Procurement Officer

 

The European Institute for Gender Equality¹ is organising a call for applications with a view to establishing a reserve list for the post of Procurement Officer. The registration of applications begins on 17 May 2024 and closes on 17 June 2024 at 13:30 Eastern European Time.

The Agency

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 Agency 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

Profile

Reporting to the Head of Administration, the Procurement Officer shall contribute to, and facilitate the development, implementation and monitoring of the Agency’s procurement function in line with its annual procurement plan.

The jobholder shall play a key role in enabling colleagues from different teams to deal with procurement procedures. This will involve consolidating and enhancing the quality of EIGE's procurement function in accordance with related legal requirements and financial procedures, audits as well as the applicable regulatory frameworks and service requirements. 

Duties

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

• Develop and implement the Agency's procurement plan while ensuring that the applicable financial and procurement policies and procedures are followed;
• Coordinate and manage calls for tenders (e.g. publication, organisation of and assistance to evaluation committees, selection process, contract award and signature);
• Support project managers with contract interpretation, provide advice on implementation, performance and enforcement, coordinating the further development and improvement of consistent practices on contract management at the Agency;
• Support market research in order to identify potential contractors and/or in order to ascertain market prices;
• Conduct staff training and development in procurement matters;
• Act as initiating agent for commitments and payments, ensuring the legality and regularity of related financial transactions; 
• Prepare replies to information requests from tenderers/potential tenderers as well as to requests for information for auditing and reporting purposes;
• Coordinate the development of tools, procedures, templates and guidelines applicable to the procurement function at EIGE;
• Follow up on relevant audit recommendations pertaining to procurement area;

• Implement other relevant tasks assigned by the Head of Administration.

   

Qualifications & experience required 

Selection criteria

Formal requirements

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

• completed university studies, of at least three years attested by a diploma² and appropriate professional experience of at least one year; 
• 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

Essential

Professional experience and expertise

• University degree in a relevant field (law, economics, accounting, business administration, etc.) or in a related field;
• at least three years’ relevant professional experience following the award of a diploma⁴;
• experience and knowledge in the duties as noted in the section "Duties";
• a good knowledge of public procurement procedures and guidelines;
• a high level of IT literacy and familiarity with software applications related to procurement; 
• the ability to communicate effectively in written and spoken English, the predominant working language of the Agency;

Required competencies

• the mind-set to be attentive to detail and to see through to conclusion specific tasks, ensuring that deadlines and quality standards are met;
• the ability to learn and work in a proactive, autonomous way;
• evident interpersonal, organisational, administrative and problem solving abilities;
• 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;
• a high sense of discretion and confidentiality.

Advantageous

• Knowledge of financial and procurement rules and procedures applicable to EU institutions and bodies;
• Work experience in EU or international organisations;
• Previous exposure to international and/or multicultural work environments;

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. Candidates will also be required to undergo a written test.

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 this page. It is to be forwarded electronically to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu by 17 June 2024 at 13:30 Eastern European Time. 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 Agency 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 hybrid working (including telework and flexitime), as defined in the EU Staff Regulations. In addition to learning and development opportunities, EIGE provides various support and well-being measures for staff members and their families such as financial contribution towards the tuition fees of Vilnius based schools.

For reasons related to the Agency’s operational requirements, the chosen candidate will be expected to be available at short notice. A FG IV Contract Agent contract 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 will be three years and may be renewed.

Remuneration consists of the basic salary as well as various allowances⁵ depending on personal situation of the jobholder. For information, the current gross basic salary before deductions and the correction coefficient weighting of 93.4% for Lithuania, starts at approximately €3,982 for grade 13, €4,506 for grade 14 and €5,768 for grade 16, 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 Agency applies a policy of equal opportunities in line with the formal requirements noted in this vacancy notice.

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, gender identity, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Moreover, EIGE is committed to promote diversity and inclusion in its working environment and organisational culture. This includes Reasonable Accommodation for applicants with a disability.⁶

This post is open to nationals from European Union Member States. Currently candidates from Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Slovakia and Sweden are particularly encouraged to apply since these countries are not represented at the Agency.

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 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 lodge a complaint with:

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 on Invest Lithuania's website.

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Footnotes

¹Established by the European Parliament: Council Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006 (OJ L 403/9 of 30.12.2006).

²Only qualifications issued by EU Member State authorities and qualifications recognised as equivalent by the relevant Member States authorities will be accepted.

³Prior to recruitment, the successful candidate will be medically examined for the purposes of Article 12(2) (d) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union.

⁴Professional experience will be counted from the date on which the applicant acquired the minimum qualification for access to the profile in question. Only duly documented professional activity (i.e. remunerated employment or self-employment) is taken into account. Part-time work will be taken into account in proportion to the percentage of full-time hours worked. Periods of education or training and unremunerated traineeships are not taken into account. Fellowships, grants and PhDs can be counted as professional experience up to a maximum of three years. Any given time period can be counted only once (e.g. if the applicant had a full-time job and did freelance consultancy work in the evenings and weekends, the days spent on the latter will not be added to the period of the former).

⁵For example: expatriation allowance, household allowance, education allowance, dependent child allowance, etc.

⁶See EIGE’s Director’s decision 268/2022 on Reasonable Accommodation and the reference in the application form.