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External Vacancy Notice in the European Asylum Support Office (EASO)

REF.: EASO/2021/TA/006

Publication: External

Title of function: Asylum Processes Officer

Category and grade: Temporary Agent – AD 5

1. EASO

The European Asylum Support Office (hereinafter referred to as "EASO"), established by Regulation 439/2010(1), strengthens European Union (EU) Member States’ practical cooperation on asylum, enhances the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and supports Member States whose asylum and reception systems are under particular pressure.

Specifically, EASO focuses on three main tasks:

1. Supporting practical cooperation among Member States on all matters pertaining to asylum mainly through training, quality activities, country of origin information (COI), country guidance, statistics and analysis, specialised expert networks, practical cooperation workshops and thematic support on unaccompanied minors, trafficking in human beings and gender;
2. Supporting Member States under particular pressure through emergency support, including the deployment of asylum support teams to assist EU Member States in managing asylum applications and in putting in place appropriate reception facilities;
3. Contributing to the implementation of the CEAS by collecting and exchanging information on best practices, drawing up an annual report on the asylum situation in the EU covering the whole asylum procedure in EU Member States and adopting technical documents, on the implementation of the new EU asylum acquis.

The organisation chart of EASO can be consulted in the EASO Work Programme on EASO website: https://www.easo.europa.eu/about-us/easo-organisation-structure

EASO’s headquarters is located in Valletta Harbour (Malta) with additional offices in Italy, Greece and Cyprus. 

2. Job description 

The Asylum Processes Officer will be working in the Asylum Processes Sector (APS), within the Asylum Cooperation and Guidance Unit (ACGU) within the Asylum Knowledge Centre (C3) and and will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Support the organisation of practical cooperation meetings and other activities of the Asylum Processes’ thematic networks and liaise with relevant stakeholders in Member States, European Institutions and International Organisations and academia;
2. Support the collection and exchange of information on Member States’ current practices and policies in relation to the CEAS;
3. Support the Sector in drafting and publication of practical tools, guidelines and operational standards and indicators in relation to the implementation of the CEAS and the activities of the Working Group and external experts, and liaise with relevant stakeholders in Member States, European Institutions and International Organisations and academia;
4. Initiate new projects and activities within EASO to further develop, promote and mainstream EASO practical guides and tools;
5. Support measures and activities related to asylum processes and quality assurance under EASO’s Operating Plans to Member States and in the external dimension;
6. Identify and analyse EASO relevant information from external partners and propose, where necessary, actions to be taken;
7. Deliver background information to the Head of Sector, drafting background memos and strategic papers on Asylum Processes;
8. Where needed, participate in missions, external meetings and conferences and activities related to Asylum Processes;
9. Ensure synergies with relevant EASO sectors and thematic networks facilitated by EASO;
10. Contribute towards the implementation of EASO’s Work Program;
11. Carry out other tasks requested by the Head of Sector in the interest of EASO.

3. Requirements

A) Eligibility Criteria

Candidates will be considered eligible for selection based on the fulfillment of the following formal criteria, by the deadline for applications:

1. Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma(2);
2. Be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland;
3. Be entitled to full rights as an EU citizen;
4. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws on military service;
5. Possess a thorough knowledge (level C1 in all dimensions as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or CEFRL) of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge (level B2 in all dimensions as per the CEFRL) of another one of these languages to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties pertaining to the post(3); 
6. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved(4);
7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post(5).

B) Selection Criteria

If the eligibility criteria set out in section A) Eligibility criteria are met, the candidates’ applications will be evaluated on the following selection criteria. These criteria have been subdivided into two categories: Essential and Advantageous Selection Criteria.

Please note that all Essential criteria are mandatory, meaning that no application will be assessed further if a candidate obtains a zero score in any of the Essential Criteria. The most suitable candidates with the highest overall scores will be invited to an interview.

Essential

1. Proven professional experience in a position related to the asylum status determination process at the national or international level;
2. Proven professional experience with quality management of asylum processes and the development of tools and methodologies to support the quality and efficiency of the asylum procedure;
3. Proven professional experience in managing process improvement projects (process mapping, business process analysis, process modelling, or similar), including (digital) innovation of asylum processes.

Advantageous

1. Proven professional experience in cooperation with different Member States’ authorities, EU bodies, International Organisations and civil society organisations in the field of asylum;
2. Very good knowledge of EU Policies, instruments and tools, in the field of the CEAS.

C) Evaluation during interviewing process

Candidates invited to the interviewing process (interview and written test) will be assessed based on the essential and advantageous criteria described in this Section, and the following additional criteria relevant to the post:

1. Excellent planning and, organisational skills and the ability to prioritise work and deliver under pressure;
2. Excellent analytical capabilities and problem-solving skills;
3. Excellent drafting and communication skills;
4. Excellent knowledge of and technical expertise of the EU asylum acquis;
5. Excellent interpersonal skills;
6. Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team in a multicultural and multilingual environment;
7. Knowledge of the mission and organisation of EASO.

