Senior specialist policy advisor

ABOUT EUROPOL

Europol is a well-established and recognized organisation that became an EU agency in 2010. It is constantly looking for creative, self-reliant and energetic employees, who are up to the challenges involved in international crime-fighting, to work in its state-of-the-art headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.

 

Europol employs more than 1,000 personnel, including around 160 analysts, to identify and track the most dangerous criminal and terrorist networks in Europe. Our people come from a variety of professional backgrounds such as law enforcement, finance, legal, information technologies, human resources, communication, etc.

 

Working in close-knit teams, our specialists use their expertise and our cutting-edge technology to support investigations into serious organised crime and terrorism within and outside the EU.

 

A solid track record
Europol has:
• disrupted many criminal and terrorist networks
• contributed to the arrest of thousands of dangerous criminals
• helped recover millions of euros of crime proceeds
• helped hundreds of victims of trafficking and abuse, including children

The working environment at Europol has a lot to offer. It is:
• highly collaborative
• intellectually stimulating
• multilingual
• multidisciplinary
• international

 

Prospective candidates should be prepared to work in a dynamic and fast-moving environment that requires a high level of flexibility, and should have the ability to perform well within a team.

 

Equal opportunity
Europol is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications without distinction on the basis of gender, colour, racial, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, nationality, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

We aim to create and maintain a healthy and attractive work environment that supports our colleagues in their career planning and in achieving a healthy work-life balance.

 

Employment at Europol is open to nationals of EU Member States. There is no nationality quota system in operation, but Europol is striving for a broad range of nationalities in order to keep a well-balanced geographical distribution among its staff members.

 

 

BACKGROUND, MAIN PURPOSE AND TASKS OF THE POST

The position of Senior Specialist – Policy Advisor, is located in the Corporate Services Department, Governance Directorate.

 

The Governance Directorate is responsible for supporting and assisting Europol Management and the rest of the organisation by providing advice and maintaining strategic links with relevant EU bodies and law enforcement agencies of the Member States.

 

Maintaining close cooperation with other directorates, particularly on key corporate matters and monitor business planning and performance management, are also among the Directorate’s task.

 

Furthermore, the Governance Directorate is responsible for promoting Europol's achievements in the media and among the general public and the representation of the organisation at internal and external meetings as well as ensuring Europol’s physical and data security.

The Corporate Services Department deals with tasks which are central to Europol's corporate functioning. It is the interface between the organisation and the political arena assisting Europol’s senior management with up-to-date information, political assessments, managing political relations and preparing the Management Board interactions. 

 

The post holder is responsible for the effective discharge of his/her responsibilities under the supervision of the Head of Department Corporate Services. 

S/he will be providing guidance and advice on policy and regulatory issues relevant to Europol to the teams in the Department and contribute to policy development across a range of areas.

 

The successful applicant will carry out the following duties:

 

• Collect and analyse data, proposals and legislation and monitor communications on relevant policy, with a view to develop and evaluate alternatives, advise on implications and provide clear options and policy recommendations to management; 
• Conduct research and analysis on a wide range of issues affecting the organisation, coordinating closely with other departments, units and teams; promote policy expertise across the organisation and encourage ideas and solutions from all levels to ensure development of best fitting policy recommendations;
• Provide strategic perspective on policy through the development of reports and briefings for discussion with the policy and strategic community; contribute to discussions on policy, regulatory and strategic issues;
• Prepare and deliver presentations summarizing key elements of analysis and recommendations to management;
• Identify, define and scope major initiatives and lead or contribute to projects in areas of relevance;
• Ensure a continuous and consistent flow of communication on policy-related issues within and outside the Department; build effective relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders;
• Represent the unit and / or department in internal and external consultations, meetings and policy-related discussions;
• Perform any other related tasks as assigned by line management.

 

REQUIREMENTS - ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

a. Candidates must
• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the position (prior to appointment the successful candidate will be medically examined by one of the institution’s medical officers in order that the institution may be satisfied that the candidate fulfils the requirements of Article 12(2)(d) CEOS)
• Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

 

b. Candidates must have
• Possess a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is at least 4 years; 

OR
• A level of education, which corresponds to completed university studies, attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is 3 years.

