Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

Publication of a vacancy for the function of Executive Director

(Temporary Agent – Grade AD 14)

COM/2023/20089

(2023/C 16 A/01)

 

We are

The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking established by means of Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 (1) and succeeding the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU).

The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, hereafter named ‘the JU’, is a public private partnership supporting research and innovation activities on clean hydrogen in Europe. Its aim is to strengthen and integrate EU scientific capacity, in order to accelerate the development and improvement of advanced clean hydrogen applications, combining it with strengthening competitiveness of the Union clean hydrogen value chain. The three members of the JU are the European Commission on behalf of the Union, the Industry Grouping represented by Hydrogen Europe AISBL and the Research Grouping represented by Hydrogen Europe Research AISBL.

The EU will support the JU with EUR 1 billion for the period 2021-2027, complemented by at least an equivalent amount of private investment (from the two private members of the partnership), raising the total budget to above EUR 2 billion.

The research and innovation activities of the JU are guided to a large extent by the EU’s Hydrogen Strategy (2) and the policy developments in this context, including REPowerEU Action Plan (3), contributing to its implementation. Its main focus is on renewable hydrogen production, as well as hydrogen transmission, distribution and storage, alongside selected fuel cell end-use technologies in transport, buildings and industry.

The Clean Hydrogen JU consists of 25 staff members, including the Executive Director.

We propose

The function of the Executive Director of the JU who shall perform the functions of chief executive responsible for the day-to-day management of the JU in accordance to the decisions of the Governing Board, shall also be its legal representative and shall be accountable to the Governing Board of the JU. She/he shall provide leadership and direction across the activities of the JU and will be central to ensuring staff engagement and promoting a positive and healthy work environment.

Among other tasks, the Executive Director will:

(1)

implement the budget of the JU and ensure sound financial management of the budgets, including an effective and efficient system of internal control;

(2)

ensure sustainable and efficient management of the JU;

(3)

prepare and ensure implementation of the Work Programme of the JU;

(4)

prepare and be liable for the budgetary and reporting documents of the JU (annual budget, staff establishment plan, annual activity report);

(5)

establish formal and regular collaboration with European partnerships identified in the SRIA (Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda) of the JU;

(6)

implement the communication policy of the JU;

(7)

provide the Governing Board with all documents requested by it and act as secretariat of the Board;

(8)

ensure that the JU advisory bodies receive timely and complete information;

(9)

maintain overall responsibility over the staff of the JU.

A more detailed description of the tasks can be found in Articles 19 and 83 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2085.

We look for (selection criteria)

The candidates should have:

Management skills:

—	ability to organise, direct and supervise the operations, budget and the staff of the JU with the purpose of achieving the JU’s objectives,

—	ability to lead, care for and motivate a multidisciplinary team in a European multicultural and multilingual context,

—	capacity for decision-making and delivering impact within fixed budget and timing,

—	capacity for managing significant financial resources, budgetary planning and internal control.

Specialist skills:

—	understanding of clean energy transition & energy policy of the EU,

—	understanding of the EU industry and of the challenges of clean energy transition for it,

—	understanding of the EU research and innovation policies,

—	understanding of the decision and policy making structure of EU.

Personal qualities:

—	strong diplomatic skills including ability for designing compromise,

—	high level of ethics: integrity, loyalty, fairness, transparency,

—	ability to communicate fluently and efficiently and build good working relations with the European Commission services, with other European partnerships and with various external stakeholders, in particular in the research and innovation context.

Candidates must (eligibility requirements)

Candidates will only be considered for the selection phase on the basis of the following formal requirements to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:

—	Nationality: candidates must be citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.

—

University degree or diploma: candidates must have: — either a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more, — or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least 1 year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years (this 1 year’s professional experience cannot be included in the postgraduate professional experience required below).

