Research officer – gender mainstreaming

One year contract

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 Research Officer – Gender Mainstreaming.

The registration of applications will begin on 11 January 2018 and will close on 10 February 2018 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.

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 citizens’ 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 also supports policy-makers with high quality research and comparable data relevant to their work.

The post

Profile

Reporting to the Head of Operations, the jobholder shall carry out gender mainstreaming related research and will contribute to identifying and processing effective gender mainstreaming practices in support of EU policies and programmes.

The jobholder shall strengthen the Institute’s research capacity to analyse the effects of social, political and economic development on women and men through the application of suitable research techniques.

Duties

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

• engage in the planning and implementation of research projects in addition to the interpretation and formulation of results;
• run assigned research activities and projects, including economic analysis, qualitative studies and gender budgeting;
• collect, analyse and disseminate timely information relating to gender mainstreaming and gender equality including legislation, policies, data and qualitative research;
• plan, implement and monitor activities within selected priority areas in order to support the Institute's work on gender mainstreaming;
• prepare reports, briefing notes and responses to enquiries;
• draft technical specifications for the procurement of thematically relevant studies;
• coordinate and network with other gender mainstreaming practitioners, researchers, experts and specific institutions working on gender mainstreaming and economic issues in Europe and globally, in addition to providing expert support to stakeholders on related matters;
• on the basis of collected information, initiate and support the production of reports and other publications in cooperation with other EIGE colleagues, other external experts as well as external contractors;
• organise and coordinate meetings, workshops and seminars in cooperation with established networks  in the field of gender equality.

Qualifications & experience required

Formal requirements

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

• completed a university education attested by a diploma[2];
• 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 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[4] following the award of a diploma, in quantitative and/or qualitative research;
• at least two years’  experience in the field of gender equality, including theory or practice, preferably in the area of gender mainstreaming, and in-depth understanding of related key issues and debates;
• demonstrated commitment to women/gender equality issues and previous experience in carrying out gender analyses;
• at least four years’ practical experience and excellence in preparing, implementing and/or  managing research projects;
• excellent command of both oral and written English which is the 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;
• evident organisational skills including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Advantageous:

• proven track record of work in economic research and /or gender budgeting;
• experience of working with international official data sets such as those provided by EUROSTAT or the United Nations and knowledge of statistical software; 
• knowledge of developments in economics related to gender inequalities and the evaluation of gaps, existing indices and indicators on an international level;
• knowledge of the 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.

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. Following 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 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.
• 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 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 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 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 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 a collaborative working environment is 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’s staff engagement is among the highest in EU agencies.

Working time is based around flexitime and core working hours, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations. In addition to training opportunities, EIGE offers various supports and well-being measures for staff members and their families such as contributions to schooling costs.

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. 

Remuneration of Contract Agents consists of the basic salary 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 correction coefficient[6] weighting of 74.3% for Lithuania, is approximately €3,404. The step in grade could be higher depending on the length of experience of the chosen candidate. Salaries are subject to tax at source but are exempt from national taxation. Deductions also apply 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 Institute applies a policy of equal opportunities in line with the formal requirements noted in section 3.1.

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 Communities and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, 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

Personal data shall be processed solely for the purpose of the selection procedure. As the body responsible for organising the competition, the EIGE ensures that applicants’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (Official Journal of the European Communities, L 8 of 12 January 2001). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

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 is a vibrant and pleasant city, with ample green spaces.  It is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Neris, offering excellent opportunities for outdoor activities. The city is compact and safe, both for individuals and families. 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. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, Vilnius has a well-developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans.

Further information is available at: http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/tourism.

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

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

[3] Prior 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 Communities.

[4] Professional 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 3 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). Freelance or self-employed applicants will be asked to provide either a practising certificate (or equivalent) or a copy of the entry in the relevant trade register, or any other official document (for example a tax document) showing clearly the length of relevant professional experience.

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

[6] The correction co-efficient is subject to a yearly update.