OR
• Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience indicated in the table below:

Duration of professional training              Additional professional experience                                                                                      required for equivalency
More than 6 months and up to 1 year        4 years
More than 1 year and up to 2 years           3 years
More than 2 years and up to 3 years         2 years
More than 3 years                                      1 years

• In addition to the above at least 9 years of professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

 

REQUIREMENTS - SELECTION CRITERIA

a. Professional experience (assessed mainly during the shortlisting):
Essential:
• At least 8 years of work experience in policy advice and formulation obtained within an international organisation or national administration, government / ministry;
• Experience in producing a wide range of documents for high-level target audiences; 
• Experience in international affairs, including at bilateral and multilateral level;
• Experience of working in an international, multidisciplinary work environment.
Desirable:
• Experience in the area of internal security at national and/or international level; 
• Experience working with issues relevant to the area of Justice and Home Affairs.

 

b. Professional knowledge (assessed during the Selection procedure - Written/Practical test and/or Interview):
Essential:
• Sound knowledge of policy research, advice and formulation;
• Knowledge of policy and strategic issues and current affairs in the Justice and Home Affairs area;
• Sound knowledge of international political affairs. 
Desirable:
• Master degree in law or public administration

 

c. General competencies (assessed during the selection procedure - Written/Practical test and/or Interview):
Essential:
Communicating:
• Excellent communication skills in English, both orally and in writing.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences.
Analysing & problem solving:
• Structured approach to work aimed at getting results.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet. 
Delivering quality and results:
• High degree of commitment and flexibility.
• High level of customer and service-orientation.
Prioritising and organising:
• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to plan own work load, establish clear priorities and exercise initiative.
• Ability to manage projects and familiarity with project management terminology and methodology.
Resilience:
• Strong ability to work well both independently and in a team.
• Very good interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively liaise with other departments, groups and teams as well as with external partners.
• Ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and demonstrate resistance to stress. 
Living diversity:
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers in an international and multi-disciplinary work environment.
Advising: 
• Ability to synthesise various data into a coherent and relevant whole, transforming it into a valuable and correct conclusion. 
• Building constructive relationships with clients, adequately identifying and managing their needs and expectations, and giving well-grounded advice.

 

d. Additional condition:
Fulfil the condition stipulated in Article 5 of the Decision of the Executive Director on the Duration of contracts of employment for Temporary Agents, on the start date of the possible contract of employment, which may be offered.

 

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (AACC) sets up a Selection Committee, which consists of at least three members, consisting of one chair and at least one member from the Administration of Europol and one member designated by the Staff Committee.

In specific cases, in particular for selection procedures of experts, additional members may be designated from Europol, from outside Europol or from outside the Union institutions. 

 

The Selection Committee determines candidates’ suitability for the position by assessing their skills, experience and qualifications against the established job profile and makes an initial selection from the applications received.

The Selection Committee will invite the 10 highest scoring candidates (shortlisted). All candidates having a score equal to the 10th highest scoring candidate will be included to the list of invited candidates. 

 

Shortlisted applicants are invited to participate in a post-related selection procedure, generally consisting of written and/or practical tests and competency-based interviews. 

The AACC takes a decision of appointment on the basis of advice from the Selection Committee, and will inform the Selection Committee accordingly. The AACC has also the possibility to establish a reserve list of successful candidates, which is, in principle, valid for 12 months. The validity of the reserve list may be extended, in principle, for 12 months. All candidates who attend the selection procedure will be informed of the outcome.

 

Candidates who attended a selection procedure may request feedback on their performance in the written test and interview within three months after the selection procedure. Europol will not be in a position to respond to feedback inquiries received outside this time frame.

 

The Selection Committee’s work and deliberations are confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with the members of the Selection Committee or for anyone to do so on their behalf. All enquiries or requests for information or documentation in relation to the competition should be addressed to the Europol Recruitment Team.

