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.

Profile / Duties

The Procurement Officer will deal with procurement activities at CPVO, ensuring compliance with EU financial regulations and sound financial management. This role involves management of procurement processes, contract management, and continuous improvement of procurement practices.

The selected candidate will report directly to the Head of Legal & Governance Affairs Unit.

This function is aligned with the CPVO Strategic Plan 2022-2026 accessible here.

General Conditions

Duties

Procurement, planning and compliance 

• In cooperation with the different units of the CPVO, develop and implement CPVO’s annual procurement plan.

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and procedures.

• Promote best practices and propose initiatives to improve procurement processes.

• Advise the Head of Unit, as well as other staff members, in procurement matters.

Procurement and Contract Management 

• Perform and, if necessary, coordinate activities required by procurement procedures including preparation, evaluation, verification and reporting in line with the financial and public procurement rules.

• Organization and participation in opening and evaluation committees and drafting reports and award decisions.

• Analysis and draft of contracts and contract management support.

• Creation/update of templates, checklists and other documents related to the procurement cycle.

• Provide guidance on complex procurement and contract management issues, ensuring transparent and effective procurement practices.

• Maintain accurate records and prepare procurement-related reports and documentation for audits.

Qualifications

Qualifications & experience required

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 procurement, business administration, management, law, or finance.

• Be a national of a Member State of the European Union;

·  Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union 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.

Selection criteria

In the application candidates must indicate that they fulfill the criteria here-under:

Essential (mandatory)

·          Proven full-time professional experience carrying out similar tasks mentioned under “Duties”.

·          Hands-on experience working with financial management systems (MS Dynamics, SAP, or similar)

·          Expertise in EU procurement regulations, tendering procedures, and contract management.

·          Professional proficiency in using Microsoft 365 and other relevant IT tools.

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

Competencies

In addition to the criteria identified above, the Selection Board may assess candidates invited to the interview and test phase against the following competencies:

·          Organisation and Prioritisation

As Procurement Officer the ability to set priorities, manage procurement timelines, and ensure business continuity is essential for handling multiple tenders, contracts, and stakeholder expectations efficiently.

·          Problem Solving for Achieving Results

This role involves providing advice on strategic procurement decisions, often under tight deadlines and with significant organisational impact. Effective problem-solving and risk management skills are crucial for optimising procurement strategies and outcomes.

·          Lean & Procedural Awareness

Given the regulatory framework around EU procurement, this role requires a strong understanding of procedural compliance and a proactive approach to streamlining processes for efficiency and regulatory adherence.

·          Stakeholder and Service Focus

The Procurement Officer must build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, proposing compliant procurement solutions that are adapted to organisational needs and fostering trust and responsiveness in the process.

Professional Experience

Proven full-time professional experience carrying out similar tasks mentioned under “Duties”. 

Additional Requirements

Advantageous criteria

• Master's degree and/or a specialization course in an area relevant to the position (Business Administration, Accounting, Financial Management, Procurement and Supply, or similar).
• Experience in the EU institutions, including the databases and other tools used there such as PPMT
• Knowledge of French language preferably at least at B2 level

Contractual Conditions

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. Any further eventual renewal will be for an indefinite contract. Contract renewals are based on the performance, needs of the service and under the rules of the Staff Regulations.

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 flexible according to the current rules in place.

The normal working week is 40 hours. The jobholder is expected to start as soon as possible.

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 is also possible, with a maximum of days established per year, aiming at helping our staff manage their personal and professional commitments effectively.

For more information about our working conditions and why join the CPVO candidates can consult our career page (here).

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 AD5 grade, according to the length of their professional experience. The basic net monthly salaries for Temporary Agents in grade AD5, as of 1 January 2025, are:

·          Step 1: € 5 228.12 (without expatriation allowance) and € 6 307.15 (with expatriation allowance)

·          Step 2: € 5 425.25 (without expatriation allowance) and € 6 549.61 (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 114,2.

Recruitment procedure

The selection procedure includes the following steps:

·          Only duly completed applications (i.e. CV and Motivation Letter) submitted via our IT Recruitment tool 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 Board based on the selection criteria defined in this vacancy notice. Depending on the number of applications received, the Selection Board may apply stricter requirements within the selection criteria noted above;

·          The best-admissible candidates will be short-listed for interview and other tests[1] may be organised, including a written test and/or a computer-based test to test general skills;

·          Depending on the position and posts available, the Selection Board may decide to invite more or less candidates to interviews.

·          Interviews and written tests will be in English and most likely held online, via MS Teams;

·          During the interviews, the Selection Board will examine the candidates' profiles and assess their relevancy for the post in question;

Before the day of interviews candidates will be requested to present 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.

·          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.

Outcome of the selection process

·          The Selection Board will place the most suitable eligible candidates[2] 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 email whether or not s/he has been placed on the reserve list.

·          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 organisation.

Please note that:

·          The internal proceedings of the Selection Board 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, they must be made through the CPVO electronic recruitment portal, which can be found on the CPVO web site: https://cpvo.europa.eu/en/about-us/recruitment

·          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 shortlist candidates for the interview may take several weeks.

We contact candidates via email and will only use the email address provided during the registration of the candidate’s Gestmax profile. Therefore, candidates should regularly check their email including the spam folder, as CPVO cannot be held accountable for emails that may end up in that folder.