee (fonctionnaire) in Institutions of the European Union is much broader than it is in Ireland. Please refer to “Eligible Applicant Organisations” on this page.

What kind of general qualifications / skills / experience might be required?

There may be specific educational qualifications required in respect of some posts. If so, this will be stated in the individual job(s) specification(s).

Other posts will require work experience, in which a level of expertise will have been gained.

Who pays a SNE’s salary and or expenses?

(a) Sponsorship in terms of salary for most SNE posts are payable by your current (national) employer. Allowable expenses are payable by the European Commission.

An intending applicant should, therefore, contact his/her current employer, with regard to sponsorship and leave of absence, prior to applying for the post.

(b) “Cost free posts”, where stated; means that both salary and any allowable

expenses are payable by your current (national) employer.

Eligible Applicant Organisations Include:

* Those eligible to apply include persons currently working in the general civil and public and state service(s), such as:

Civil Servants working in Government Departments/Offices; Public Servants, such as those working in Local Authorities, HSE, etc., Members of the Security Services, civilian and non-civilian, may also be eligible to

apply Certain other Public Sector State Bodies, (such as); Universities and other Educational Institutions Intergovernmental Agencies/Organisations; Experts from certain international organisations; Certain not for profit research centres, etc., may also be eligible: especially those

working in areas where their unique skills and knowledge are specifically required by the Commission.

* Please refer the European Commission official information on http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/job/sne/index_en.htm

* Some EU Agencies may, outline their own requirements relating to rules applying to SNE posts. Where these EU Regulations/Decisions occur, the agency will specify the conditions that apply.

The civil/public service /state organisations may be:

Local Regional National

Job Location(s):

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The main location of post(s) is Brussels, Belgium, except where otherwise stated in the individual job specification. General Qualifications, Skills, Experience & Language Requirements for EU posts

1. Specific Conditions

Please refer to the criteria set for individual posts.

2. General Conditions normally attaching to EU posts

General conditions normally attaching to EU posts are outlined hereunder. However, intending applicants should contact the Directorate/ Service/Agency to clarify this position to establish if these rules apply.

(a) One must be a citizen of one of the 28 Member States of the European Union.

(b) One must enjoy your full rights as a citizen.

(c) One must have fulfilled any obligations imposed on you by the laws on military service, where applicable.

(d) One must meet the character requirements for the duties involved.

Where can I find more information about SNE posts?

* A general outline, relating to Seconded National Experts (SNE’s) is available http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/job/sne/index_en.htm

* However, full details, including categories of persons eligible to apply is available on: http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/docs/regime_end_en.pdf

* The Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Commission may also be in a position to provide any further clarification with regard to general eligibility.

General Information on the Application Process

Where do I send my application?

Completed applications must be sent to the ** Representatives of Ireland to the European Commission, as outlined hereunder, by the Effective Closing Date at the latest. This is in order that they may be forwarded to the Commission, by the closing date. However, applicants are advised to apply for these posts well in advance of that date and, also to allow plenty of time to complete the application process.

Applicants, applying for SNE posts are advised to submit a;

1. Curriculum Vitae : CV’s must be sent in (word or pdf) and should ideally follow the Europass CV template format requested that can be found on: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/hornav/Introduction.csp?loc=en_GB

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Applications must be made in English, French or, German. Linguistic versions, other than any of these three, shall not be taken into account by the Commission.

2. A Letter of Motivation which would usually outline the; particular qualifications, skills, competencies, together with experience that might be of particular value to the Commission; that an applicant might bring to the post for which he /she is applying.

3. A Letter of Sponsorship from your current employer, agreeing in principle to sponsoring your application in terms of leave of absence for the duration of the secondment and payment of your salary, must also be submitted. Your application will not be processed without this.

If required, Letters of Recommendation, Traineeship Reports, Diplomas, Degrees etc. will be requested from candidates who are invited to interview and/or selection.

Each candidate is requested to specify the reference of the vacancy notice: DG and Unit- Detail (for example; ESTAT-G6-HICP METHOD)

Submission of Applications

(a) Applications should be sent to the ** Permanent Representative of Ireland to the European Commission at following email address: Jennie.Quin@dfa.ie

(b) Applications should reach Ms. Quin by close of business 15.00 hours BST/GMT, that is 16.00 hours Brussels time (CE/ST; on the date specified in respect of the individual post(s). 

For further information on individual post(s) please contact the nominated person in the relevant Directorate(s), as previously outlined.

General Points of Interest

Applicants, when considering the posts for which they might be eligible in terms of qualifications, skills and experience, should note that each Directorate General may have responsibility for a number of Directorates and have a very wide competence and policy remit.

The Directorate General for Competition (COMP), for example, deals with antitrust rules in all sectors of consumer goods; merger control; and competition from a ‘fair competition’ point of view, which could be economic and /or legal etc. So, depending on the vacancy, applicants with a background in Competition; Development; Economics; Finance; Law; Taxation and Customs and so on might be required in this area.

Similarly, DEVCO has a broad remit: development aid in countries in South or West Africa, for example. Another responsibility of DEVCO might be in the area of sustainable development. Areas of responsibility within a directorate might deal with diverse areas, such as budget; finance; or economic analysis etc. It is, therefore, suggested that applicants who are considering applying for SNE posts would look at the detailed requirements in respect of each particular post (even within the same DG/ service/ agency).___________________________________________________________________________

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