EIGE – Researcher – gender mainstreaming

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)¹ is organising a call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for the post of Researcher – Gender Mainstreaming.

The registration of applications will begin on 20 April 2022 and will close on 20 May 2022 at 13:30 Eastern European Time.

The Institute

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives envisaged to contribute and strengthen the promotion of gender equality.

To achieve its goals, the Institute collects and analyses comparable and reliable information at EU level and develops appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all EU policies. It fosters the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raises EU citizen awareness of this policy area by providing technical assistance to EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, as well as the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality, EIGE supports policy-makers with high quality research and comparable data relevant to their work. 

The post

The post requires a very good understanding of contemporary policies, research and tools and methods on gender mainstreaming in addition to analytical skills, project management, excellent writing skills in English and very good communication abilities.

The fieldwork for EIGE’s studies and development of tools and methods on mainstreaming gender is typically contracted out, following which the gender mainstreaming team conducts in-depth analyses, completes the research for publication and provides technical assistance to stakeholders. 

The jobholder shall have the practical experience in applying various approaches and methods of gender mainstreaming, including capacity development.

The post requires a team player who shares learning and information as part of a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.

Profile

Under the supervision of the Head of the Operations and the Gender Mainstreaming Team Leader, and working in close collaboration with other colleagues, the jobholder will enhance the Unit’s operational and research capacity in developing and applying various approaches, methods and tools, and technical assistance for mainstreaming gender in different policy areas at various levels.

Duties

The responsibilities of the post include the following tasks and activities:

• Engage in the planning and implementation of gender mainstreaming research activities, qualitative and quantitative studies and analyses of sex-disaggregated data, technical assistance and other projects.
• Manage and contribute to assigned projects in the area of gender mainstreaming, managing the entire project cycle, including contract management and procurement of external services in line with the applicable procedures.
• Analyse latest developments in gender mainstreaming policies, including methods, research, practices and data collection, at national and European levels, and draft sound policy analysis accessible to non-experts.
• Plan, implement and monitor activities within selected priority areas in order to support the Institute’s work on gender mainstreaming.
• Draft and edit high quality policy relevant reports, briefing notes, recommendations and presentations on gender mainstreaming, in cooperation with other EIGE colleagues, including oversight of quality of deliverables provided by external experts as well as external contractors.
• Support and/or manage the development of technical assistance and guidance documents, capacity development tools and targeted trainings, by using EIGE’s tools, data and findings.
• Build and maintain information exchanges with national, international and EU institutions.
• Engage and network with other gender mainstreaming practitioners, researchers, experts and specific EU and international institutions working on gender mainstreaming, in addition to providing expert support/technical assistance to stakeholders on related matters.
• Organise and coordinate meetings, workshops and seminars to support the Institute’s work on gender mainstreaming.

Qualifications & experience required

Formal requirements

To be considered eligible for selection, an applicant must, by the closing date of this call:

• have a university degree² which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years;
• have a good command, both spoken and written, of at least two official EU languages;
• be a national of a Member State of the EU;
• enjoy full rights as an EU citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service, and
• be physically fit to perform duties.³

Selection criteria

Essential

• At least six years of professional experience[4] gained after the award of the relevant qualification and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of tasks as defined in section 2.
• Good knowledge of gender mainstreaming strategies, methods and tools, and good understanding of gender sensitive data, statistics and indicators.
• Very good understanding of the legal and policy framework of gender equality and mainstreaming in the EU.
• Working experience in writing reports and policy papers in excellent English, which should be substantiated by a list in the applicant’s application form of publications and/or reports/policy papers that she/he has written.
• Working experience in policy relevant international research and/or implementation of gender mainstreaming methods and tools, including capacity development.
• Working experience in providing tailor made advice to local, national, EU or international stakeholders in gender equality and specific gender mainstreaming methods.
• Proven project management experience in the area of gender equality/ mainstreaming, in addition to strong organisational and administrative skills including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent English which is the working language at the Institute.
• Very good presentation and communication skills.

Advantageous

• Post-graduate qualification in gender studies, social sciences, political science, law or economics.
• Working experience in EU or international organisations.
• Knowledge of financial and procurement rules, and procedures applicable to the public sector and/or proven experience in overseeing project delivery in a project of a size of at least €200 000.
• Previous exposure to international and/or multicultural /multilingual environment.
• Certification in project management.

