Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant - Ref.: EUISS (2020) PER 004

Contract Staff Member

Grade B4

Place of employment: Paris

Salary:

The salary scale of the EUISS is calculated according to that of the Coordinated Organisations to which the grade B4 makes reference.

Duration:

3 years, renewable. Indicative starting date: 1st of March 2021.

Job description

The European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) is the EU Agency that analyses foreign, security and defence policy issues. With its headquarters in Paris and a liaison office in Brussels, it acts as an interface between European experts and decision-makers at all levels.

The EUISS seeks to hire an Administrative Assistant who will join a highly qualified and motivated team engaged in providing relevant expertise to both EU/national officials – through publications, seminars and other activities. The Administrative Assistant will report to the Head of Administration and Personnel.

Main responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Head of Administration and Personnel and in close cooperation with other administrative staff, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for:

Recruitment and selection:

• Assisting with the preparation of vacancy notices;
• Coordinating the selection procedures: preparation of selection documentation, pre-screening of application files, organising meetings and interviews, liaising with the Selection Board Members;
• Liaising with applicants and selected candidates;
• Processing of travel reimbursements of candidates;
• Organising pre-employment medical check-ups;
• Preparing employment contracts;
• Registering new staff members with the French Social Security and private health insurance providers;
• Liaising with the Protocol Services of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in France and Belgium for the issuance/ renewal of special residence permits.

Personnel administration:

• Administration and management of personnel files as well as other administrative files;
• Organising the welcoming and giving guidance to newcomers when taking up duties at the EUISS as well as informing staff members about the administrative aspects on leaving service;
• Providing advice and support to staff from entry into service up to termination of employment;
• Monitoring the on-line leave management system and keeping records of absence;
• Registering and archiving documents in a document management system;
• Monitoring the probationary periods timelines and following up on probationary reports;
• Monitoring the duration of employment contracts and following up on contract renewals;
• Monitoring the annual medical check-ups of staff members;
• Assisting with the implementation of the annual evaluation exercise and following up on evaluation reports;
• Liaising with the International Service for Remunerations and Pensions (ISRP - managing the EUISS’pensions) concerning current and future EUISS pensioners, inward and outward transfers of pension rights etc.

Personnel entitlements and payroll:

• Monitoring and calculating staff members’ entitlements;
• Updating HR data in the financial system;
• Preparing the monthly payroll.

Policies and procedures:

• Contributing to the development of HR policies and procedures;
• Preparing and updating of HR related forms and templates;
• Drafting communications on HR Policies;
• Monitoring and updating of HR relating records of processing of personal data and relating privacy notices;
• Preparing statistics as and when required;
• Assisting with the preparation of tender specifications for HR related procurement procedures.

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• Carrying out other administrative tasks as required.

Eligibility criteria

On the closing date for applications, candidates must fulfil all the following conditions:

• Be a national of a member state of the European Union who enjoys full rights as a citizen attested by a recent extract from judicial records and/or certificate of good conduct;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national law on military service;
• Be physically fit to perform the required duties;
• Have post-secondary education attested by a diploma, preferably in the field of human resources management or administration, followed by at least six (6) years of professional experience in the field of human resources and/or administration.

Selection criteria

Essential:

• Demonstrated professional experience in similar positions in EU or other international organisations;
• Proficient use of Microsoft technologies (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Excellent command of spoken and written English and good knowledge of French (B2 level);
• Ability to work under pressure and to deliver to high standards under tight deadlines;
• Good sense of initiative and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to independently organise and prioritise a number of parallel tasks;
• Have an eye for detail;
• High level of discretion and integrity;
• Excellent client/service orientation;
• Excellent communication skills and ability to deal with people tactfully and confidentially;
• Ability to work well in a team as well as autonomously;
• Ability to work effectively within a multicultural environment.

Preferential:

• Familiarity with Staff Regulations of the EU or other international organisations;
• Familiarity with data protection issues and regulations;
• Specific experience with payroll procedures and relating to electronic systems.

Procedure

All interested candidates must complete the online application form, and attach:

• A detailed CV in English (with a clear indication of educational attainment and professional experience);
• A cover letter in English addressed to the EUISS Director.

Applications received by email, fax or post will not be considered. Only correctly and fully completed applications will be accepted.

The deadline for submitting applications is Monday 4 January 2021, 14:00 CET.

The Selection Board will screen the applications and establish a shortlist of candidates to be interviewed. The interviews will be organised remotely. Following the interviews, the successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of three years with a nine-month probationary period. The employment offer will be subject to the positive outcome of a compulsory medical check-up attesting the aptitude of the selected candidate. The employment offer will also be subject to formal acceptance from the candidate of all internal EUISS policies, notably the policies relating to security of information.

All applicants will be informed of the results of their application by the end of the procedure.

The EUISS reserves the right to cancel the present selection procedure at any time prior to formalising an employment offer.

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

The processing of personal data by the EUISS is governed 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, and repealing Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 and Decision N° 1247/2002/EC. By submitting an application, the applicant consents to the processing of the personal data contained in the application form and the supporting documents enclosed therewith, in the sense of Article 5.1 (a) of the Regulation. The personal data in question is collected by the EUISS for the sole purpose of this selection process.

Complaints: Candidates have the right to address to the Director of the EUISS an administrative complaint under Article 30.1 of the EUISS Staff Regulations. The complaint must be directed against an act that adversely affects their legal status as a candidate.

Candidates also have the right to submit an appeal to the EUISS Appeals Board, under Article 30.3 and Annex X of the EUISS Staff Regulations. Appeals are not admissible before an administrative complaint has first been made.

Candidates can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman. It should be noted that, under Article 2(4) of the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties, any complaint lodged with the Ombudsman must be preceded by the appropriate administrative approaches to the institutions and bodies concerned.

Should a candidate have any questions related to the current vacancy notice or the selection procedure or the procedure to follow in case they want to lodge a complaint, they should contact Human Resources using the online contact form and indicating the reference of the vacancy notice.