EEA/CA/2007/2

Information Centre Assistants - Contract Agent (Function Group III)

The European Environment Agency is organising an open competition with a view to drawing up a reserve list of contract agents to work in the Information Centre.

The EEA is an agency of the European Union (EU) and one of the decentralised Community bodies. The EEA aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe’s environment, through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy-making agents and the public.

The Information Centre (IC) is a vital contributor to the Agency’s communication work. In line with the requirements of the Århus Convention, the IC gives individual responses to external requests for information and supports the dissemination of EEA material. It takes part in various kinds of awareness-raising activities and offers presentations for younger audiences. The IC also runs a library offering different kinds of information and training services for EEA staff.

The place of work will be Copenhagen, Denmark.

Job description:

The jobholders will, in collaboration with other staff in the Information Centre, be involved in a wide range of activities relating to the running of the IC.

Functions and duties:

• Answer internal and external requests for information, including visitors to the IC;
• Take part in the preparation and execution of exhibitions and other events aimed at the public;
• Carry out research based environmental information searches;
• Responsibility for internal dissemination of news alerts and periodicals;
• Offer information retrieval training sessions for EEA staff;
• Take part in EEA media monitoring activities;
• Participate in EEA internal communication activities;
• Support EEA activities for younger audiences, incl. the provision of presentations;
• Support other IC services when required.

Eligibility:

Candidates applying must satisfy the following general requirements on the closing date for the submission of applications:

• Citizenship of one of the Member Countries of the EEA (Member States of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey);
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligation imposed by law concerning military service;
• Meet the educational requirements as described under “Eligibility”.
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the EEA Member Countries and a satisfactory knowledge of a second of these languages.
  

• Post-secondary education attested by a diploma

Range of professional experience and skills:

• A minimum of three years of experience with information centre services;
• Experience with communicating complex environmental issues to non-specialist target groups;
• Good understanding of environmental topics and terms;
• Knowledge of the European Union and its environmental policy;
• Experience with the planning and implementation of public events would be preferable;
• Experience with activities for younger audiences would be an asset;
• Excellent written and spoken English. Good knowledge of other EU languages would be an asset;
• Service-minded attitude, courtesy and cultural sensitivity to deal with clients from a wide range of countries and backgrounds;
• Good judgement and organisational skills, ability to work in a team as well as independently and to handle several tasks simultaneously;
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office programmes (Word, Excel, etc.) and Internet Explorer.

Application procedure:

Closing date for application: Thursday 22 March 2007, at 12.00 (Central European Time)

Applications sent after this date will be rejected.

Please ensure that you observe the following:

1. Remember to take time zones into consideration when sending your application.
2. Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an automatic reply.
3. It is your responsibility to keep the automatic reply message as proof of submission of your application.
4. Should you not receive an automatic reply message, please submit your application again.
   

Contractual conditions:

The successful candidate will be offered a Contract Agent contract in accordance with the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities. The duration of the contract will be for a limited time period not exceeding four years.

Selection procedure:

Eligibility of candidates will be assessed according to compliance with all formal requirements by the closing date for the submission of applications.

Eligible candidates whose application shows evidence of all required competences and skills may be invited for an interview, which will be held for the most part in English.

Prior to contract signature, the successful candidate will be asked:

• to provide original or certified copies of all relevant documents proving his/her eligibility, including an extract from his/her police file;
• to undergo a compulsory medical examination to establish that he/she meets the standard of physical fitness necessary to perform the duties involved.

The Agency is an equal opportunities employer.

Personal data protection:

Any personal data provided by the User shall be processed pursuant to European Regulation related to personal data protection, in particular Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movements of such data. It shall be processed solely for the purposes of the performance, management and follow-up of information requested by the User. The User shall have the right of access to his personal data and the right to rectify any such data that is inaccurate or incomplete. Should the User have any queries concerning the processing of his personal data, he shall address them to the European Environment Agency.

Request for review:

Candidates who have not been admitted to the selection procedure will be notified by letter. The candidate may ask to have her/his application reconsidered by a sending a request for review to the Chairman of the Selection Committee at the address indicated on the letter within 21 calendar days from the date of the letter of notification.

Application documents:

English CV

For questions only: