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.

The CPVO is organising a call for expressions of interest with a view to establishing a reserve list.

Profile / Duties

The CPVO wishes to recruit a Head of Unit with strong and proven IT background including management and transformation projects. S/he will be responsible for the IT Unit in the CPVO and oversee the transformation to cloud services.

Leadership, capacity to deliver quality service and high-performing projects, and the ability to work at strategic level within a management team, are key traits of the successful candidate. Reporting to the President, the Head of Unit will be responsible for managing and providing leadership to the Unit, while coordinating the achievement of the Unit’s objectives within the framework of the overall strategic planning of the Agency. The Head of Unit carries out his/her tasks and responsibilities in the context of the Agency ICT governance procedure and related standards. This function is aligned with the CPVO Strategic Plan 2022-2026 accessible here.

Reporting to the President of the CPVO, the main duties are:

·        Planning, Monitoring and Reporting: 

·        Lead the development and implementation of IT strategies to ensure the agency's digital infrastructure is robust, efficient, and scalable.

·        Ensure the successful planning, execution, and monitoring of new application developments, with an emphasis on cloud transformation.

·        Coordinate the creation, execution, and regular updates of the IT Master Plan, integrating cutting-edge technological advancements into the multi-annual strategic plan and annual budget of the agency.

·        Ensure that IT initiatives are aligned with the agency's goals and objectives by contributing to the development of key strategic and operational documents.

·        Provide precise, technical, and data-driven feedback on project progress to the CPVO management team, offering insights into project timelines, risk management, resource allocation, and overall system performance.

Job related accountabilities: 

·        Coordinate IT Design and Development: Lead, in collaboration with other agency units, the design, implementation, and continuous enhancement of IT tools and methodologies. This includes understanding the operation framework of the Agency’s applications, leveraging advanced knowledge in computer science and IT systems engineering to develop scalable and secure solutions that support the users’ needs according to the IT Master Plan and the multi-annual strategic planning. Ensure that these tools are seamlessly integrated within the agency’s corporate governance structure and aligned with best practices in IT architecture and cloud services.

·        Foster Inter-Unit and External Communication: Provide expert-level support and maintain proactive communication and collaboration with other units, leveraging technical insights to ensure the IT infrastructure supports the operational needs of the Agency. Maintain strong partnerships with relevant authorities, stakeholders, and external technology providers to ensure alignment of IT projects with the Agency's goals.

·        Policy Implementation and Compliance: Ensure the implementation of Agency policies within the unit, especially those related to IT management, including conflict of interest, data protection, information security, and business continuity. Use knowledge of cybersecurity protocols, encryption, and data management to enforce compliance with European Union standards and regulations while safeguarding sensitive information. 

·        Contribute to Risk Management: Actively contribute to the Agency’s risk management processes by applying a technical understanding of IT risks, from software vulnerabilities to cloud infrastructure reliability. Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with the Agency’s IT environment, ensuring the stability, security, and continuity of its digital operations.

·        Defining the sectors annual work plan and ensuring its implementation and reporting thereon; 

People management:  

·        Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of the Unit to ensure the timely delivery of outputs, tasks and objectives, and the availability of the right skills and competencies; 

·        Promote continuous performance management and a learning culture to ensure that the organizational objectives are cascaded, met and continuous professional development is sustained: 

·        Enhance team spirit, ensure an effective two-way communication, and promptly handle staff matters to foster high levels of staff welfare within the Unit and with other Units of the Agency; 

·        Ensuring that staff receive the necessary training to develop their potential and use delegation and empowerment to provide development opportunities and to plan their career progress; 

·        Managing and supervising the work of the Unit and ensuring the efficient use of available human, financial and other resources; 

·        Developing the competences and skills of the Unit’s staff in line with the Agency’s policies and ensure the continuous assessment of their performance; 

Financial management: 

·        Prepare and monitor the budget and procurement requirements of the Unit to ensure optimal planning and use of financial resources; 

·        Lead the preparation of tenders to establish framework contracts, particularly in the area of outsourced IT service and applying the IT sourcing strategy; 

·        Managing the preparation and implementation of contracts with external service providers and suppliers in close cooperation with the Procurement and Logistic Sector.

General Conditions

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 4 years attested by a diploma relevant to the post; when the normal period of university education is 4 years or more, or; 

·        Completed university studies attested by a diploma relevant to the post and appropriate experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least 3 years; 

·        Be a national of a Member State of the European Union[1];

·        Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union[2] and a satisfactory knowledge of another official 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^[3].

Professional experience:

·        At least 12 years of professional experience after achieving the minimal formal requirements above, of which at least 2 years must have been in a management role.

Qualifications

Selection criteria 

If the candidate meets the formal requirements set out above, he/she will be assessed in view of selection for an interview with the Selection Board on the basis of the following criteria: 

Essential Criteria

The academic qualifications in IT, Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or in another related field, and their relevance to the tasks listed in section “duties” above.

Proven experience in: 

• Planning, reporting and management of IT operations and/or standards and processes; 
• Use of new technologies in the transformation of legacy systems to modern front-end solutions; 
• Management principles, in particular strategic planning, priorization, project management, allocation and management of resources as well as sound financial management; 
• Guiding and motivating staff in a multicultural environment, covering diverse fields of activity; 
• Strong drafting and communication skills in English both orally and in writing, at least level C1

Languages

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:

• Strategic Thinking and Planning: The ability to analyse and interpret complex issues, develop long-term plans, set goals and objectives, and identify potential opportunities and threats to the organization;
• Leadership: The ability to inspire and motivate staff, delegate tasks, communicate effectively, provide constructive feedback, and manage conflict. This includes ability to manage people (i.e. ability to hire, train, motivate, and develop staff);
• Change Management: The ability to manage and lead change initiatives, including the ability to anticipate and respond to resistance, develop effective communication strategies, and monitor progress;
• Decision Making: The ability to make informed decisions, analyze data, and evaluate risks and benefits;
• Communication: The ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with diverse audiences, including the ability to use social media and other digital tools.

Professional Experience

At least 12 years of professional experience after achieving the minimal formal requirements above, of which at least 2 years must have been in a management role.

Additional Requirements

Advantageous Selection Criteria

·          Experience in the similar role in other public or private organisation; 

·          Familiarity with the EU institutions, Agencies or other EU bodies; 

·          Ability to communicate effectively in any other EU language as indicated in the application form

·          All complementary knowledge (mathematics/statistics), technical certification (cloud, IT security, solution Architecture), management methodology (Prince, PM2)

·          Satisfactory knowledge[1] of another official language[2] of the European Union

Contractual Conditions

Conditions of employment

The successful candidate will be offered a contract in grade AD 9 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 is expected to start as soon as possible.

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.

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 AD 9 grade, according to the length of their professional experience. The basic net monthly salaries for Temporary Agents in grade AD 9, as of 1 January 2025, are:

·        Step 1: € 8 293.22 (without expatriation allowance) and € 10 135.80 (with expatriation allowance)

·        Step 2: € 8 576.37 (without expatriation allowance) and € 10 496.39 (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

Selection procedure