Document Management Officer AD 5 (TA2f)

Community Plant Variety Office

The Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) is an independent EU Agency that was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 on 27 July 1994. The CPVO is responsible for the management of the Community Plant Variety Rights System. This system provides protection with an intellectual property right for new plant varieties on European Union level. The mission of the CPVO is to deliver and promote an efficient Intellectual Property Rights system that supports the creation of new plant varieties for the benefit of Society.

For further information, please refer to CPVO’s website: www.cpvo.europa.eu.

The CPVO is organising a call for expressions of interest with a view to establishing a reserve list for Document Management Officer (TA2f) in grade AD5.

The CPVO Document Management officer is responsible for control, security, accessibility and timeliness of organisational documents. The person will have duties such as directing documentation projects, developing standardised documentation tools and methods, editing projects and authorising final approval. The Document Management Officer will work under the supervision of the Head of Digital Transformation Unit, who reports to the President, with the overall objective of supporting the institutional information and knowledge management of the CPVO.

This position will constitute a centralised function for establishing and maintaining sound and consistent document management and records retention practices. He/she will also contribute to the safe handling and processing of confidential information. In particular, the job holder will put in place policies, procedures, and project manager for implementation of tools in the above-referred domains, and monitor their implementation centrally within the CPVO. Moreover, he/she will provide day-to-day guidance to the CPVO business areas and coordinate the use of document and records management systems.

Profile / Duties

Profile

The CPVO wishes to recruit a highly motivated and well-qualified Temporary Agent (TA2f) in grade AD 5 who, under the authority of the Head of Digital Transformation Unit, will work as Document Management Officer.

We are looking for a highly motivated and collaborative individual Document Management officer to join the Digital and Transformation Unit. He/she will be responsible as project manager – under the supervision of the Head of the Digital Transformation Unit - for updating and executing CPVO’s document management strategy and ensuring compliance with document management processes (Creation, Review, Approval, Publishing, Controlling and Security. The Document Management Officer will also be responsible for developing standardized documentation tools and methods for the Office.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams. To thrive in this role, the ideal candidate will possess a client-focused mindset and demonstrate a keen attention to detail, while maintaining a big-picture perspective.

Duties

• Creating, reviewing, and updating document management plans, procedures, and processes ensuring:
  - that documents are created after a documented and approved review-and-approval process
  - the security, accessibility, and distribution of CPVO documents
  - develop and enforce documentation design, review, and storage guidelines
  - audit trails are maintained for all types of CPVO documents and the confidentiality of sensitive information and documents by means of classification.
  • Contribute to the development and maintenance of policies and procedures for the CPVO document management and records retention, as well as for protection of confidential information.
  • Selecting CPVO’s future Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS): working with IT for the EDMS implementation and subsequent smooth operation, ensuring the integration of digital tools into daily processes and other CPVO platforms and procedures for access approval and access control, automation of document workflows and implementing document disaster recovery through document archiving
  • Ensuring compliance with the relevant regulations, laws, policies, and quality management: embed EUDPR, Financial regulations & EU cybersecurity requirements in the design and operations of document management, monitor and report on document control metrics, ensure that internal controls are in place and are functional and investigate and resolve document security and control issues
  • Assist the CPVO staff and business areas in the implementation of policies and procedures in the above-mentioned domains.
  • Provide advice, training and support to the CPVO business areas on all aspects of document management and retention, including rules applicable/relevant to personal data protection and public access to documents, as well as on protection of confidential information.
  • Establish and maintain robust knowledge management practices (e.g., a physical library, databases);
  • Represent the CPVO and liaise on behalf of CPVO with comparable institutions in networks and information exchanges related to document management.
  • Act as the Data Protection Officer

General Conditions

To be considered eligible for selection, the applicant must meet by the closing date of this call, the following formal requirements:

• Completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma^[1] in the field of Library Science, Document and Information Management, Records Management, or related fields.
• Be a national of a Member State of the European Union^[2];
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union^[3] and a satisfactory knowledge of another EU language
• Entitlement to full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service;
• Be physically fit to perform duties linked to the post^[4]

^[1] A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma in a field relevant to the position and appropriate professional experience of at least one year OR a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least four years attested by a diploma in a field relevant to the position.

^[2] The Member States of the European Union are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

^[3]Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Irish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish.

^[4]  Before the appointment, the successful candidate shall be medically examined by one of the institutions' medical officers in order that the CPVO may be satisfied that he/she fulfils the requirement of article 82 point 3(d) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities

Qualifications

• Strong understanding and proven knowledge with document management procedures, systems, and standards to ensure effective document storage, retrieval and management
• Proficiency with the suite of M365 tools, in particular SharePoint, Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS), document workflow and automation and familiarity with EUDPR aspects/constraints for Document Management
• Knowledge of Document Workflow and Automation with experience in creating and implementing automated workflows to streamline document processing and approval.

Competencies
• The ability to learn and adapt to new software and systems in the document management field
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organisation and prioritisation (including project management competencies) and attention to detail (accuracy)
• Ability to work both in a team and independently
• Stakeholders and client focus, providing support with high standards of (internal) client mindset
• Adaptability and resilience, under pressure, change or stress, demonstrates the ability to remain productive and effective and/or overcome difficulties.

Languages
• Excellent knowledge of English: spoken and written skills equivalent to level C1 or higher level for working purposes

Professional Experience

0 - 5 years of professional experience.

