Senior Officer, Gender Based Violence, European Institute for Gender Equality, Vilnius, Latvia

Senior Officer – Gender Based Violence

Posted on: December 18, 2014

Application deadline: January 18, 2015

Posted by: European Institute for Gender Equality

Reporting to the Head of Operations, The Senior Officer will coordinate the work of the GBV team providing strategic, administrative and technical leadership to ensure the implementation of EIGE's activities defined in its work programmes and other documents for this priority area. 

 1. The Institute

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a regulatory 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 Commission, as well as the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality EIGE strives to eliminate gender discrimination. 

2. The job

2.1 Profile

Reporting to the Head of Operations, the jobholder will coordinate the work of the GBV team providing strategic, administrative and technical leadership to ensure the implementation of EIGE's activities defined in its work programmes and other documents for this priority area. 

2.2 Duties

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

• Supervise the Institute’s work on GBV research, including the development of methodologies and gender analysis;
• Coordinate and ensure the smooth functioning of the GBV team;
• Lead research activities and projects focused primarily on GBV, and contribute to work on other areas of gender equality as needed;
• Conduct interpretative analyses of sex-disaggregated data in order to provide high quality results on assigned research areas;
• Work with EU/international/national datasets, to assess the quality of data from a gender equality perspective and make proposals for data quality improvement;    
• Assess the quality of existing indicators and develop new indicators relevant to EIGE’s work on GBV and, where necessary, other areas of EIGE’s work;
• Prepare research reports, briefing notes and responses to enquiries;
• Provide analytical support in the planning, implementation and final evaluation of research activities/projects;
• Initiate and maintain statistical information exchanges with relevant national, international and EU services;
• Assist EIGE in the organisation and coordination of meetings, workshops, seminars and network cooperation in the field of GBV;
• Follow the latest research developments, including methodologies, in the area of GBV at national and European levels as well as globally.
• Ensure timely and sound planning of surveys and research in co-operation with the Experts' Forum, advising EIGE on possible areas of research;
• Manage the preparation of reports and presentation of information in line with the Institute's work programme and the needs of its stakeholders;
• Ensure the collection and processing of existing materials as well as the preparation of publications.  

3 Qualifications & experience required

3.1 Formal requirements

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

• have a university degree[2] 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;
• nationality of an EU Member State;
• 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 the national laws concerning military service;  
• be physically fit to perform duties linked to the post.[3]

3.2    Selection criteria

Essential:

• at least six years professional experience gained after the award of the relevant qualification[4] and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of the duties as defined in Section 2.
• at least three years professional experience, following the award of a diploma, of work with social statistics and databases at a national, EU and international level;
• excellent understanding of policy design (including a gender perspective), preferably at an EU or international level, to complement  a focus on strategic policy planning;
• strong research abilities with a track record in preparing, implementing and/or supporting significant research projects, including advanced skills in using statistical software: MS Excel, SPSS and/or Stata, in addition to MS  Office;
• experience in the field of GBV, including theory or practice, and/or in-depth understanding of related key issues and debates;
• experience of working with international official data sets, such as those provided by EUROSTAT or the UN; 
• very good command of English, the predominant working language at the Institute;
• the capacity to conceptualise and structure information and to communicate effectively both technical and specialised information, for example, through drafting and editing textual materials;
• good knowledge of, and a strong commitment to the values of gender equality.
• evident leadership qualities and organisational skills, including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and reaching tight deadlines. 

Advantageous:

• knowledge of EU institutional framework and policies, especially those related to gender equality;
• author or co-author of at least one article/report/book on gender equality published in English in international academic journals or at an academic publishing house;
• previous work experience in an international context. 

4. Selection procedure & application

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.
• Due to large volume of applications, only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted.
• Interviews will be held in English.
• During the interview session, 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 interview candidates will be requested to present , originals and copies of documents detailing citizenship, studies and professional experience, in particular:
  • a copy of identity card, passport or other official document specifying citizenship;
  • a copy of diploma certifying a required level of academic qualifications;
  • documentary evidence of professional experience, clearly indicating starting and finishing dates.

Copies of these documents will be retained by the Institute.

• 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.
• 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.
• The Director of the Institute will appoint the selected jobholder from the reserve list, taking into account the establishment of a gender balanced, geographically diverse organisation. 

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

HOW TO APPLY

For applications to be valid, candidates must complete an EIGE application form.

EIGE Application form (.doc)

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 (e.g. copies of ID cards, diplomas, evidence of previous professional experience, etc.). Only candidates invited to an interview will be asked to present copies of these documents for verification. Applications will not be returned to candidates but will be kept on the file by the Institute in line with its data protection guidelines.

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

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

5. Appointment & conditions of employment

The place of employment shall be Vilnius, Lithuania. For reasons related to the Institute’s operational requirements, the chosen candidate will be expected to be available at short notice. An AD 8 Temporary Agent contract under Article 2 (f) pursuant to the conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities shall be offered, subject to a nine month probation period. The duration of the contract will be three years and may be renewed.

The pay of the Community temporary agents consists of the basic remuneration as well as various allowances[5] depending on personal situation of the jobholder. For information, the current gross basic salary of the first step in the applicable first grade, before deductions and the current correction coefficient weighting of 71.9% for Lithuania, is approximately €6,350.35. The applicable grade could be higher depending on the length of experience of the chosen candidate. The salary will be paid in Euros.[6] Remuneration is subject to tax at source. Deductions are also made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance. Salaries are exempt from national taxation.

6. 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. 

7. Equal opportunities

The Institute applies a policy of equal opportunities and accepts applications without distinction on any grounds.

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