Administrative Assistant

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 THE EUIPO

25 years of work  on IP have consolidated the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) as the independent, self-financed, non-profit European Union (EU) agency responsible for the registration of trade marks and designs in the EU and one of the most technologically advanced and innovative organisations in the world of Intellectual Property (IP). Indeed, new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence or blockchain are now fully embedded in EUIPO’s practice in the administration of its unique and unbeatable business proposition: registering and protecting trade marks and designs for the whole of Europe in a cost effective, reliable, and timely manner. 

The EUIPO has fully embraced the new IP trends in terms of globalisation and emerging importance of enforcement. Since 2013, the Office is responsible for IP research, communication, knowledge sharing and cooperation with enforcement authorities, covering all IPRs, via the European Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights (the Observatory).

The EUIPO does not only operate in Europe, it has now enlarged its footprint to the five continents and is, for example, implementing EU projects on IP in China, South East Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.

The EUIPO enjoys a privileged sea front location in Alicante in a newly inaugurated campus where staff benefit from EUIPO’s facilities (such as retail services, sport facilities, etc.). In addition, Alicante has a European School. Since 2008, the Office is committed to reducing its environmental impact through extensive initiatives. Its geographical location in Alicante is well connected, with high-speed train connections to many locations and hosting the 4th largest airport in the country.

EUIPO offers a unique mix of professional opportunities and quality of life.

The working languages of the Office are English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

2. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Director/Deputy Director/Head of Service, the successful candidates will be expected to carry out any of the following tasks, in any department of the Office, both in charge of Intellectual Property (IP) and/or support areas: 

• Provide the highest standard of administrative support, based on a proactive attitude and anticipating  of  emerging  issues,  to  governance/management  bodies,  managers  and/or departments in complex environments requiring effective coordination; 
• Prepare reports (i.e. financial, strategic, implementation, performance, meeting minutes etc.), notes, presentations, correspondence etc., in the respective area of responsibility, including revision of texts, with high drafting quality standards and translations where necessary; 
• Events management: provide administrative, operational and logistic assistance for the organisation of complex international conferences and high-level events, including travel management and positively engaging with the relevant stakeholders; 
• Project   management   support:   assist   programme   and   project   management   by   drafting project documentation and all necessary administrative, financial and procurement tasks, while following established methodologies and project plans;
• Management systems support (quality, risk, performance etc.): assist in the development and   update   of   guidelines   and   processes,   performance   monitoring   and   reporting,   risk management and overall support for fulfilling the requirements of the different management systems implemented in the EUIPO;
• Document management: support the efficient organisation and maintenance of the Office’s electronic document management system adhering to existing policies, regulations, quality standards and data protection requirements; 
• Stakeholder management support: support the cooperation and stakeholder management initiatives, both within its EU and International dimensions; 
• Talent management support: assist the delivery of the full range of services related to Talent acquisition (selections, onboarding, etc.) and talent development (training, learning and knowledge management activities); 
• Financial   and   procurement   support:   assist   financial   processes   (i.e.   budget   planning, controlling, monitoring and reporting, contract management/procurement, reimbursements, invoices) in the relevant department. 

• Actively work towards the achievement of the goals of the EUIPO in accordance with the Strategic Plan;
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be admissible for this selection, candidates  must  fulfil  all  the following conditions by the deadline for submission of applications:

3.1 General conditions   

• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union;
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;
• Meet the character requirements as to suitability for the performance of the duties involved;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties.

3.2 Education

• Have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, 

OR

• Have  a  level  of  secondary education  attested  by  a  diploma  giving  access  to  post- secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years.

3.3 Professional experience

• Have a minimum of 3 years of full-time relevant professional experience in relation with and at the level of the tasks in at least one of the areas described under “Duties”.

3.4 Language skills

• ave a thorough knowledge of English (minimum level C1) – Language 1;
• ave a good knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU (minimum level B2) – Language 23;
• The levels indicated correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

3.5 Computer skills

• Advanced computer literacy is compulsory. Candidates must have good professional experience with computer applications such as MS Office package/standard computer applications (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, MS Teams), collaborative and remote working tools, document management systems and Internet research.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

Notwithstanding the required experience established under point 3 of the present vacancy notice (eligibility criteria), the Office will use the following criteria in order to select the best qualified candidates for the interview and test phase:

• Professional experience in providing comprehensive administrative support in complex anddemanding environments such as executive or governance/management bodies support;
• Knowledge of and professional experience covering one or more of the following areas: project management support, management systems support, document management support, stakeholders management support, talent management support, financial and procurement support; 
• rofessional experience in an international environment;
• xcellent drafting skills in English proven by demonstrated professional experience in drafting complex documents (such as reports, minutes, correspondence, etc.);
• A thorough knowledge of at least one of the following languages of the European Union: Danish, and/or French, and/or German, and/or Italian, and/or Polish, and/or Romanian, and/or Swedish (at minimum level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages); 
• Proven knowledge and/or professional experience in the field of Intellectual Property (IP), in particular in relation to trade marks and/or designs.

In addition to the above criteria, candidates invited to the interview and test phase will also be assessed against the following requirements: 

Competencies:

• Communication: communicate clearly and precisely both orally and in writing; 
• Analysis and Problem-solving:  ability to identify the critical facts in complex issues and develop creative and practical solutions;
• Working with Others:  work cooperatively with others in teams and across organisational boundaries and respect differences between people; 
• Learning and Development: develop and improve personal skills and knowledge of the organisation and its environment; 
• Prioritisation and Organisation: ability to prioritise the most important tasks, work flexibly and organise own and others’ workload efficiently;
• Quality and Results: take personal responsibility and initiative for delivering work to a high standard quality within set procedures; show clear customer orientation (internal and external);
• Resilience: remain effective under work pressure, be flexible and adapt to a changing work environment.

5. INTERVIEWS AND TESTS

Pre-selection 

Admissible candidates whose applications rank among the best qualified in accordance with the selection criteria detailed under point 4, may be contacted in order to verify their language skills (in particular, spoken production in English), as well as to prove their professional experience and/or other skills, knowledge and competencies. This pre-selection contact does not entitle candidates to be invited for interview: it is a step in selecting the most suitable candidates to be invited for interview

Interview

Interviews will take place virtually and given the nature of the duties, will be carried out in English. Other relevant languages as declared in the candidate’s application/CV may be assessed in accordance with the levels indicated in this vacancy notice.

The interview will test the candidate’s motivation, suitability and knowledge of matters relating to the duties to be performed and the selection criteria established in the vacancy notice (technical knowledge, experience and behavioural competencies). 

Test(s)

One or several tests will complete the assessment of one or several of the above aspects.

Candidates called for the interview and test phase will receive detailed information with the invitation.