AD7 Information & Communication Technology Experts Competition Released - EPSO/AD/331/16

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has just released the EPSO/AD/331/16 Notice of Competition – calling forward applications for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Experts (AD7) competition.

The deadline for registrations is 10 January 2017, at 12 midday (CET) giving applicants a little over one month to apply.

This competition will recruit specialists in the field of information and communication technology, functioning at the administrator level (AD7). Please see ANNEX I of the Notice of Competition for specific information about the typical duties to be performed per field.

Successful applicants who are recruited will mainly be based in Luxembourg, while a few posts will be based in Brussels.

Under the EPSO/AD/331/16 competition, the following fields and reserve lists have been advertised:

Data Analysis and IT Service - 30 places
Digital Workplace, Office Automation and Mobile Computing - 25 places
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - 14 places
ICT Security - 49 places
IT Infrastructure - 38 places
IT Portfolio/Programme Management and Enterprise Architecture - 24 places

While this notice covers six fields, applicants can ONLY apply to ONE. It is important to note that applicants will not be able to change their choice once they have confirmed and validated their online application form.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates will need to satisfy the following:

Have EU citizenship
Fulfilled any military service requirements
Meet the character requirements for the duties concerned
Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of one of the 24 official EU languages – will be defined as your Language 1
Have a good command (minimum B2 level) of either English or French, and must be different from Language 1 – will be defined as your Language 2
Qualifications & Work Experience:
- Completed university studies of at least 4 years in ICT attested by a diploma + a minimum of 6 years’ relevant professional experience in ICT, of which a minimum of 3 years was in the chosen field,
  OR
- Completed university studies of at least 3 years in ICT attested by a diploma + a minimum of 7 years’ relevant professional experience in ICT, of which a minimum of 4 years was in the chosen field,
  OR
- Completed university studies of at least 4 years attested by a diploma + a minimum of 10 years’ relevant professional experience in ICT, of which a minimum of 3 years was in the chosen field,
  OR
- Completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma + a minimum of 11 years’ relevant professional experience in ICT, of which a minimum of 4 years was in the chosen field.

Selection Process

Please note: You must fill in your application form in your chosen Language 2. That is – English or French.

1. Pre-Selection

This phase of the competition is comprised of a series of computer-based multiple-choice questions and competency-based tests.

The computer based multiple-choice question tests will contain the following:

Tests	Language	Question	Duration	Pass mark
Verbal Reasoning	Language 1	20 questions	35 min	10/20
Numerical Reasoning	Language 1	10 questions	20 min	Numerical + Abstract Reasoning score is combined:10/20
Abstract Reasoning	Language 1	10 questions	10 min	Numerical + Abstract Reasoning score is combined:10/20

Please note that these tests are eliminatory and do not count towards the other tests held at the assessment centre.

Naturally, candidates need to do much better than a pass mark in the pre-selection exam stage if they wish to progress to the next stage of the competition – the Assessment Centre. So plan your preparation and start practicing right now!

2. Selection based on qualifications

The eligibility requirements will be checked for each candidate in descending order of the marks obtained in the Pre-selection exam, until the threshold of eligible candidates required is reaches. Candidates are assessed on the data provided in their online application form’s Talent Screener. Each selection criterion is weighted and those candidates who score the highest total marks (those with profiles that best match the duties to be performed) will be invited to the Assessment Centre stage of the competition.

3. Assessment Centre

Those who scored the highest marks in the Pre-Selection exams will be invited to the Assessment Centre. A maximum of 3 times the number of successful candidates sought for each profile will be invited to this phase.

Please note that the Assessment Centre will take place in Brussels and will be undertaken in your chosen Language 2.

The marks obtained in these tests will count towards your final competition score. Eight general competencies and the specific competencies required for this competition will be tested during the Assessment Centre through 4 tests:

General Competency-based Interviews
Specific Competency-based Interviews
Group Exercise
Case Study

4. Reserve List

After checking candidates’ supporting documents, the selection board will draw up a Reserve List for each field of the eligible candidates who have obtained the highest overall scores at the Assessment Centre, until the number of successful candidates sought is reached.

How to apply

Make sure to ALWAYS check the official Notice of Competition and understand the rules relating to the exams. For full details on the profiles and the selection procedure read the official Notice of Competition and the General Rules Governing Open Competitions to ensure you have the required qualifications and satisfy the eligibility criteria before applying.

To start the application process, please click here