ABOUT EUROPOL
This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates (indicative number is 3). Europol may retain the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts, should business needs require so.
The post of Specialist – Translation (Arabic) is considered a restricted post that may be filled without limitation to candidates coming from a competent authority, as stipulated in Annex II of the relevant decision of the Management Board of Europol of 13 December 2017. The Europol Recruitment Guidelines may be consulted for further details.
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.
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.
BACKGROUND, MAIN PURPOSE AND TASKS OF THE POST
The Operations Directorate deals with the core business of Europol, improving the effectiveness and cooperation of the competent authorities in the Member States in preventing and combating serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism affecting the Member States. This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the Member States.
Europol delivers a number of products and services to national law enforcement agencies to support them in their fight against international serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism.
The Operations Directorate hosts five distinct Centres: Operational and Analysis Centre Front Office, European Serious Organised Crime Centre, European Cyber Crime Centre, European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), European Financial and Economic Crime Centre, Horizontal Operational Services.
The ECTC is responsible for facilitating Counter Terrorism cooperation and Counter Terrorism information exchange among the Counter Terrorism authorities as well as to provide operational analysis. The emphasis of the centre is to build further on the already established tools and CT networks of Europol. It aims to enhance the CT capabilities and improve the information exchange among CT authorities, to bring the cross border cooperation in the CT field to a new level.
The position of Specialist – Translation (Arabic) is located in the Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU).
The successful candidate will be supporting the work of Analysts and Specialists by undertaking translation work from Arabic into English, with a particular focus on information linked to jihadist terrorist online activity.
The successful applicant will have to carry out the following main duties:
• Support the content identification and the referral process within the EU IRU by scanning internet communication data and media in Arabic language;
• Monitor and detect relevant online information and content in Arabic;
• Translate/transcribe online information and content from Arabic into English to be used by analysts and specialists for the production of EU IRU strategic and operational reports;
• Deliver on the spot deployment support to Member States on live cases;
• Carry out other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line manager;
• Perform stand by duty if and when required.
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;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• 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
• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is three years or more;
OR
• Professional training or professional experience of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g. Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below:
Duration of professional training Additional professional experience required for equivalency
More than 6 months and up to 1 year 3 years
More than 1 year and up to 2 years 2 years
More than 2 years 1 year
• In addition to the above at least 3 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 3 years’ experience translating from Arabic into English;
• Experience in information research and media monitoring;
• Experience working in an international environment.
Desirable:
• Experience working in the area of justice and home affairs;
• Experience providing Arabic translation and linguistic services for law enforcement.
b. Professional knowledge (assessed during the selection procedure – written/practical test and/or interview):
Essential:
• Thorough understanding of written and spoken (modern standard) Arabic;
• Advanced translation skills in Arabic/English, with high standards of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the spirit, style and nuances of the original text;
• Knowledge of jihadist networks’ online activity;
Desirable:
• Knowledge of threat assessment methodology and research skills.
c. General competencies (assessed during the Selection procedure – Written/Practical test and/or Interview):
Essential:
Communicating:
• Very good communication skills in English, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences.
Analysing & problem solving:
• Keen eye for detail with the ability to maintain standards of accuracy under pressure of tight deadlines;
• 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:
• Good administrative and organisational skills.
Resilience:
• Very good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well, both independently and in a team;
• Ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and demonstrate resistance to stress.
Living diversity:
• Ability to work effectively in an international and multi-cultural environment.
d. 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.
For restricted posts (including restricted-Annex II posts), the AACC designates up to two additional members of the selection committee if so requested by the Chairperson of the Management Board. The additional members shall consist of a representative of the presidency of the Council of the European Union or one representative of the presidency and one representative of another Member State.
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 6th highest scoring candidates (short-listed). All candidates having a score equal to the 6th highest scoring candidate will be included to the list of invited candidates.
The personal data (name, citizenship, date/ place of birth, address, e-mail, telephone number, current employment) of the shortlisted candidates that are members of a national competent authority applying for a restricted or a restricted – Annex II post will be provided to the concerned Europol National Unit with the purpose to issue the Europol National Unit Confirmation.
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 based on 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 once, 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 of 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: AD6
The basic monthly salary is EUR 5.563,58 (step 1) or EUR 5797.38 (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 (conditions and ceilings apply).
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 AD6/1:
a) Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 5958.89
b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 7737.57
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 2020.
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 of Administrator and function group AD, grade 6 pursuant to Article 2(f) CEOS and Annex I EUSR.
The initial contract will be concluded for a period of 5 years (full-time – 40 hours a week). The contract may be renewed only once, in principle, for a period of 4 years.
The overall duration of the contracts on restricted posts of Europol staff members will be taken into account if they are successful in the selection procedure.
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
Handling of personal data – restricted posts under Annex II
The post of Specialist – Translation (Arabic) is a restricted post that may be filled without limitation to candidates coming from a competent authority, as stipulated in Annex II of the relevant decision of the Management Board of Europol of 13 December 2017.
The personal data (name, citizenship, date/ place of birth, address, e-mail, telephone number, current employment) of shortlisted candidates who are members of a national competent authority applying for a restricted – Annex II post will be provided to the concerned Europol National Unit, in order to validate that the candidate is a member of a competent authority and to obtain the Europol National Unit confirmation.
The personal data (name, citizenship, date/ place of birth, address, e-mail, telephone number, current employment) of shortlisted candidates for a restricted- Annex II post who declared at the time of application that they are not members of a competent authority (civilian candidates) will be provided to the concerned Europol National Unit after the closing date for applications, in order to verify their status as a civilian.
Provision of personal data to the Europol National Unit is subject to civilian candidates giving their consent at the time of application. The personal data provided data will be used for verification purposes only and retained by the Europol National Units for a maximum of three weeks after the closing date for applications indicated on the vacancy notice, after which they will be deleted.
If consent is not given, Europol will request documents such as copies of the latest employment contract or payslip as proof of their civilian status from shortlisted candidates.
The purpose of the verification process is to ensure conformity with the Decision of the Management Board of Europol of 28 February 2019 laying down general implementing provisions on the procedures governing the engagement and the use of temporary agents at Europol.
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: 22 March 2021, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone
Recruitment procedure: April/May 2021
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 12146 or +31 (0) 70 353 1154.
Source URL: https://www.europol.europa.eu/careers-procurement/vacancies/vacancy/493