Project Officer FGIII

Presentation of the Agency

The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) is a multi-programme Executive Agency based in Brussels.

In cooperation with six Directorates-General of the European Commission, EACEA is privileged to manage the implementation of four of the European Union’s flagship funding programmes: Erasmus+, Creative Europe, the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme and the European Solidarity Corps.

Since 2006, EACEA has been a catalyst for projects in education, training, youth, sport, media, culture, solidarity, citizenship and values. On behalf of the European Commission, EACEA works to foster innovation in these areas, always in a spirit of cross-border cooperation and mutual respect.

As a modern, professional organisation EACEA strives to operate in a spirit of fairness and transparency, to uphold standards of equal access and treatment, and to support the projects that show Europe at its best.

Working at EACEA means taking a role at the heart of European project management. With almost 600 staff and 26 EU nationalities, EACEA is a dynamic, open, and international workplace, best placed to serve the citizens of Europe and empower the citizens of tomorrow. Strong values are at the heart of ONE EACEA: commitment, integrity, objectivity, respect for others, and transparency.

For further information on the Agency, please refer to our website: EACEA - European Commission

The objective of this selection procedure is to fill vacant posts in the EACEA.primarily Units A1 - European Higher Education, A3- Erasmus Mundus, Sport and A4 - International Capacity Building.

Mission of the entity

Unit A1 is responsible to promote the development of a modern education system leading to excellent and professionally trained graduates with European values and optimally adapted knowledge and skills that will match the needs of the job market and European society in general. Notably it is committed to promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union Studies worldwide and foster the dialogue between academics and policy makers. It supports the development of European Universities Alliances and implement structured partnerships between business and academia in order to strengthen Europe's innovation capacity and quality of the Higher Education. It also support higher education policy reform in Europe.

Unit A3 implements the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMD) and the Sport actions which are part of the Erasmus+ Programme. Unit A3 also implements the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme. The EMJMD action contributes to the integration and internationalisation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and promotes European excellence in HE. It supports international joint master programmes delivered by higher education institutions and provides full degree scholarships to the best master students worldwide. Concerning Sport, the unit generates, shares and spreads experience and knowledge about different issues affecting sport at the European level, focusing particularly on grassroots sports. Finally, with the Intra-Africa action, the unit support the promotion of regional exchanges within Africa by providing scholarships to African students and staff.

Unit A4 implements the Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) action of Erasmus+. As a cornerstone of the programme’s international dimension, this action fosters cooperation between higher education institutions in EU Member States or third countries associated to the programme and many third countries not associated to the programme across the Enlargement and Neighbourhood Regions, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Through international collaborative projects, CBHE supports countries worldwide in reforming and modernising their higher education institutions and systems. The unit also oversees and coordinates the network of National Erasmus+ Offices (NEOs) in Neighbouring Partner Countries, as well as Erasmus+ National Focal Points globally. Additionally, it manages activities related to Higher Education Reform Experts (HERES). Finally, it runs and provides services to the Erasmus+ International Student and Alumni Network.

Description of the job

Overall purpose

The selected candidates will be assigned to the post of Project Officer.

He/she will contribute to the implementation of the programme cycle from the call to the evaluation session, grant agreement preparation, operational and financial follow up of grant agreements and dissemination of project results. This includes checking if the set of projects has been carried out in compliance with the grant agreement, endorsing the payment or cost statement as "certified correct", while respecting time to pay.

To ensure ex-ante and ex-post conformity of financial operations with legality, regularity, compliance, internal procedures and sound financial management.

To ensure correctness of the financial transactions and contracts and tenders on the basis of model contracts and regulatory provisions and verify the financial capacity of potential contractors. To provide advice, support and training.