—	Professional experience: candidates must have at least 15 years postgraduate professional experience (4) at a level to which the qualifications referred to above give admission. At least 5 years of that professional experience must be in a domain relevant to the JU’s activities.

—	Management experience: at least 5 years of the post-graduate professional experience must have been gained in a high–level management function (5) in a field relevant for this position.

—

Languages: candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union (6) and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these official languages. Selection panels will verify during the interview(s) whether candidates comply with the requirement of a satisfactory knowledge of another official EU language. This may include (part of) the interview being conducted in this other language.

—

Age limit: candidates must be able to complete, at the deadline for application, the full mandate of 4 years before reaching the retirement age. For temporary staff of the European Union, the retirement age is defined as being the end of the month in which the person reaches the age of 66 years (see Article 47 of the Conditions of Employment of other Servants of the European Union (7)).

Selection and appointment

The Executive Director will be appointed by the Governing Board of the JU on the basis of a shortlist provided by the European Commission.

To establish this shortlist, the European Commission organises a selection in accordance with its selection and recruitment procedures (see the Document on Senior Officials Policy (8)).

As part of this selection procedure, the European Commission sets up a pre-selection panel that will, in line with Regulation (EU) 2021/2085, include a representative appointed by each type of members other than the Union (9) of the JU, and one observer appointed by the Governing Board. This panel analyses all applications, proceeds with a first eligibility verification and identifies candidates having the best profile in view of the selection criteria mentioned above, and who may be invited for an interview with the pre-selection panel.

Following these interviews, the pre-selection panel draws up its conclusions and proposes a list of candidates for further interviews with the European Commission’s Consultative Committee on Appointments (CCA). The CCA, taking into consideration the conclusions of the pre-selection panel, will decide on the candidates to be invited for an interview.

Candidates who are called for an interview with the CCA participate in a full-day management assessment centre run by external recruitment consultants. Taking account of the results of the interview and the report of the assessment centre, the CCA establishes a shortlist of candidates it considers suitable to exercise the function of Executive Director of the JU.

Candidates on the CCA shortlist will be interviewed by the Member(s) of the Commission responsible for the Directorate-General in charge of the relations with the JU (10).

Following these interviews, the European Commission adopts a shortlist of the most suitable candidates, which will be communicated to the Governing Board of the JU. The latter may decide to interview the candidates before appointing the Executive Director from among the candidates on the Commission shortlist. Inclusion on this shortlist does not guarantee appointment.

Candidates may be required to undergo further interviews and/or tests in addition to those indicated above. They could also be required to deliver a statement before the relevant committee(s) of the European Parliament.

Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Inclusion

The JU applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations (11) encouraging applications that could contribute towards more diversity, gender equality and overall geographical balance. The Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 specifically sets out that the procedure will respect the principle of gender balance, and applications from female candidates are particularly encouraged.

The JU recognises that a healthy work-life balance is an important motivational factor for many people and that flexible working is increasingly expected to be part of a modern working environment. It offers, among other benefits, a very good package of statutory flexible working arrangements and facilities such as after-school care and crèche. As an employer, the JU is committed to preventing discrimination on any grounds. It actively welcomes applications from all qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds, across all abilities and from the broadest possible geographical basis amongst the EU Member States.

Assistance can be provided to persons with disabilities during the recruitment procedure. For further information, send an email to HR-BXL-OTHER-AGENTS-RTD@ec.europa.eu.

Conditions of employment

The salaries and conditions of employment are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union.

The successful candidate will be appointed by the Governing Board as a Temporary Agent at grade AD 14. She/he will be classified depending on the length of his/her previous professional experience in step 1 or step 2 within that grade.

She/he will be appointed for an initial mandate of 4 years, with a possible extension for a maximum 3 years according to Regulation establishing the JU.

Applicants should note the requirement under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union for all new staff to complete successfully a 9-month probationary period.

The place of employment is Brussels, Belgium.

The post is available from 16 May 2023.

