Director for Buildings, Technical Installations and Property

European Patent Office

Munich/The Hague/Berlin/Vienna

As part of its succession planning, the EPO expects to have a director vacancy (for buildings, technical installations and property) to fill with effect from 1 March 2012. This official reports directly to the Principal Director General Administration, who is also responsible for "controlling/special tasks", facility management and internal services.

The appointee will be responsible for the technical management of the EPO-owned buildings at all EPO sites (Munich, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna), with a total gross floor area of approx. 688 000m² and accommodating some 7 000 employees from 38 member states. The directorate currently has about 75 staff.

Applicants should be energetic and committed individuals who relish the prospect of redesigning and optimising the EPO's processes for its buildings, technical installations and property. You will be motivated by a varied job offering many interesting challenges at the multiple interfaces between technical and construction projects and day-to-day running of the buildings. One of your main tasks will be to position the directorate to meet future challenges.

Main duties

• Leading, organising and strategic positioning of the directorate in technical and construction projects and in the day-to-day running of the buildings
• Budget responsibility for the directorate, drafting budget and financial-planning proposals and exercising delegated financial authority
• Drawing up, harmonising and monitoring service-level agreements
• Assessing measures' cost-effectiveness and technical suitability
• Evaluating and optimising organisational processes within the directorate and efficiency-oriented co-operation with other units
• Leading or working on internal working groups and cross-site projects
• Developing the directorate's strategic objectives; controlling goal-attainment
• Ensuring that all relevant buildings-management rules, regulations and guidelines are implemented and complied with
• Fostering the professional development of staff, especially with a view to the strategic challenges facing the directorate
• Co-operative and goal-oriented personnel management.

Candidate profile

• University degree in civil engineering, architecture or a similar discipline
• Sound knowledge and practical experience of architecture and facility management
• At least 10 years' experience in similar positions in industry, the public sector or an international organisation of comparable size
• Several years' experience of exercising line-management authority, ideally whilst leading cross-site teams
• Ability to work analytically and conceptually
• Project-management experience, ideally using PRINCE2
• Experience in preparing decisions and presentations of conclusions to committees
• Good teamwork and negotiating skills, and the ability to get things done.
• Intercultural understanding and sensitivity
• Willingness to travel.

Minimum qualifications

University degree or - in exceptional cases - equivalent knowledge acquired over many years of qualified work. Many years' professional experience. Excellent knowledge of one official language, and ability to understand the other two.

The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of qualifications and tests. Before the formal interviews, shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend an assessment centre for exercises and discussions designed to assess their management skills and personal qualities. The results will go to the selection board for consideration in the subsequent stages of the selection procedure.

It is intended to hold an assessment centre on 3 and 4 November 2011 and the interviews on 29 and 30 November 2011. Both will take place in Munich.

Please apply online, using the online application form, reference number INT/EXT/5141

Closing date: 26.09.2011

As the second largest European organisation, the European Patent Office offers a competitive salary, excellent social benefits and varied work in a modern international environment.