Project Manager - Europa NU voor Journalisten

RECRUITMENT FOR THE EUROPEAN AGENCY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK (EU-OSHA)

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) is a decentralised agency of the European Union, established in 1996 and based in Bilbao (Spain).

The aim of EU-OSHA is to promote safe, healthy and productive workplaces by providing the European institutions, the Member States and those involved in safety and health at work with technical, scientific and economic information. Further information on our activities can be found on our website: http://osha.europa.eu

The Agency is organising a selection procedure with a view to drawing up a reserve list for the recruitment of temporary agents for the following position:

EUOSHA/AD/11/03 - Project Manager (AD 6)

Initially a three-year contract (subject to a probationary period of 6 months), with the possibility of renewal for a further five years and then indefinite duration

• 1. 

  JOB FRAMEWORK

Comprising 20 people, the Agency’s Prevention and Research Unit works to:

• - 

  identify new and emerging risks in occupational safety and health (OSH)
• - 

  develop good practice solutions to protect workers’ safety and health
• - 

  promote a prevention culture through awareness-raising campaigns across the European Union
• - 

  stimulate debate and reflection among the Agency's stakeholders
• 2. 

  JOB PROFILE

Overall purpose

As one of nine project managers in the unit, the jobholder will oversee projects, manage contracts and assist in dissemination and promotion of products.

Main duties

Reporting to the Head of the Prevention and Research Unit, the Project Manager’s main duties are as follows:

Project Management

• - 

  Define actions and project strategies related to occupational safety and health in pursuit of the unit’s objectives. The jobholder will plan and organise resources, set schedules and specify tasks, deliverables and priorities.
• - 

  Supervise and monitor activities, ensuring that they run to plan, within budget and meet defined objectives and quality criteria.
• - 

  Apply expertise in occupational safety and health in the review of deliverables and editing of products for publication.
• - 

  Prepare ‘business cases’ for projects, including impact assessments. Carry out project risk analysis, ex-ante and ex-post evaluations.
• - 

  Communicate and promote the Agency’s work at national and international events.
• - 

  Facilitate stakeholder input to project activities and approval of deliverables, where necessary.

Contract management

• - 

  Procure the services of contractors and supervise performance of the contract following EU-OSHA’s rules on public procurement and contract management procedures.
• - 

  Manage public procurements from project definition to drafting and publishing tender specifications, assessment and evaluation of tenders and award of contract.
• - 

  Monitor closely the performance of the contract ensuring that deliverables are received on time, within budget and in line with the defined objectives.

Coordination, support and planning

• - 

  Contribute to the unit’s planning and reporting, such as the annual management plan and periodic activity reports.
• - 

  Coordinate with other units (particularly Communication and Promotions Unit and Network Secretariat), external stakeholders, partners and networks in the delivery of project objectives.

The Project Manager may undertake other tasks related to the post as required.

• 3. 

  ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

In order for their application to be considered, applicants must satisfy all of the following requirements on the closing date for submission of applications.

General conditions

• - 

  Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union, or of Iceland, Norway, or Liechtenstein (parties to the EEA Agreement);
• - 

  Enjoy their full rights as a citizen;
• - 

  Have fulfilled any obligations imposed in their home country by the laws on military service;
• - 

  Meet the appropriate personal and professional requirements for the duties involved;
• - 

  Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post;[1].

Education

• - 

  Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more

or

• - 

  Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years.

Professional experience

In addition to the above-mentioned certificates and professional experience, candidates must have a minimum of five years’ experience relevant to the main duties concerned, as described above[2].

Knowledge of languages

The post requires excellent English, both spoken and written, together with a good working knowledge[3] of at least one other official language of the EU.

• 4. 

  SELECTION CRITERIA

The following criteria will be used to assess candidates through their application form (including motivation letter), interview and written test. In addition, shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo written tests in order to assess competence in their second EU language.

Essential

• - 

  Professional experience directly relevant to project management, contract management and coordination, support and planning, as described under ‘main duties’, above;
• - 

  Broad knowledge of occupational health and safety issues, such as workplace solutions (good practice), research (including monitoring tools), policy and regulation at EU level;
• - 

  Ability to communicate effectively on occupational health and safety issues with important stakeholders, such as social partner representatives and in public, such as delivering presentations at conferences and seminars;
• - 

  Ability to take a methodical and logical approach to work in the short and long term;
• - 

  Capacity to conceptualise problems, identify and implement solutions and set priorities;

Assets to be considered advantageous for selection

• - 

  A post-graduate university qualification in a field relevant to the main duties;
• - 

  Experience of participation in awareness-raising OSH campaigns or engagement with social partners;
• - 

  Ability to work in a third EU language;
• - 

  Experience of working in multinational and diverse environments.
• 5. 

  ENGAGEMENT AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The engagement for a vacant post will be decided by the Agency’s Director on the basis of the reserve list of candidates proposed by the Selection Committee. Candidates should note that an inclusion in the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. The established reserve list may be used for the recruitment of a similar post depending on the needs of the Agency and will be valid until the end of the year following the year of engagement concerned by this selection process (the validity of the reserve list could be extended).

