EUROPOL – Seconded National Expert, Italian Organised Crime and High Risk Organised Criminal Groups in the TOP OCG Team

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT

This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list in Q4 of 2021 and Q1 of 2022.
Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar secondments within the organisation, should business needs require so.

Organisational setting:
The SNE will be assigned to the Top Organised Crime Groups Team in the Organized Crime Networks Unit, European Serious and Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC) in the Operations Directorate.

Mandate of the Directorate: 
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 (MS). 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.

Mandate of the Department:
The European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC): ESOCC is responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of Europol’s tasks and objectives in supporting Member States’ investigations of serious and organised crime. It includes the EU Organised Crime Unit that is focusing on mafia-type criminal organisations and organised criminal groups pose a high risk to the security environment of Member States.

The main tasks of ESOCC are to (i) provide Operational Support to prioritised cases; 
(ii) support the implementation of the High Value Targets/Operational Task Forces concept, (iii) support the EU Policy Cycle through the implementation of EMPACT priorities; and (iv) support the development of the Strategic Intelligence Picture on Serious and Organised Crime.

Within ESOCC, the Top OCGs team has a leading role in supporting Member States (MS) investigations into the activities of Organised Crime Groups, such as Italian mafias, Eastern European and Albanian speaking and other high-risk criminal groups, with a particular focus on their criminal structures.

Purpose of the secondment:
The SNE will contribute to Member States (MS) investigations, targeting the activities of organised crime groups and their criminal structures. This will be achieved by providing a high level of expertise, proposal of initiatives and delivery of timely, relevant products and services to Europol stakeholders.

Reporting lines:
The SNE will report to and work under the supervision of the Head of Team Top Organised Crime Groups.

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES

The SNE will carry out the following main functions and duties:
•    Provide specialised knowledge and expertise to operational activities in the fight against organised crime groups and their criminal structures;
•    Facilitate the exchange of criminal intelligence in order to support investigations of organised crimes in the Member States;
•    Coordinate Europol’s support to Member State priority investigations;
•    Promote the establishment of Operational Task Forces (OTF) to investigate the criminal activities of High Value Targets (HVTs) and high-risk Organised Crime Groups (OCGs);
•    Assist with producing analytical outputs (operational and strategic) and other relevant intelligence products; draft reports, briefing notes and other relevant documents;
•    Establish close contacts with Liaison Officers to encourage and support operational activities in the field of responsibility of the Top OCGs Team;
•    Represent Europol at specialised events, to increase awareness and provide expert knowledge and advice in the area of organised crime.

REQUIREMENTS – ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Candidates must:
•    Be a member of a competent authority in the meaning of the Article 2a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State;
•    Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union and of a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union in accordance with the decision of the Management Board on the internal language arrangements of Europol as referred to in Article 64(2) of the Europol Regulation, with the understanding that the SNE will have to carry out his / her duties in a mainly English-speaking environment;
•    Have at least three years of professional experience in the field of law enforcement which is relevant to the duties to be carried out during the secondment.

REQUIREMENTS – SELECTION CRITERIA

a.    Professional experience (assessed mainly during the shortlisting):
Essential:
•    Experience in investigating cases related to Italian Organised Crime (mafia type criminal association) and other high-risk organised crime groups;
•    Experience of liaison and cooperation on operational and strategic matters gained in an international cooperation environment;
•    Experience in drafting strategic or tactical reports, in the respective crime areas.
Desirable:
•    Experience conducting investigations with a focus on money laundering, asset recovery and corruption;
•    Experience in conducting investigations on organised crime related violence.

b.    Professional knowledge (assessed during the selection procedure):
Essential: 
•    Knowledge of the criminal environment and law enforcement practices, preferably at international level, in the area of organised crime;
•    Knowledge of international legal frameworks and cooperation instruments with regard to organised crime;
•    Knowledge of Europol’s legal framework. 
Desirable: 
•    Working Knowledge of Italian language (B1);
•    Working Knowledge of Albanian language (B1).

c.    General competencies (assessed during the selection procedure):
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:
•    Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills;
•    Keen eye for detail with the ability to maintain standards of accuracy under pressure of tight deadlines;
•    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:
•    Ability to work well under pressure, 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.
Living diversity:
•    Ability to work effectively in an international and multi-cultural environment.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

How to apply
Member States are invited to nominate their Seconded National Experts according to the selection criteria and profile, as specified in this document.

Candidates endorsed by the national competent authorities are required to complete the SNE application form available on Europol’s website in English. 

The application form must be accompanied by a letter from the sending authority to the Executive Director of Europol expressing willingness to second the candidate.