Additional Requirements

• Good knowledge of the state of the art in the field, and ability to demonstrate capacity for rapidly acquiring knowledge in the Document Management domain and related sector
• Familiarity with the document management standards acquired in an EU Institution context
• Exposure to Lean and/or Agile principles applied to document management
• Prior professional experience as a technical writer, senior technical writer, or document control specialist is also valuable
• Satisfactory knowledge^[1] of another language^[2] of the European Union

^{[1] At least at the level B2, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr}

^{[2] https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/languages_en}

Appointment

The successful candidate will be offered a contract in grade AD5 under Article 2f of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, subject to a nine-month probation period.

The duration of the contract will be four years and may be renewed not more than once for a fixed period.

The place of employment is Angers (France), where the CPVO is based. For reasons related to the CPVO’s operational requirements, the chosen candidate will be expected to be available at short notice.

The job holder shall work in a multicultural environment where social dialogue between management and staff is regarded as vital. The CPVO is fully computerised and working time is based around flexitime and core working hours. The normal working week is 40 hours. The jobholder is expected to start as soon as possible.

Contractual Conditions

Work-life balance

We offer flexible working arrangements: CPVO allows its staff to work within a perimeter of 350 km and 4 hours of car from Angers, while respecting the provisions applicable to its working conditions.
Teleworking from abroad it is also possible, with a maximum of days established per year, aiming at helping our staff manage their personal and professional commitments effectively.

Remuneration

Successful applicants who are offered a contract of employment will, on their entry into service, be placed in step 1 or step 2 of the AD 5 grade, according to the length of their professional experience. The basic net monthly salaries for Temporary Agents in grade AD 5, as of 1 January 2023, are:

• Step 1: € 4 955,13 (without expatriation allowance) and € 5 957,15 (with expatriation allowance)
• Step 2: € 5 141,08 (without expatriation allowance) and € 6 185,21 (with expatriation allowance)

In addition to the basic salary, staff members may be entitled to various allowances, in particular expatriation allowance, household allowance, dependent child allowance and education allowance. The applicable step and gross basic salary could be higher depending on the length of experience of the chosen candidate. Salaries are subject to tax at source but are exempt from national taxation. Deductions are also made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance. Please note that the correction coefficient weighting for France is currently equal to 116,8.

Recruitment procedure

The selection procedure includes the following steps:
• Only duly completed applications (i.e. CV and Motivation letter) submitted electronically within the deadline will be taken into consideration;
• Each duly completed application will be examined with a view to establishing that the candidate meets all eligibility criteria;
• Eligible applications will be evaluated by the appointed Selection Committee based on selection criteria defined in this vacancy notice. Depending on the number of applications received, the Selection Committee may apply stricter requirements within the selection criteria noted above;
• The best-admissible candidates will be short-listed for interview and written tests;
• Interviews and written tests will be in English and by Visioconference;
• Candidates will be required to sit a written examination to test the knowledge specific to the post and this will be a computer based testing to test general skills;
• During the interviews, the Selection Committee will examine the candidates' profiles and assess their relevancy for the post in question;
• On the day of interviews candidates will be requested to present originals and copies of documents detailing citizenship, studies and professional experience, in particular:
• a copy of their identity card, passport or other official document specifying citizenship;
• a copy of their diploma certifying the required level of academic qualifications;
• documentary evidence of professional experience, clearly indicating starting and finishing dates.

Copies of these documents will be retained by the CPVO.

• The interviews are held by Visioconference and for that reason copies of these documents will be requested by email.
• If at any stage of the procedure, it were established that information in the application has been knowingly falsified, the candidate shall be disqualified from the selection process.
• The Selection Committee will place the most suitable eligible candidates^[1] on a draft reserve list. This draft will be submitted to the Appointing Authority (AIPN) for approval. The adopted reserve list will be valid will be valid for 24 months. The validity of this list may be extended.
• Each candidate will be informed by letter whether or not s/he has been placed on the reserve list. However inclusion of candidates on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment.
• Prior to being offered a post, candidates on a reserve list may be required to undergo further evaluation by the CPVO (e.g. a second interview with the President and /or senior management of the CPVO).
• Inclusion on a reserve list does not imply any entitlement to employment in the CPVO.
• The AIPN (the President of the CPVO) will appoint the selected jobholder from the reserve list, taking into account the establishment of a gender balanced, geographically diverse organization.
Please note that:
• The internal proceedings of the Selection Committee are confidential and any contact with its members is strictly forbidden. Soliciting on behalf of a candidate can lead to immediate disqualification.
• For applications to be valid, candidates must be made through the CPVO electronic recruitment portal, which can be found on the CPVO web site: http://www.cpvo.europa.eu/main/en/home/about-the-cpvo/vacancies
• Applicants are requested not to attach any supporting documents at this stage, e.g. copies of ID cards, diplomas, evidence of previous professional experience, etc. Only candidates invited to an interview will be asked to present copies of these documents for verification. Applications will not be returned to candidates but will be kept on file by the CPVO in line with its data protection guidelines.
• Incomplete applications will automatically be excluded from the selection procedure.
• The time span between the closing date for the submission of applications and the end of the process to short list candidates for the interview may take several weeks.

^{[1] On the basis of the criteria listed under point 3 above}