A contract offer will be made pursuant the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities[4] for a three-year period (subject to a probationary period of six months) which may be renewed not more than once for a fixed period of time. Any further renewal shall be for an indefinite period.

Job environment

The post is based in Bilbao. The job holder shall work in a multicultural environment where on-going dialogue between management and staff, including representatives of the staff, is regarded as vital. Working time is based around flexitime and core working hours. English is the Agency’s main working language.

Pay and welfare benefits

As at 1st January 2011, the monthly basic gross salary at AD 6 step 1 is €4,921, subject to a cost-of-living adjustment for Spain (currently 97.7%). In addition to this basic salary, the jobholder may be entitled to various allowances, in particular an expatriation or foreign residence allowance and family allowances, including household allowance, dependent child allowance, pre-school allowance and an education allowance, which may represent a significant percentage of the total remuneration.

Under certain circumstances, in particular where the jobholder is obliged to change his/her place of residence in order to take up employment, the Agency may also reimburse various expenses incurred on recruitment, notably removal expenses.

The salary of the jobholder is subject to a Community tax deducted at source and is exempt from national tax. The salary package includes the European Community social security and pensions schemes. Candidates are invited to familiarise themselves with employment conditions as stated in the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities.

• 6. 

  APPLICATION PROCESS

There are two stages to the application process:

Stage 1 - Online registration

At the first stage candidates must submit the official application form

Candidates are requested to complete their application in the main working language of the Agency, which is English. All parts of the application form must be completed in full. Please pay special attention to the motivation letter.

Candidates should assess and check before submitting their application form whether they fulfil all the conditions for admission laid down in the vacancy notice, particularly in terms of qualifications and relevant professional experience.

Applications and documents must be sent to recruitment@osha.europa.eu by no later than 29th February 2012 at 23:00, Central European Time (CET).

The subject of the e-mail should include the reference of this vacancy (EU-OSHA/AD/11/03) and the candidate’s surname.

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an automatic reply. It is your responsibility to keep the automatic reply as proof of submission of your application.

Should you not receive an automatic reply message, please contact:

info-recruitment@osha.europa.eu.

For applications to be valid, applicants shall:

• - 

  use and duly complete the official application form provided by the Agency,
• - 

  send their application by the above-mentioned deadline,
• - 

  follow the instructions for online application detailed above.

The Agency regrets that, due to the large volume of applications it receives; only candidates invited to interview will be contacted.

Stage 2 - Submission of a full application (only for candidates invited to an interview)

Candidates invited for interview must bring with them on the day of the interview original supporting documents (proof of nationality, diplomas, academic qualifications, employment certificates, professional references etc.) needed to prove that they satisfy all conditions for admission as well as one set of copies.

All documentary evidence of professional experience must indicate start and end dates for previous positions and the start date and continuity for the current position held. On the day of the interview the candidate will be requested to sign his/her application form and by signing the form the candidate certifies on his/her honour that the information provided is complete and accurate.

The purpose of processing of the data submitted by candidates is to manage each application in view of a possible pre-selection and recruitment at the Agency. The personal information the Agency requests from applicants will be processed in line with Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data.

• 7. 

  SELECTION PROCEDURE

Screening of eligibility and selection criteria

Eligibility and suitability of candidates will be firstly assessed according to compliance with the eligibility and selection criteria by the appointed Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee will then consider the competencies of eligible applicants on the basis of the application provided and invite the most suitable candidates to an interview.

Communication with the selection committee

The work of the Selection Committee and its deliberations are confidential. Candidates shall not make direct or indirect contact with the Selection Committee or have anybody do so on their behalf. The Appointing Authority reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards this instruction.

All inquiries for information should be addressed to info-recruitment@osha.europa.eu or by letter to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, Gran Vía 33, E-48009 Bilbao, Spain, quoting the reference of the competition (EU-OSHA/AD/11/03)

Equal opportunity

The Agency is an equal opportunity employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.

• 8. 

  APPEAL PROCEDURE

If a candidate considers that s/he has been adversely affected by a particular decision, s/he can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities at the following address:

The Director

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

33, Gran Via

48009 Bilbao

Spain

The complaint must be lodged within 3 months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure (see Staff Regulations as modified by Council Regulation No 723/2004 of 22 March - http://europa.eu/eur-lex) starts running from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting him/her.

1.

As a condition for the engagement, the successful candidate shall be medically examined in order that the Agency may be satisfied that s/he fulfils this requirement of Article12 (d) of the Staff Regulations, Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities.

• 2. 

  Professional experience will be counted from the date on which the applicant acquired the minimum qualification for access to this post. Only duly documented professional activity (i.e. remunerated employment or self-employment) is taken into account. Part-time work will be taken into account in proportion to the percentage of full-time hours worked. Periods of education or training and unremunerated traineeships are not taken into account. Fellowships, grants and PhDs can be counted as professional experience up to a maximum of 3 years. Any given time period can be counted only once (e.g. if the applicant had a full-time job and did freelance consultancy work in the evenings and weekends, the days spent on the latter will not be added to the period of the former).
• 3. 

  Corresponding to level B2 or above of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR), available at: http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/Portfolio/?L=E&M=/main_pages/levels.html
• 4. 

  http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/docs/toc100_en.pdf