Applications must be filled in electronically, duly signed and submitted by means of email to Europol’s Human Resources Unit, Recruitment and Selection Team, to C2-12@europol.europa.eu via the Europol National Unit of the Member State concerned, and, if necessary, the respective Liaison Bureau. Candidates who do not provide all necessary information or do not comply with any of the above will not be considered.

Applications must be received by Europol at the latest on the day of the deadline specified in this notice of secondment. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. Receipt of all applications is confirmed by an email of acknowledgement. Candidates may check the progress of the relevant selection procedure on Europol’s website.

Selection procedure
The Deputy Executive Director of Europol’s Capabilities Directorate (DEDC) sets up a Selection Committee, chaired by the Head of the relevant Directorate or a senior representative, and composed of a representative of the respective Unit, as well as of the Human Resources Unit. 

The Selection Committee establishes the pass-mark for interview and a written test. The pass-mark for shortlisting is established as 60% of the total maximum score.

The Selection Committee assesses the applications received in order to make an initial selection of candidates meeting all eligibility criteria and examines their qualifications, experience and skills against the selection criteria set out in this notice of secondment. Candidates scoring above the pass-mark are invited to participate in a selection procedure. 

The Selection Committee will invite the 6 highest scoring candidates (shortlisted). All candidates having a score equal to the 6 highest scoring candidate will be included on the list of invited candidates.  

The Selection Committee conducts an interview with the shortlisted candidates performed remotely in order to evaluate their language skills, to assess their experience and qualifications and determine whether they possess the key skills required. The shortlisted candidates will also be invited to participate in a written test or comparable practical exercise performed remotely.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The SNE shall remain in the service of the sending authority throughout the period of secondment and shall continue to be paid by that employer. The sending authority shall also be responsible for all social rights, particularly social security and pension entitlements.

During the period of secondment the SNE is entitled to a daily subsistence allowance paid by Europol, and may also be eligible for a monthly allowance depending on the distance from the place of origin. If the SNE receives any allowance from other sources similar to the subsistence allowance paid by Europol, this amount shall be deducted.

Detailed rules regarding the secondment of national experts to Europol are described in the Management Board Decision laying down rules on the secondment of national experts to Europol of 4 October 2019.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Secondment and Reserve list 
After the selection procedure has taken place, the Selection Committee establishes a list of successful candidates. 

Candidates are successful if they score above the pre-defined pass-mark for interview and a written test or comparable practical exercise. 

The list shall be shared with the Deputy Executive Director Capabilities Directorate (DEDC), in order to establish a Reserve List.

Reserve Lists of successful candidates are valid for 3 years (36 months). 

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

Europol retains the right to make use of the Reserve List to select candidates for similar secondments within the organisation, should business needs require so. Inclusion on the Reserve List does not guarantee secondment.

The secondment of a successful candidate is finally effected by an exchange of letters referred to in Article 4(4) of the MB Decision on SNEs, specifying the details of the secondment, including as regards its duration.

Enquiries / measures of redress
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 related to a selection procedure should be addressed to the Recruitment and Selection Team at the following email address: C2-12@europol.europa.eu

As regards requests for the reason(s) candidates were found to be ineligible, the scores obtained at specific stages of the selection procedure or available measures of redress, candidates are referred to the Europol Recruitment Guidelines for SNEs available on Europol’s website for further information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Equal opportunity
Europol is an equal opportunity employer. We accept applications without distinction on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, national, ethnic or social origin, religion or beliefs, family situation, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. Our employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications, experience and skills.

We live diversity and provide an inclusive work environment to all. We strive to recruit, develop and retain a diverse and talented workforce through application of equal opportunity and impartiality.

Privacy statement
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) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC, applies to the processing of personal data carried out in the process of selection and recruitment of Seconded National Experts at Europol following the application of this Regulation to all administrative personal data held by Europol in accordance with Article 46 of the Europol Regulation.

For additional information, candidates are referred to the applicable privacy notice available on our website.

Security screening
Selected candidates are required to furnish a valid security clearance certificate before the start of the secondment. Failure to obtain or provide the requisite security clearance certificate at the requested level before the start of the secondment may render the offer of secondment invalid.

In case the security clearance certificate expires within six months of the start of the secondment, the renewal procedure will be initiated expeditiously. Europol may at any time terminate the secondment if the result of the security screening is not positive or the necessary security clearance level is not granted /extended.

The security clearance level required for this secondment is: CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL. 

Main dates
Publication date:              06 October 2021
Deadline for application:  17 November 2021, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone 
Selection procedure:        December 2021

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/538

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