Function and duties

Programme/process/project management

Contribute in performing general project management tasks: preparing and launching calls for proposals/calls for tender, evaluating, selecting monitoring and reporting on projects; contribute to the update of call information/application documents.
Contribute to the coordination and preparation of expert panels (including commitment of experts, distribution of files, coordinate the work of experts and colleagues involved in the selection).
Contribute to the organisation of Evaluation Committee meetings and produce the related support documents (drafting minutes, evaluation report and all documents necessary for the decision).
Ensure timely preparation of grant agreements and proper financial and technical implementation.
Follow-up project implementation according to activities planned; monitor contractual obligations (via amendments, quality controls, risk analysis, project remote or on-the-spot monitoring, review of deliverables and reports, periodic/final reviews/checks, analysis of use of resources, audits, reporting, etc.).
Facilitate the delivery of exploitable results as well as valorisation of project outcomes. Identify good practices and contribute to the selection of success stories at project portfolio level.
Contribute in preparing follow-up reports and statistics, including policy-relevant feedback and support to the parent Directorates-General.
Give visa of Operational Initiation.

Budget, finance, contracts and accounting

Contribute in performing operational and financial evaluation of projects.
Monitor project expenditure as reported in cost statements and provide reasonable assurance that claimed costs correspond to the work accomplished in the projects under his/ her responsibility.
Give visa as financial initiator.
Ensure that payments are due in time, including certifying invoices /requests for payments (‘conforme aux faits’ or ‘certified correct’).
Fulfil financial reporting procedures and provide operational information for audit and control by EACEA/ Commission services or the European Court of Auditors.
Assist in project auditing.

Communication and publication

Contribute to the communication and information policy of the programme by assisting or speaking at conferences/seminars (Kick-Off meetings, cluster meetings, etc.).
Contribute to information about good practice of successful projects.
Undertake additional tasks required by the Head of Sector/Unit in the interests of the service.

Qualifications and experience required

Eligibility criteria

Candidates will be considered eligible for this selection based on the following formal criteria to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:

1. To possesses the minimum qualifications required by Article 82(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
2. To be in compliance with the conditions referred to in Article 82(3) of the CEOS:

be a national of one of the Member States of the Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen.
enjoy full rights as citizen.
have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service.
produce the appropriate character references to suitability for the performance of the duties.
be physically fit to perform duties.
produces evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and of a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of duties.

In addition, contractual agents 3(a) or 3(b) must:

Be in the same function group as the one of the published post (FGIII).
Have served at least three years in that same contract type (three years as CA 3(a) or three years as CA 3(b)).

This post is also open to CA 3(a) who belong to the function group below the one published and who have passed a selection procedure under the exercise referred to in Article 13 of Commission Decision C(2017) 6760 final of 16/10/2017 (General Implementing Provisions (GIPs)).

Please note that only candidates engaged by the Executive Agencies, European Commission in its departments, administrative offices, representations and EU Delegations, EPSO, OP and OLAF¹ who comply with the eligibility criteria will be considered for further steps of this selection procedure.

¹ Art 1 of Commission Decision C(2017)6760 final of 16/10/2017 on contract agents, adopted by analogy by EACEA.

Priority Order for the Selection Procedure

All CA 3(a) and 3(b), fulfilling eligibility criteria, currently employed can apply. However, according to Article 14 of the Commission Decision C(2017) 6760 final of 16/10/2017 (General Implementing Provisions (GIPs)) governing the conditions of employment of contract staff employed by the Commission on the terms of Article 3(a) and 3(b), the Selection procedure will be done in 2 phases:

Priority will be given to Contract Agents 3(a);
Should the selection of Contract Agents 3(a) applications not be fruitful, Contract Agents 3(b) applications will be taken into account.

Selection Criteria - Essential

Acquaintance with project management process (Agency core business)
Interest in the Agency portfolio
IT literacy
Experience in drafting reports and/or delivering presentations to an audience
Excellent knowledge of English (at least C1 level)

Selection Criteria - Advantageous

Knowledge of the financial regulations (will be assessed at interview level)
Proven experience in project management regarding grants or procurement
Experience in communication with external stakeholders

Selection Criteria - Behavioural

Some of the following will be tested during the interview:

Service-oriented approach
Pro active approach
Working co-operatively with others and across organisational boundaries; sharing knowledge
Ability to multitask, to prioritise and to meet tight deadlines
Curious personality, keen to learn and improve continuously

Application procedure

To apply for this position, candidates must use the "APPLY ONLINE" button here below. They will be asked to create an account or sign into their active account.

Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their application form that they meet the "Selection Criteria Essential" and "Selection Criteria Advantageous" mentioned under “Qualifications and Experience Required” and to give specific examples. They must also indicate their motivation for the post.

