Call for expressions of interest - Graphic designers

WHO WE ARE

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) was established in 1975 as the European Union’s external auditor. One of the EU’s seven institutions, it is based in Luxembourg and employs around 1000 audit, support and administrative staff of all EU nationalities.

The ECA operates as a collegiate body of 27 Members, one from each EU member state. Our auditors check that the EU keeps good accounts and correctly applies its financial rules, and that its policies and programmes achieve their intended objectives and deliver value for money.

Through our work, we contribute to improving the EU’s financial management and promote accountability and transparency. We warn of risks, provide assurance, indicate shortcomings and successes and offer guidance to EU policymakers and legislators. We present our observations and recommendations to the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, and national governments and parliaments, as well as the general public.

We are a modern and dynamic organisation striving for and promoting excellence, professionalism, transparency and integrity. We define ourselves as a diverse, flexible and equitable institution, which offers every individual the opportunity to maximise his or her talent. Through our individual and collective involvement in the ECA’s activities and our ambitious training programme, our aim is to make the ECA an intellectually stimulating workplace, and a learning-based organisation that relies on institutional knowledge and motivated and well-trained people to serve the EU and its citizens.

We are an EU institution on a human scale: this facilitates integration, allows for easier interaction, and encourages teamwork. We offer flexible working hours and opportunities for teleworking, including from outside the place of residence[1]. We value diversity and inclusion, promote equal opportunities, and ensure a respectful working environment based on open communication, dialogue, and mutual trust. Staff engagement, wellbeing and greening are important pillars of our internal policies.

Within the Directorate of the Presidency, the Communication team is responsible for a range of tasks in the field of internal and external communication. We aim to keep staff up to date on the latest news in and about the ECA, alert stakeholders and the press to the ECA’s most recent activities and events, and maintain a high level of interest. To optimise communication and reinforce our message, we also offer professional graphic design and data visualisation services to other ECA departments.

 
[1]     Currently, staff are allowed to telework up to 10 days per month. Of these, 5 days per month and a maximum of 30 days per year can be from outside the place of residence.

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING

We are launching this call to establish a list of candidates from which to recruit graphic designers as contract agents in function group III. As needs arise, candidates on the list who have successfully completed the assessment phase as described under the “Procedure” section, may be offered a contract in accordance with the provisions of Article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS), for a 2-year period, renewable for a maximum period of another 4 years. The initial contract will be subject to a probationary period of 9 months.

The recruited staff will be based and carry out their duties at the ECA’s offices in Luxembourg. 

The basic monthly salary for contract staff, function group III (grade 8) is currently €3 204.55. 

Under the conditions laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants[2], certain allowances may be added to the basic salary, which is subject to EU tax and exempt from national tax.

The EU institutions have their own pension and health systems for which contributions are deducted at source.

Staff members’ children can benefit from free enrolment at the European School.

What are the tasks 

Under the authority of the principal manager, the graphic designers will provide the following services to ECA departments.

-    Audit teams: infographics and data visualisation for audit-related publications.

-    Social media officers: design assets for our social media channels.

-    ECA-organised conferences and other events: promotional material and presentations.

-    Various departments: non-audit-related publications, logos, leaflets, guidelines, banners, etc. for internal or external communication.

-    General: other ECA communication and training activities.

 
[2]     https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140501&from=EN 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

1.       Legal requirements

In accordance with Article 82(3) of the CEOS, candidates must, on the date of their application:

-        be a national of one of the EU’s Member States,

-        enjoy their full rights as citizens,

-        have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the recruitment laws concerning military service, and

-        meet the character requirements for the duties involved.

2.       Qualifications

In accordance with Article 82(2) of the CEOS:

            i.            a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or

          ii.            a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least 3 years, or

         iii.            where justified in the interest of the service, professional training or professional experience of an equivalent level.

Please note that only diplomas or professional qualifications that have been awarded or recognised in EU (or former EU) member states or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by the authorities of one of these member states shall be taken into consideration.

3.        Experience

We are looking for applicants who, by the deadline, will be able to demonstrate at least 1 year of relevant professional experience in the field of graphic design after obtaining the above-mentioned qualifications.

4.        Knowledge of languages

—        Excellent command (mother tongue or minimum level C2 in understanding, speaking and writing) of one official EU language.

—        A sound knowledge of English (minimum level C1 in understanding, speaking and writing) is required. A good knowledge of French will be considered an asset, given that English and French are the ECA’s official working languages.