Detailed information on the selection procedure, including the appeal procedure, is available in the Europol Recruitment Guidelines, which can be found on Europol’s website.

SALARY

Scale: AD8
The basic monthly salary is EUR 7.072.70 (step 1) or EUR 7.369.90 (step 2).

The step in grade is determined on the basis of professional experience gained after the education required for the position and in line with applicable implementing rules.

Staff pay EU tax at source but salaries are exempt from national taxes. Compulsory deductions are made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance.

Subject to the applicable conditions being met, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations (EUSR)/CEOS and further specified in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allowances such as expatriation allowance (16% of basic gross salary) or foreign residence allowance (4% of basic gross salary), household allowance, dependent child and / or education allowance may be granted.

 

Staff enjoy worldwide insurance coverage by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) and are insured against sickness, the risk of occupational disease and accident.

Europol offers flexible working arrangements, a comprehensive provision for annual leave as well as parental leave supporting a healthy work-life balance.

 

Indicative net salary sample calculation AD8/1:
a) Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 7232.04 
b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 9130.92

The above information is indicative and for information purposes only. It is merely meant to give an indication of your possible net salary in light of the currently applicable amounts of the related allowances and the level of taxation.

It has no legal value and no rights can be derived from it.

The information is based on figures applicable as of July 2019.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Probation period
Engagement for this position is subject to the successful completion of a probationary period of 9 months. Within this period the successful candidate will have to undergo a post-related security screening.
Europol reserves the right to terminate the contract of employment during or at the end of the probation period in accordance with Article 14 of CEOS.

 

Security screening and certificate of good conduct
All candidates who have successfully passed a selection procedure are required to apply for a national “certificate of good conduct” at the time an offer of employment is made. The “certificate of good conduct” must be provided to Europol prior the signature of the employment contract. In case of unfavourable entries in the “Certificate of good conduct” Europol reserves the right not to award an employment contract.

 

However, the national certificate of good conduct does not substitute a valid full Personal Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC) that must be obtained for all Europol staff at the level indicated in this Vacancy Notice. A PSCC is a certificate issued by a competent authority establishing that an individual is security cleared. It contains: the level of clearance; the date of issuance and the date of expiry. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of employment contract.

The requested level of Security Clearance for this post is: CONFIDENTIAL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL.

Contract of employment
The successful candidate will be recruited in the type of post Administrator and function group AD, grade 8 pursuant to Article 2(f) CEOS and Annex I EUSR.
The initial contract will be concluded for a period of 4 years (full-time – 40 hours a week). The contract may be renewed, in principle, for a period of 2 years. Any further renewal shall be for an indefinite duration.
If the successful candidate is already a member of temporary staff 2(f) in the relevant function group, he/she will be offered the opportunity of contract continuity, subject to establishment plan availabilities. 
The place of employment will be The Hague, The Netherlands. 
For further information on terms and conditions please consult the EU Staff Regulations which are available on Europol’s website.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Privacy statement 
Europol respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. Your data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data applicable to Europol under Article 46 of the Europol Regulation.

For additional information, please consult the applicable privacy statement available on our website.

 

Statutory obligations upon leaving the service
Pursuant to Article 16 of the EU Staff Regulations, EU officials and, by analogy, temporary agents continue to be bound by the duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance of certain appointments or benefits’ after leaving the service. Those staff members intending to engage in an occupational activity within two years of leaving the service shall inform their institution, so that it may take an appropriate decision in that respect. In cases where the intended activity is related to the work carried out by the staff member during the last three years of service and could lead to a conflict with the legitimate interests of the institution, the decision to be taken may include forbidding the staff member from undertaking it or giving its approval subject to any conditions it thinks fit.

 

MAIN DATES
Deadline for application: 15 September 2020 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone
Recruitment procedure: October 2020

 

APPLICATION PROCESS AND SELECTION PROCEDURE 
Please refer to the EUROPOL RECRUITMENT GUIDELINES available on Europol’s website for further details on the application process and the selection procedure.

 

CONTACT DETAILS
For further details on the application process please call +31 (0) 70 353 1146 or +31 (0) 70 353 1152.