The EIB, the European Union's bank is seeking to recruit for its Secretariat General (SG) - Advisory Services Department (ASD) – JASPERS Networking and Competence Centre Division, at its headquarters in Luxembourg, or in the Brussels office, a:
State Aid Expert
This is a full time temporary) position at grade 5/6
The term of this contract will be 1 year
As this is a temporary replacement assignment, no extension or conversion of the contract is foreseen
Location of this position will be Luxembourg or Brussels
Panel interviews are anticipated for beginning of September
JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions) is a bilateral advisory partnership between the EIB and the European Commission (Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy), with the aim of supporting EU and pre-accession Countries achieving better access to grant financing under the EU Cohesion and Structural Funds. JASPERS provides independent advice for the sound preparation of eligible infrastructure projects, as well as supports the capacity building and strengthening of relevant national authorities and beneficiaries.
With the creation of the JASPERS Networking and Competence Centre Division (NCC) to reinforce existing capacity building activities, share knowledge and good practices, and provide advisory on cross-sectoral issues, JASPERS needs to strengthen its capacity in the field of State Aid.
Purpose
As the State Aid Expert you will support the NCC for all the tasks and responsibilities related to JASPERS’ activities on state aid issues. Your tasks will include the preparation and delivery of trainings and capacity building activities, the development of guidance documents and the provision of ad-hoc advice on projects. You will be responsible for providing operational support to JASPERS’ task managers for state aid advice in the context of project preparation.
Operating Network
You will report to JASPERS’ Head of NCC Division for both operational and administrative matters. You will cooperate closely with (i) other colleagues in the NCC team, experts of JASPERS sectoral teams as well as other EIB services, as required; (ii) JASPERS partners, especially the European Commission; (iii) external service providers and consultants.
Accountabilities
Support the NCC Division Head and other senior team members in defining business requirements related to state aid issues in JASPERS activities;
Assist the NCC Division Head in defining a strategy and procedures for ensuring consistency of JASPERS advice on state aid issues;
- Prepare and deliver (multi-country) capacity building events on state aid issues as part of the JASPERS Networking Platform annual work programme, in close coordination with other NCC senior team members, including liaising where appropriate with the relevant external partners (European Commission, EIB, relevant authorities in Member States);
- Prepare and carry out on-demand trainings and train-the-trainers modules with requiring authorities in Member States, in close cooperation with other team members and sector specialists;
- Provide ad-hoc advice for projects, in particular Major Projects across all sectors JASPERS is involved (in particular energy, transport, water, waste, knowledge economy).
- Ensure a consistent approach to state aid advisory across sectors and countries;
- Act as a contact point to deal with state aid issues ;
- Actively promote awareness and knowledge sharing of state aid issues within the JASPERS network, including drafting of relevant guidance documents.
Qualifications
Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant domain, typically law, business and/or economics, other post-graduate studies in a relevant subject would be of advantage;
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in state aid matters, primarily in projects;
Experience of project advisory, policy and/or coordination work on state aid;
Experience in designing, preparing and delivering training on state aid issues;
Good understanding of EU Cohesion and State Aid policy and relevant Regulations, as well as of the political and operational framework in which the EIB and JASPERS operate; concrete experience in dealing with DG COMPETITION would be an advantage;
Excellent written and spoken English; knowledge of one or more of the languages of the Eastern European countries would be considered an asset;
Good knowledge of standard IT tools (e.g, MS Word, MS Powerpoint, MS Excel, etc)
Competencies
Achievement Drive: continually keeps an eye on performance, focusing on improving it, showing drive and determination to meet short and long-term goals.
Change Orientation: Adapts to differences and changes in the environment; takes a flexible approach to reach outcomes.
Collaboration: Works cooperatively as part of a team; works collaboratively with peers across organisational boundaries based on a genuine interest in and an accurate understanding of others and their individual perspectives and concerns.
Organisational Commitment: Is willing to commit to an organisation whose mission is to support Europe and is open to diversity, and to align her/his own behaviour with the organisation’s needs and intrinsic values, acting with integrity in ways that promote the organisation’s mission, policies and rules.
We are an equal opportunity employer, who believes that diversity is good for our people and our business. As such, we promote the inclusion of suitably qualified and experienced staff without regard to their gender, age, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation/identity, or disability (*).
Deadline for applications: 13th August 2018
(*) We particularly welcome applications from women and persons with disabilities.
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