EUROPOL – Specialist – Project Management Support Officer (PMSO) – Head of Office (AD6)

ABOUT EUROPOL

This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. There is currently one post available. Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts, should business needs require so.

Organisational setting:
Under Europol’s organisational structure, the Capabilities Directorate hosts two Departments, being ICT (C1) and the Administration (C2) and a team managing Europol’s portfolio of information management products and services (CDBPM). 

The C1 ICT Department has the responsibility for devising, delivering and operating critical technology capabilities and solutions supporting the core mission and support processes of Europol. Over 150 internal staff members and a significant number of domain-specific consultants are responsible for devising, developing, delivering and operating information management and communication technology capabilities that ensure enhanced criminal information analysis and exchange among Europol, Member States and third parties.

The ICT Planning & Execution Coordination team is responsible for the planning and implementation of the portfolio of initiatives, monitoring and execution of the C1 Work plan. This is done via services in relation to Planning and reporting, Project Portfolio Management, Project Management and Technical support to project managers.

Purpose of the post:
The holder of the position is responsible for all aspects of the running of the Project Management Support Office (PMSO) as it relates to supporting the coordination, planning, execution, implementation, and reporting of the ICT Work Plan.

Reporting lines:
The incumbent reports to the Head of Team, Planning & Execution Coordination.

BACKGROUND, MAIN PURPOSE AND TASKS OF THE POST

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties: 
•    Formulate project & programme management standards & best practices across the entire solution delivery lifecycle; ensure fit-for-purpose standards for agile, planned, or hybrid delivery models; provide guidance on such standards to the project management team and other delivery lifecycle contributors;
•    Provide oversight on the implementation of currently adopted standards by the project management team and other delivery lifecycle contributors;
•    Implement and maintain an efficient resource utilisation and forecasting model, and report on current status; ensure project managers contribute to the update and maintenance of current status;
•    Perform analyses of organisational maturity across the entire solution delivery lifecycle and take ownership of action plans or projects to increase maturity, in conjunction with ICT management and within the ICT Work Plan;
•    Set up, maintain, and improve governance structures according to changing needs; assume ownership of project management reporting, including a standardised definition of project health to enable real-time visibility across the solution delivery lifecycle;
•    Identify opportunities for value-centric or TCO-driven changes to adapt Europol ICT to a changing business landscape;
•    Manage and drive organisational learning, for example by scheduling and hosting lessons learned events with the project managers and disseminating such learnings throughout ICT;
•    Take ownership of the standard PMO tooling in place at Europol ICT, including the Microsoft SharePoint-based project management tool; own the evolution of such tooling, ensuring fit-for-purpose reports and workflows to drive management reporting;
•    Assist and support the project managers and other initiative leads in setting up the necessary infrastructure to fulfil their roles, for example by ensuring the appropriate plans and reports are available in the project management tool; assist and support project managers and initiative leads in case of technical issues with the PMO tooling;
•    Coordinate the work of other team members, interns, or contractors in fulfilling their duties to acceptable standards under the direction of the Head of Team, Planning & Execution Coordination;
•    Any other duties as required by the Line Manager.

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) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (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

•    Professional training 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 total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

REQUIREMENTS – SELECTION CRITERIA

a.    Professional experience (assessed mainly during the Shortlisting phase):
Essential:
•    At least 4 years of work experience in a PMO or PMSO role in a complex ICT organisation, with special emphasis given to experience in highly regulated environments;
•    Experience with structured and agile project management methodologies; 
•    Experience in dealing with multiple delivery models, including internal software development, systems integration, and partially or totally outsourced development;
•    Experience in managing contractual relationships with ICT suppliers and service providers;
•    Experience with resource management.
Desirable:
•    Experience coordinating or supervising the work of others; 
•    Experience with maturity models, such as P3M3;
•    Experience with standards, prioritisation models, and scheduling;
•    Experience of aligning work plans with strategic objectives.

b.    Professional knowledge (assessed during the Selection procedure – Written test and/or Interview)
Essential:
•    Excellent knowledge of project management methodologies, techniques, and common tools;
•    Excellent knowledge of PMO support processes, such as reporting, resource management, and governance;
•    Knowledge of PRINCE2 or PMP and Agile methodology concepts.
Desirable:
•    Knowledge of a business-focused discipline, such as Benefits Management or Business Relationship Management.

c.    General competencies (assessed during the Selection procedure – Written 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.    Additional conditions:
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

All applications for Temporary Agent posts must be submitted through the online recruitment system accessible via Europol’s website

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.

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 minimum pass-mark for being shortlisted, i.e. invited to participate in a post-related selection procedure, consisting of a written test and a competency-based interview, is established as 60% of the total maximum score.

The Selection Committee will shortlist the 5 highest scoring candidates. All candidates having a score equal to the 5th highest scoring candidate will be invited to take part in the selection procedure that will be conducted remotely.

The pass-mark for the written test and interview is decided by the Selection Committee during the shortlisting meeting.  

After the selection procedure has taken place, the Selection Committee will establish a list of successful candidates, i.e. those scoring above the pre-defined pass-mark, which is shared with the AACC. A Reserve List is valid for up to 12 months, and its validity may be extended once for up to 12 months. 

The Selection Committee will also make a proposal to the AACC on the candidate to appoint. Following that proposal, the AACC will make a decision of appointment.

Candidates who attend the selection procedure will be informed of the outcome, i.e. whether they have been successful or not. 

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 Recruitment and Selection Team.

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

SALARY

Scale: AD6 

The basic monthly salary is EUR 5.563,58 (step 1) or EUR 5.797,38 (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 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 5.958,89 
b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 7.737,57 

The above information is indicative and for information purposes only. It is merely meant to give an indication of the 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

Contract of employment
The successful candidate will be recruited in the type of post  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 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 EUSR/CEOS available on Europol’s website.

Conditions of engagement
In exceptional cases, where justified in the interest of the service, the AACC may recruit a candidate who is a successful candidate in a selection procedure for temporary staff 2(f) CEOS as contract staff 3(a) CEOS if the selection is considered to be appropriate to the duties to be performed.

Probation period
Engagement for this position is subject to the successful completion of a probationary period of 9 months. 

Europol reserves the right to terminate the contract of employment during or at the end of the probation period in accordance with Article 14 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. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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.

Europol aims 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

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
Publication date:                 18 August 2021
Deadline for application:    30 September 2021, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone
Recruitment procedure:     October 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 1146 or +31 (0) 70 353 1154.

Apply

Source URL: https://www.europol.europa.eu/careers-procurement/vacancies/vacancy/530

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