Selection procedure

The selection procedure includes the following steps:

• Only duly completed applications submitted electronically within the deadline will be taken into consideration.
• Each duly completed application will be examined with a view to establishing that the candidate meets all eligibility criteria.
• Eligible applications will be evaluated by the appointed selection committee based on selection criteria defined in this vacancy notice. Depending on the number of applications received, the selection committee may apply stricter requirements within the selection criteria noted above.
• The best-admissible candidates will be short-listed for interviews.
• Interviews and written tests will be in English.
• During the interview, the selection committee will examine the candidates’ profiles and assess their relevancy for the post in question. On the day of the interview, candidates may also be required to undergo a competency assessment exercise.
• On the day of interviews, candidates will be requested to present originals and/or copies of documents detailing citizenship in particular a copy of identity card, passport or other official document specifying citizenship.
• If at any stage of the procedure, it is established that information in the application has been knowingly falsified, the candidate shall be disqualified from the selection process.
• Successful candidates will be included in a reserve list which will be valid for 12 months. The validity of this list may be extended. Each candidate will be informed by letter whether or not s/he has been placed on the reserve list. However, inclusion of candidates on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment.
• EIGE’s Director will appoint the selected jobholder from the reserve list, taking into account a gender balanced, geographically diverse organisation.

The internal proceedings of the selection committee are confidential and any contact with its members is strictly forbidden. Soliciting on behalf of a candidate can lead to immediate disqualification.

For applications to be valid, candidates must complete an EIGE application form available on the top of this page. It is to be forwarded electronically to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu. The subject title should include the vacancy reference number.

Applicants are requested not to attach any supporting documents at this stage. Only candidates invited to an interview will be asked to present copies of documents for verification. Applications will not be returned to candidates but will be kept on file by the Institute in line with its data protection obligations.

Please note that the time between the closing date for the submission of applications and the end of the process to short list candidates for the interview may be several weeks.

Due to the large volume of applications only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted.

Conditions of employment

The place of employment is Vilnius Lithuania. EIGE operates from a modern and fully computerised office space based in the city’s Old Town.

The jobholder shall work in a multicultural environment where social dialogue is considered very important. EIGE applies a participatory approach to its work and encourages an open dialogue between management and staff. Colleagues work closely together as much of the work is organised around cross-unit project teams. EIGE is committed to the principle of zero tolerance towards harassment at work.

Working time is based around flexitime and core working hours, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations. In addition to training opportunities, EIGE offers various support and well-being measures for staff members and their families such as contributions to schooling costs.

For reasons related to the Institute’s operational requirements, the chosen candidate will be expected to be available at short notice. An AD6 Temporary Agent contract under Article 2f pursuant to the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union shall be offered, subject to nine months’ probation. The duration of the contract will be three years and may be renewed.

Remuneration consists of the basic salary as well as various allowances[5] depending on personal situation of the jobholder. For information, the current gross basic salary before deductions and the correction coefficient[6] weighting of 81.1% for Lithuania, is approximately €5,669 (step 1) or €5,907 (step 2), depending on years of experience. Salaries are exempt from national taxation and subject to tax at source. Deductions are also made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance.

Independence & declarations of interest

The jobholder will be required to enter into a commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make complete declarations of any direct or indirect interests that might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence. Candidates must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

Equal opportunities

The Institute applies a policy of equal opportunities in line with the formal requirements noted in section 3.1.

Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of gender, 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.

Moreover, EIGE is committed to promote diversity and inclusion in its working environment and organisational culture.

Appeal procedures

If a candidate considers that s/he has been adversely affected by a particular decision, s/he can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, by writing to The Director, European Institute for Gender Equality, Gedimino Prospektas 16, Vilnius, Lithuania LT01103.

The complaint must be lodged within three months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure (see Staff Regulations as modified by Council Regulation No 723/2004 of 22nd March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27th April 2004) starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting her/him.

Pursuant to Article 195(1) of the Treaty establishing the European Community and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Decision of the European Parliament of 9 March 1994 on the Staff Regulations and the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties, published in Official Journal of the European Union L 113 of 4 May 1994, it is also possible to write to: The European Ombudsman, 1 Avenue du Président Robert Schuman, CS 30403 67001 Strasbourg Cedex, France.

Further details on appeals

Protection of personal data

As the body responsible for organising the competition, the EIGE ensures that applicants’ 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, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC. This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Personal data shall thus be processed solely for the purpose of the selection procedure.

Lithuania & life in Vilnius

Lithuania is a member of the Schengen Area and it borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. Its western coastline – noted for its fine beaches, dunes and majestic pines – straddles the Baltic Sea.

Vilnius has an estimated population of just over 550,000 people. In addition to ample green spaces, it is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Neris, offering excellent opportunities for outdoor activities. Vilnius has impressive Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Russian architecture as well as one of Europe’s largest medieval old towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994. It has been a university city since the Middle Ages.

Today it is the centre of the country’s politics, business, science, culture and entertainment and it attracts an increasingly varied assortment of local and international events. The city centre of Vilnius is compact, clean and safe. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, Vilnius has a well-developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans.

The city is easy to get around, has a good standard of living and an excellent working environment. EIGE’s premises are situated in the Europe House on the main thoroughfare of Vilnius City, Gedimino Prospektas, with easy access to amenities, both leisure and educational. 

Further information is available at https://investlithuania.com/why-lithuania/lifestyle.

Footnotes