Important information for candidates

Candidates are reminded that the work of the selection panels is confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with their individual members or for anybody to do so on their behalf. Any query has to be addressed to the secretariat of the respective panel.

Protection of personal data

The Commission will ensure that candidates’ personal data are processed as required by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (12). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Independence and declaration of interests

Before taking up his/her duties, the Executive Director will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to declare any interests, which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

Application procedure

Before submitting your application, you should carefully check whether you meet all eligibility requirements (‘Candidates must’), particularly concerning the types of diploma, high-level professional experience as well as linguistic capacity required. Failure to meet any of the eligibility requirements means an automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.

If you want to apply, you must register via the internet on the following website and follow the instructions concerning the various stages of the procedure:

https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/human-resources/seniormanagementvacancies/

You must have a valid email address. This will be used to confirm your registration as well as to remain in contact with you during the different stages of the procedure. Therefore, please keep the European Commission informed about any change in your email address.

To complete your application, you need to upload a CV in PDF format, preferably using the Europass CV format (13), and to fill out, online, a letter of motivation (maximum 8 000 characters). Your CV and your letter of motivation may be submitted in any of the official languages of the European Union.

It is in your interest to ensure that your application is accurate, thorough and truthful.

Once you have finished your online registration, you will receive an electronic mail confirming that your application has been registered. If you do not receive a confirmation mail, your application has not been registered!

Please note that it is not possible to monitor the progress of your application on-line. You will be contacted directly by the European Commission regarding the status of your application.

Applications sent by email will not be accepted. If you require more information and/or encounter technical problems, please send an email to: HR-MANAGEMENT-ONLINE@ec.europa.eu

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time. We strongly advise you not to wait until the last few days before applying, since heavy internet traffic or a fault with your internet connection could lead to the online registration being terminated before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process. Once the deadline for the submission of registrations has passed, you will no longer be able to introduce any data. Late registrations will not be accepted.

Closing date

The closing date for registration is 14 February 2023, 12:00 (midday) Brussels time, following which registration is no longer possible.

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(1)  Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe and repealing Regulations (EC) No 219/2007, (EU) No 557/2014, (EU) No 558/2014, (EU) No 559/2014, (EU) No 560/2014, (EU) No 561/2014 and (EU) No 642/2014 (OJ L 427, 30.11.2021, p. 17).

(2)  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — A hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe; COM/2020/301 final; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020DC0301.

(3)  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — REPowerEU Plan; COM/2022/230 final; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2022%3A230%3AFIN.

(4)  Professional experience is only taken into consideration if it represents an actual work relationship defined as real, genuine work, on a paid basis and as employee (any type of contract) or provider of a service. Professional activities pursued part-time shall be calculated pro rata, on the basis of the certified percentage of full-time hours worked. Maternity leave/parental leave/leave for adoption is taken into consideration if it is in the framework of a work contract. PhDs are assimilated to professional experience, even when unpaid, but for a duration of 3 years maximum, provided that the PhD has been successfully completed. A given period may be counted only once.

(5)  In their curriculum vitae, candidates should clearly indicate for all years during which management experience has been acquired: (1) title and role of management positions held; (2) numbers of staff overseen in these positions; (3) the size of budgets managed; (4) numbers of hierarchical layers above and below; and (5) number of peers.

(6)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01958R0001-20130701.

(7)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140701.

(8)  https://commission.europa.eu/jobs-european-commission/job-opportunities/managers-european-commission_en#temporary-jobs-for-managers (only exists in English).

(9)  Members other than the Union means ‘any participating state, private member or international organisation that is a member of a Joint Undertaking’.

(10)  Unless the Member of the Commission concerned, in line with the Commission Decision of 5 December 2007 (PV(2007) 1811) and 30 September 2020 (PV(2020) 2351), has delegated this task.

(11)  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140701.

(12)  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 (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39).

(13)  You can find information on how to create your Europass CV online at: https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv.