EIGE – Research Officer – Gender Equality (One year contract)

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)[1] is organising a second call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for the post of Research Officer – Gender Equality.

The registration of applications will begin on 13 April 2022 and will close on 3 May 2022 at 13:00 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.

Job profile & duties

Profile

Under the supervision of the Head of the Operations Unit and working in close collaboration with other colleagues, the jobholder will enhance the research and analytical capacity of the Unit.

The post requires good understanding of relevant gender equality issues, experience in applying quantitative and qualitative research methods, analytical skills, excellent drafting skills and very good communication skills.

The post demands a team player who is self-critical towards her/his own performance and who shares learning and information as part of a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.

Duties

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

• Design and implement research projects on various topics of gender equality, including all aspects related to the management of contracted research, ensuring the highest standards and content quality;
• Collect, analyse and disseminate relevant, objective and reliable statistical and research data and information on assigned research areas;
• Contribute to the implementation of EIGE’s surveys and survey data analysis;
• Support the improvement of existing  gender-sensitive data/indicators and promote further disaggregation of data according to gender and other social characteristics (e.g. age, ethnicity, education);
• Engage in drafting policy oriented research reports and other publications in cooperation with the Institute’s research and communications teams;
• Produce comparative statistical data and gender analysis addressing stakeholders’ needs for communication purposes;
• Support project management activities and processes working in close cooperation with project managers of the Operations Unit;
• Build and maintain an exchange of statistical and research information with relevant national, international and EU institutions;
• Initiate and organise expert meetings to support the Institute’s work;

Qualifications and experience required

Eligibility requirements

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

• Nationality of an EU Member State;
• Completed a university education attested by a diploma;[2]
• A good command, both spoken and written, of at least two official EU languages;
• Entitlement to full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service;  
• Be physically fit to perform duties linked to the post.[3]

Selection criteria

Essential:

• At least three years professional experience gained after the award of the relevant qualification and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of the duties as defined in Section 2.
• Experience in policy relevant international research on gender equality, in particular in the priority areas of the EU.
• Proven record of work with statistical data, gender statistics and/or gender sensitive indicators at a national, EU or international level;
• Practical experience in using quantitative data analysis software, e.g. Excel, SPSS and/or Stata.
• Evidence of ability to draft high quality research reports and/or policy papers in excellent English, which should be substantiated in the applicant’s application with  a list of publications and/or reports/policy papers that she /he has written.
• Proven experience in project management. 
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills, including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Advantageous:

• Practical experience in designing and implementing large scale surveys.
• Good understanding of EU policies and priorities related to gender equality.
• Work experience in EU or international organisations.

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 interview.
• 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 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. 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.

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 IV under Article 3a 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 is one year.

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 13 or grade 14 or grade 16[5] depending on the experience of the chosen candidate.

For information, the gross basic monthly salary before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 80.1 for Lithuania, starts at approximately €3,623 for grade 13, €4,099 for grade 14 and €5,248 for grade 16. 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 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 above.

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.

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 pr. 16, Vilnius, Lithuania LT-01103.

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 22 March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27 April 2004 starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting him/her.

Applicants can submit an appeal to the European Ombudsman at the following address or directly on Ombudsman’s website https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/home .

However, before submitting a complaint to the European Ombudsman, applicants must already have contacted EIGE about the matter and used all the internal administrative options for review and/or complaints provided for in the Staff Regulations.

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. EIGE’s privacy statement on the personal data processing is here: Data protection | EIGE (europa.eu) .

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 focal point 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 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 .