• Function title: Chief of Staff – Head of DG Cabinet
• Reference: NOC-DG-2023-AD/649
• Location: Brussels (The selected candidate must reside either at this location or within a reasonable proximity that allows for the satisfactory execution of their duties). – Information about living in Brussels
• Nature of competition: Internal and external competition
• Applicable regulations: Staff regulations governing officials of the EUROCONTROL Agency
• Type of post: Administrator
• Job level: AD12 – Check salary simulations for the basic grade
• Generic job title: Senior Adviser
• Number of posts: 1
• Duration of appointment: 5 Year(s) – extension or conversion of the contract is possible – see “Useful information” section
• Security clearance: EUROCONTROL, NATO or EU Secret
• Directorate/Service: DG/PO – Private Office of the Director General
• Working arrangement: Hybrid work (remote and onsite)
• Competition publication date: 25/08/2023
• Competition closing date: 22/09/2023 (23:59 Brussels time)
• Reserve list: Applicable – See details in the “Useful information” section

Your team

Within the Office of the Director General, the Private Office of the Director General provides support and advice to the Director General in the execution of the DG duties towards the Organisation.

Your role

Your role will be to:

• Advise the DG on strategic and policy matters regarding the business of the Agency.
• Assist the DG in the day-to-day affairs and in the implementation of the Agency’s strategic plans, decisions and initiatives.
• Lead strategic implementation of the Agency plans.
• Lead and coordinate cross-directorate projects and plans in coordination with senior management and stakeholders on behalf of the DG, and report on progress.
• Invest in the strategic stakeholder network and act as a direct liaison on behalf of the DG with EU bodies and aviation partners.
• Represent the DG in various internal and external meetings, negotiations, conferences, events, etc.
• Develop the DG’s communication plans to key stakeholders on the Agency’s activities and liaise with relevant services (e.g. DG/COM) to maximise communication channels.
• Manage the business continuity/A-crisis process of the Agency and coordinate all parts concerned in the corresponding Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Group.
• Manage the Aviation Intelligence Committee and the ASIC (Agency Strategic Investment Committee).
• Lead the Agency’s coordination on international matters, including contribution to ICAO, EASA, other EU bodies, comprehensive agreements and relations with third parties.
• Participate as an active member in the Agency’s Board and coordinate with Directors so as to ensure implementation of decisions and plans.
• Carry out any other task in line with the main purpose of the job.

Required qualifications, experience & competencies

• Completed university studies of 4 years in a relevant domain (ATM, Engineering, Business Administration/Management, etc.).
• Internal candidates can check on the intranet to see what level of in-house experience is considered equivalent to educational qualifications where appropriate.
• Minimum 15 years’ professional experience including 10 years in management or strategic activities.
• Experience in dealing with airlines, aviation trade associations, ANSPs, airports, governments, EU bodies and/or aviation regulators.
• Experience in providing strategic support on various internal/external topics to senior management.
• Experience or understanding of the multi-lateral State institutions, governance, structure and legal frameworks.
• Experience in conducting negotiations.
• Experience in leading a cabinet would be an advantage.
• Understanding of the aviation industry and its technical/operational aspects and of European air traffic management.
• Understanding of the relevant EU programmes.
• Project/programme management skills.
• Stakeholder management skills.
• Business acumen.
• Political awareness and sensitivity of the current international aviation environment.
• Communication: You adapt your communication to different situations and audiences.
• Managing people: You encourage development in support of business objectives.
• Strategic focus: You develop business/service strategy in line with the Agency’s strategy.
• Organisational Awareness: You understand influences and operate effectively in a broader context.
• Networking: You design network with a view to developing strategic connections.
• Ability to work in a multinational and multicultural environment.
• Professional conduct in line with the corporate behaviours of the Agency, i.e. result-driven, readiness to change, customer focus, integrity and team-player approach.
• The working languages of the Agency are English and French. For this particular job, candidates must be proficient users of English at level C1. The selected candidate will be required to become at least a basic user of French (level A1) before the end of the probation period.
  The levels relate to the European-framework-reference Common European Framework of References for languages (CEFR).

Useful information

• Applications will be accepted from nationals of EUROCONTROL Member States only.
• This is an appointment for a fixed term of 5 years in accordance with Article 3.1 of Annex Xb to the Staff Regulations (the immediate superior of the appointee is the Director General). The appointment may be renewed in line with the provisions of Article 3, paragraph 1.
• Before being established in the post, the selected candidate will be requested to provide certified copies of their degrees and successfully serve a probationary period of 9 months.
• Internal candidates
  • An official already in post appointed for a limited period who is selected to carry out duties as referred to in this paragraph shall be appointed to such duties for a further period of five years, renewable once, but the total duration of his services within the Agency shall not exceed nine years. However, after five years of service with the Agency, the appointment of that official, even if he is assigned to different posts, may be converted into an appointment of for an undetermined period, in accordance with the provisions of Article 7 of Annex Xb.
  • An official already in post appointed for an undetermined period or to a permanent post before May 2002 who is selected to carry out duties as referred to in this paragraph for a limited period shall, at the end of his period of appointment, which may have been renewed once, be assigned to a type of post at the grade which he held in the month prior to appointment for a limited period in order to carry out the duties referred to in this paragraph, and he may be granted the step advancement which he would have received if he had remained at his former grade. The said official may be assigned to another duty station only with his formal consent.
• The successful candidate shall be appointed at the grade set out in this vacancy notice, or if a group of grades has been published for a job level, in principle at the basic grade of the published job level.
• This post entails management activities. Established staff members will therefore have to serve a confirmation period of 9 months. This period may be shortened to 6 months if the successful candidate is appointed following a competition preceded by a previous temporary assignment to the post for which s/he was selected. The Director General may also decide not to make subject to this provision if that official has previously been assigned, for a period of 2 years or more, to a post similar to that for which he has been selected and which entailed the same level of management responsibilities.
• In case of reserve list: Suitable candidates, however not selected to fill the post, will be placed on a reserve list for similar functions. The period of validity of reserve list is 1 year from the closing date of applications.
• Information on salary and benefits can be found on our Careers site
• EUROCONTROL is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equality and diversity. In the event of equal merit, preference may be given to the applicant from the under-represented diversity characteristics in order to complement diversity of teams and rebalance the workforce.
• Candidates should go to our Careers site and read the tips on how to apply.