Please indicate in your CV the language level according to the following assessment model:

https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference

5.        Skills

Candidates should be able to demonstrate:

-    experience in the field of graphic design, including the use of Adobe Creative Suite software for graphic design, print design or web design (especially Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign); experience of data visualisation would be an asset;

-    layout and design skills, including the ability to translate complex information into appealing, reader-friendly visualisations, and an understanding of prepress and print production;

-    knowledge of brand maintenance and development, including applying and promoting the corporate brand;

-    proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet;

-    good administrative and organisational skills, including the ability to work to deadlines and set priorities;

-    a keen eye for detail and the ability to work well and maintain accuracy under deadline pressure;

-    a high level of commitment and flexibility, including strong customer orientation and a service mindset;

-    the ability to work autonomously as part of a multidisciplinary team and work effectively in an international and multicultural environment;

-    good interpersonal skills, including the ability to liaise effectively with other departments and teams, as well as with external partners.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

(a)      Eligibility check

Applications will be examined against eligibility criteria, points 2, 3 and 4 outlined under “What we are looking for” by a selection committee appointed by the ECA authority empowered to conclude contracts of employment (AECCE)[3]. Candidates who fail to satisfy any of these eligibility criteria will be excluded from the selection process.

The selection committee will draw up a list of candidates who meet the eligibility criteria.

The list will be valid until 31 December 2025, and may be extended.

The inclusion of candidates in the list does not, in any way, constitute an entitlement to recruitment.

(b)      Assessment phase

When needs arise, the recruiting service will consult the list to identify and shortlist candidates whose profiles align with their specific needs, based on the information provided in their applications. If shortlisted, candidates will be invited to tests and/or interviews conducted by the selection committee. The tests and/or interviews are designed to evaluate candidates’ skills and abilities for the relevant position (see point 5 of the “What we are looking for” section). The nature, content and time frame of these tests will be communicated to the shortlisted candidates in due time.

(c)       Recruitment

Following the tests and/or interviews, the selection committee will propose to the AECCE the names of the candidates who meet the requirements for the duties to be performed (criteria 3 to 5 above). Based on service needs and budget availability, the AECCE may then offer employment to one or more of the candidates. 

[3]     The composition of the selection committee will be published on the ECA website.

APPLICATIONS

The deadline for applications is 12:00 (midday) CEST on 30 September 2024.

Applications must be drafted in English or French and submitted only via the online form provided. They must comprise the following documents in English or French:

-    a cover letter (maximum one page), including, if available, a link to an online portfolio of original work across a range of projects;

-    an up-to-date CV (maximum five pages), preferably in the Europass format  (see https://europa.eu/europass/).

Any application received after the deadline or which is not submitted using the online form provided in this purpose will be rejected.

The pre-selection committee will evaluate applications based solely on the information given in these documents. It may ask candidates to provide supporting evidence for statements made in their applications. If candidates fail to provide such evidence when it is requested, their applications will be rejected.

To ensure that your application is completed on time, we strongly advise you not to wait until the last few hours to apply. Experience has shown that the system may become overloaded as the deadline approaches.

RECRUITMENT POLICY

In line with the ECA’s Diversity and Inclusion policy and Article 1d of the Staff Regulations, the ECA embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. We accept applications without discrimination on any grounds, and we take steps to ensure that recruitment is evenly balanced between women and men, as required by Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. We also take measures to reconcile working life with family life.

If you require any special arrangements for a specific handicap or disability in order to take part in this selection procedure, please send an email in good time to ECA-Selection@eca.europa.eu.

DATA PROTECTION

The ECA is committed to ensuring that applicants' personal data are processed in compliance with 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.

For more information, see our specific privacy statement on recruitment at the following address:

https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/Specific_Privacy_Statement_vacancies/Specific_Privacy_Statement_vacancies_EN.PDF

The list containing the names of candidates who meet the eligibility criteria set out in this call for expressions of interest will be published on the ECA website. The list will remain on our website until it is no longer valid. Prior to publication, the eligible candidates will be given an opportunity to have their names removed from the published list by sending an email to ECA-Selection@eca.europa.eu. Removing a name from the published list will have no impact on the consideration of that candidate for a possible selection.

REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION — COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS — COMPLAINTS TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN

If, at any stage in the selection procedure, you believe that a decision adversely affects you, the following options are available:

Request for the selection board to reconsider its decision

You may submit a reasoned written request for a committee’s decision to be reconsidered. Such a request must be submitted to the following address within 10 calendar days of notification of the decision, to ECA-Recours@eca.europa.eu. Where the last day of this period is a public holiday, Saturday or Sunday, the period shall end with the expiry of the last hour of the following working day.

Complaints

Under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations, you may submit a written complaint against the ECA’s decision to reject your application within three months of being notified thereof, to the following address:

The Secretary-General
European Court of Auditors
12, rue Alcide De Gasperi
L-1615 Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG

Judicial appeals

Under Article 91 of the Staff Regulations, you may appeal against a decision to reject your complaint, insofar as it adversely affects you, to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The action must be brought by a lawyer within three months of notification of the decision to reject the complaint.

Complaints to the European Ombudsman

If you believe that the handling of your application has involved maladministration by the ECA, you may submit a complaint to the European Ombudsman, having first contacted the ECA with a view to settling the dispute. You must submit your complaint in writing within 2 years of discovering the relevant facts. An electronic complaints form is available on the European Ombudsman’s website. Complaining to the European Ombudsman will not suspend the above-mentioned appeal deadlines.