The answers provided in the application form will be assessed by the Selection Board.

After a correct submission of the application, candidates will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt to the email account indicated in their application.

EACEA strongly advises not to wait until the last few days before the deadline for applying, since heavy internet traffic or connection difficulties could lead to problems. Under no circumstance will late applications be accepted. It is the sole responsibility of each applicant to complete ALL relevant fields of the online application and to submit it before the deadline for application.

Supporting documents showing evidence of the information given in the application will be requested at a later stage. No documents will be sent back to candidates.

Disqualification happens if:

the candidate does not submit the online application by the deadline.
at any stage in the procedure, it is established that the information provided by the candidate is incorrect or false, or if the candidate made declarations unsupported by the appropriate documents.
the candidate attempted to contact, or contacted, a member of the Selection Board either directly or indirectly concerning this selection procedure.

Closing date: applications must be submitted by 24/04/26 at 13:00 (Brussels time), at the latest.

Selection Board

A Selection Board, responsible for assessing the applications, interviewing, and drawing up the final list of retained candidates, will be appointed by the Director and will be composed of at least three members, including a member designated by the Staff Committee of the Agency.

Under no circumstances should candidates approach the Selection Board themselves, either directly or indirectly concerning this recruitment. The authority authorised to conclude contracts reserves itself the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards these instructions.

Selection procedure

The Selection Board will perform the assessment of the applications against the criteria listed under "Selection Criteria Essential" and "Selection Criteria Advantageous" in “Qualifications and Experience Required” and invite the most suitable candidates (a maximum of 15² ) for an interview.

The interview will be held in English and will assess skills and competences related to the job description and the criteria listed under "Selection Criteria - Essential, Advantageous and Behavioural" in section "Qualifications and Experience Required".

The interview will be marked out of 100 (pass mark: 65).

Please note that having successfully passed the interview does not guarantee to receive an offer.

²Where several candidates tie (ex aequo) for the last available place, they will all be invited for an interview.

Engagement and conditions of employment

The Agency applies the Commission Decision C(2017)6760 final of 16/10/2017 on the General Provisions Implementing Article 79(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, governing the conditions of employment of contract staff employed by the Commission under the terms of Articles 3(a) and 3(b).

Equal opportunities

The European Union institutions apply a policy of equal opportunities and accept applications without discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, 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 or sexual orientation.

Information to candidates

An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to all candidates by email to confirm the reception of their application.

All candidates will be informed in due time about the processing of their application, and about whether or not they are invited for the selection procedure as described above.

Candidates may request clarifications about the processing of their application by sending an email quoting the reference of the selection concerned to the following address:

EACEA-HR-SELECTION@ec.europa.eu

Appeal procedure

Request for review

Candidates who feel that a mistake has been made in their assessment may ask for a review by sending a request within 10 working days of the date on the email/note which notified them of the rejection, quoting the number of the selection procedure concerned to the Selection Board at the following address:

EACEA-HR-SELECTION@ec.europa.eu

The Selection Board will conduct a review and notify the candidate of its decision within 15 working days of receipt of the letter.

Complaint on the basis of Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (SR)

Candidates may submit a complaint on the basis of Article 90(2) of the SR, which is to be sent for the attention of the Director of EACEA, by email to:

EACEA-HR-SELECTION@ec.europa.eu

The time limit set out for this type of procedure is 3 months starting from the date of notification of the action adversely affecting the complainant.

Judicial appeal

Candidates may submit a judicial appeal on the basis of Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations. For details of how to submit a judicial appeal and how to determine the deadlines, please consult the website of the General Court (https://curia.europa.eu).

Complaint to the European Ombudsman

Candidates, like all citizens of the Union, may lodge a complaint with the European Ombudsman. Before you submit a complaint to the Ombudsman, you must first make the appropriate administrative approaches to the institutions and bodies concerned (see above). Making a complaint to the Ombudsman does not extend the deadlines for lodging administrative complaints or judicial appeal.

Please consult the website of the European Ombudsman (https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/home).

Data protection

The Agency will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by 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 (OJ L 295 of 21.11.2018, p. 39.), and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC Text with EEA relevance. The Privacy Statement can be found on the Agency’s website, including details on the right of access and rectification of personal data.