EIGE – Administrative Agent – Finance

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 Administrative Agent – Finance.

The registration of applications will begin on 16 March 2023 and will close on 17 April 2023 at 13:00 Eastern European Time.

The Institute

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

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 awareness on gender equality. It also provides technical assistance to EU institutions in particular the European Commission, and the authorities of EU Member States.

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

Job profile & duties

Reporting to the Head of Administration and working closely with the Accounting and Budget Coordinator, the Administrative Agent – Finance will assist with the financial management and authorisation of administrative expenditure, contracts and grants by examining and preparing cost-statements for acceptance backed by financial documents (financial and legal commitments, payments, recoveries).

Duties

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

• create commitments and prepare payments ensuring contractual, financial and procedural conformity;
• initiate and/or verify financial implementation of appropriations (financial commitments, de-commitments, invoices, payments, recovery orders) and follow through in ABAC;
• provide advice and technical support to colleagues having operational initiation functions in all the financial process;
• contribute to the development and implementation of standardised procedures in addition to methods needed to process and access financial information and documents;
• act as alternate in tasks of ex-ante verification of the conformity of financial operations with legality, regularity, internal procedure and sound financial management and contribute to reporting and monitoring commitments, expenditures and recoveries;
• contribute to defining budgetary and financial procedure;
• provide basic support as back-up, in connection with the accounting matters (e.g. quality controls and closure of the financial year)
• support with contracts and procurements related to the work area;
• other relevant duties as assigned by the Head of Administration.

Qualifications and experience required

Eligibility requirements

Engagement as a Contract Agent requires:

• a post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or a secondary education attested by a diploma[2]  giving access to post-secondary education plus appropriate professional experience of three years;
• EU Member State nationality;
• a good command, both spoken and written, of at least two official EU languages;
• entitlement to full rights as a citizen;
• no obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service;
• medically certified fitness to perform duties linked to the post.[3]

Selection criteria

Essential

• at least three years professional experience following the award of a diploma;
• a good knowledge of EU financial regulations, procedures and guidelines;
• previous work experience with financial software;
• experience of working with procurement procedures;
• the ability to communicate effectively in written and spoken English, the working language of the Institute;
• a high level of computer literacy and familiarity with the electronic office tools (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, power point, e-mail, internet);
• the mind-set to see through to conclusion specific tasks ensuring deadlines and quality standards are met;
• the ability to work well as part of a team and with minimal supervision;
• the ability to work in a proactive, autonomous way;
• evident interpersonal, organisational, administrative and problem solving abilities.

Advantageous

• professional experience in an EU institution or body;
• previous work experience with ABAC / SAP and/or other financial software;

Other competencies

• a high level of IT literacy and familiarity with relevant software applications;
• the ability to work in a problem solving manner and to learn and work in a proactive, autonomous way;
• a team player who is self-critical towards her/his own performance and shares learning and information as part of a multicultural and multidisciplinary organisation;
• the mind-set to be attentive to detail and to see through to conclusion specific tasks;
• the ability to work under pressure and within tight deadlines ensuring that deadlines and quality standards are met.

Selection procedure

The selection procedure includes the following:

• Only duly completed applications submitted electronically within the deadline will be taken into consideration.
• Applications 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 (Essential and Advantageous) defined in this vacancy notice. Advantageous criteria constitute additional assets: failure to fulfil these additional criteria will not result in exclusion.
• To be invited for an interview an applicant needs to receive at least 65% of the highest possible scores during the evaluation of applications. The best-admissible candidates will be shortlisted for interview in Vilnius.
• Interviews and written tests will be in English.
• During the interview, the Selection Committee will examine the candidates’ profiles and score in accordance with the selection criteria. To be included in the reserve list, a candidate will need to have received at least 65% of the maximum points in the interview and test phase.
• 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 the establishment of a gender balanced, geographically diverse organisation.
• On the day of interview candidates will be requested to present originals and 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 were established that information in the application has been knowingly falsified, the candidate shall be disqualified from the selection process.

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 must include the vacancy reference number.

Applicants are requested not to attach any supporting documents at this stage, e.g. copies of ID cards, diplomas, evidence of previous professional experience. Candidates invited to an interview will be asked to present 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 guidelines.

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

Employment conditions

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’s Staff Regulations. In addition to training and development opportunities, EIGE offers various support and wellbeing 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. A contract in Function Group III under Article 3a pursuant to the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union shall be offered, subject to a nine month probation period. The duration of the contract will be three years and may be renewed not more than once for a fixed period. Any further renewal shall be for an indefinite period.

The pay of a Contract Agent consists of the basic remuneration as well as various allowances[4] depending on personal situation of the jobholder. This post is graded either at grade 8 or 9 or 10[5] depending on the experience of the chosen candidate. For information, the current gross basic salary before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 87.4 for Lithuania, starts at approximately €3,028 for grade 8, at approximately €3,427 for grade 9 and at approximately €3,877 for grade 10. Salaries are exempt from national taxation but are subject to tax at source. Deductions for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance also apply.

Independence & declarations of interest

The job holder 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 above.

Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of age, birth, disability, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, membership of a national minority, political (or any other) opinion, property, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

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

Work opportunities at EIGE are open to nationals from the 27 European Union Member States. Currently the Institute employs staff from 19 different Member States. Candidates from Czechia, Denmark, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and Sweden are particularly encouraged to apply since these countries are not represented.

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 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 http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/tourism and https://investlithuania.com/why-lithuania/lifestyle .