4. Recruitment process

The Regulation which provides the legal basis for EASO was adopted in May 2010 (Official Journal of the European Union L 132 of 29.5.2010).

A) Identifying eligible candidates

After the deadline for submission of applications, the Selection Committee will verify the submitted applications against the eligibility criteria described in Section 3A (“Eligibility Criteria”). Applications satisfying these conditions will then be assessed against the “Selection Criteria” under Section 3B. 

B) Further analysis of applications

Following this initial assessment, the Selection Committee will compare the applications of eligible candidates with reference to:

• The Selection Criteria (“Essential” and “Advantageous”);
• The overall quality of the application and the candidates’ suitability for the post when compared to the established job profile.

Please note that the Essential Selection Criteria are mandatory and no application will be further assessed if one of these criteria is not satisfied.

The Selection Committee will then establish a shortlist of the most suitable candidates to be invited for a written test, an interview and/or other tests based on the order of merit. These assessments will be held in English and, where applicable, other languages. Due to the large volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates invited to the interview and written test will be notified thereof.

C) Assessment phase

The assessment phase is composed of the following components:

• Technical competency written test and/or any other assessment deemed necessary for the post;
• Interview with the Selection Committee.

The assessment phase will be devised to evaluate the following components:

• General aptitude and language abilities to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties in accordance with Article 12.2(e) of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
• Specific competences with reference to the applicants' profiles in line with the selection criteria included in the Vacancy Notice.

Please note that only candidates who are successful in all aspects of the assessment phase will have the possibility of being placed on the reserve list.

D) Verification of supporting documents

Only candidates who receive an offer letter will be required to present originals or certified copies of the documents listed below to confirm the accuracy and eligibility of the application against their supporting documents:

• A document proving their citizenship (e.g. passport);
• Any academic qualification mentioned in the application;
• Any professional experience mentioned in the application.

This selection procedure may be organised online. In such case, further information will be provided by EASO to candidates invited for an interview regarding the practical modalities for the assessment.

E) Establishing a reserve list

A reserve list will be established based on the outcome of the assessment phase and will remain valid until the end of the current year from the date of its establishment.

The reserve list may be extended at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Candidates shall note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. Recruitment will be based on availability of posts and budget.

Prior to taking up duties, the successful candidate will be asked to undergo a compulsory medical examination by one of the institutions' medical officers which will enable EASO to ensure that he/she fulfils the requirement stated in Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Union.

5. Equal Opportunities

EASO applies an equal opportunities policy and accepts applications without discriminating on the basis of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

6. Conditions of employment

The Temporary Agent will be appointed by the Executive Director, upon recommendation of the Selection Committee, following the selection procedure.

He/she will be recruited as a Temporary Agent according to Article 2(f) of the CEOS for a period of 5 years which may be renewed. The Temporary Agent post in question will be placed in group AD 5.

Successful candidates who are recruited will undergo an initial probation period of nine months.

The pay for a Temporary Agent, AD 5 (step 1) consists of a basic salary of 4,917.29 € weighted by the correction coefficient (for Malta currently 94.7%) supplemented with various allowances, including expatriation and family allowances. The salaries of staff members are subject to a European Union tax deducted at source. Staff members are exempt from national tax on salary and are members of the European Union social security and pension schemes.

For further information on working conditions of Temporary Agents please refer to CEOS: 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:...

The place of employment is Valletta Harbour (Malta).

7. Application Procedure

All EASO’s vacancies can be found on our Vacancies page and online e-Recruitment tool. For applications to be valid, candidates shall use EASO’s online e-Recruitment tool to create a candidate account, activate it and complete all sections of the EASO application form, as detailed in the User Manual found on the landing page. Candidates are requested to complete their application in English. 

Incomplete applications will be disqualified and treated as non-eligible.  Please note that the selection process may take several months. In order to facilitate the selection process, all correspondence to candidates concerning this vacancy will be in English.

Candidates should not approach, directly or indirectly, the Selection Committee under any circumstances in relation to this recruitment process. The Executive Director reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who disregards this instruction.

Closing date:

The closing date for the submission of applications is 11 June 2021 at 13:00 (CET). EASO will disregard any application received after this date and time. 

Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the date of the deadline to submit their applications. EASO is not held responsible for any delays in submission of applications due to technical difficulties or any other factors that may arise.

If a candidate is found to have provided false information at any stage in the selection procedure, EASO is within its capacity to disqualify the candidate in question.

this job offer is not open for applications