Legal & Executive Affairs Assistant

EFTA Surveillance Authority

Brussels, Belgium

The Authority

The EFTA Surveillance Authority ensures that the participating EFTA States - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - respect their obligations under the EEA Agreement. The Authority protects the rights of individuals and market participants who find their rights violated by rules or practices of the EFTA States or companies within those States. The Authority also enforces restrictions on state aid and ensures that companies operating in the EFTA States abide by the rules relating to competition. In monitoring and enforcing the EEA Agreement, the Authority has powers that correspond to those of the European Commission.

The Authority is based in Brussels and operates independently of the EFTA States. It currently employs 70 staff members of 15 nationalities. The Authority is led by a College which consists of three members appointed by the EEA EFTA States.

Role Description

The successful candidate will assist the Director of the Legal & Executive Affairs Department (LEA) in the organisation and running of the Department and provide administrative support to the LEA staff in a dynamic and international working environment.

LEA is responsible for providing legal advice to the College and the other departments of the Authority on all aspects of EEA law including internal market, competition and state aid law and the implementation and application by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway of their obligations under the EEA Agreement. The Department reviews all decisions of the Authority and conducts litigation before the EFTA Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Core tasks include:

• ensuring the strict adherence to legal deadlines by closely monitoring the workflow within the Department;
• proof-reading legal documents to ensure coherence of style and presentation;
• efficient use of IT systems to generate legal documents, preparing agendas and taking minutes; and
• the whole spectrum of administrative duties including diary management, travel bookings, general liaison and clerical tasks as assigned by the Director.

Knowledge, skills & experience sought:

We are looking for a highly motivated and well-qualified individual, who has the confidence and initiative to take on a variety of tasks and ensure timely compliance with procedures.

The following are essential:

• Minimum 3-5 years’ relevant professional experience, ideally in the public sector or a law firm, including experience of working as a Legal Assistant or Legal Secretary;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (the working language of the Authority), native speaker or equivalent;
• Strong computer literacy, in particular with MS Word;
• A meticulous approach with a keen eye for detail;
• Excellent organisational, interpersonal and communication skills;
• Initiative and the ability to work both independently and in a team in an international environment;
• A flexible approach and the enthusiasm for taking on a range of varying tasks.

The following would be advantageous:

• Relevant educational qualifications and/or professional training;
• Experience of proof-reading documents;
• Experience of formatting MS Word and PowerPoint documents;
• Knowledge of one or more of the EEA EFTA languages (Norwegian, Icelandic and German);
• Knowledge of French or Dutch.

Conditions of employment

The position is placed at grade B5 of the Authority’s salary scale, starting at € 47 941.95 per annum. Appointments are normally made at Step 1 of a grade. A higher step can be considered on the basis of the candidate's qualifications and experience. Depending on personal situation and family status, additional allowances and benefits may apply. Tax conditions are favourable.

Overview of conditions at: https://jobs.eftasurv.int.

Applicants must be nationals of the States that are party to the EEA Agreement (EU 28 + EFTA 3). The Authority particularly encourages applications from nationals of the three EFTA States party to the EEA Agreement (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). All applications must be made online at: https://jobs.eftasurv.int.

Start date: December 2015

Type and duration of appointment: fixed-term contract of three years. One additional fixed-term contract of three years may be offered if desirable and in the interests of the Authority.

Deadline for applications: 7 September 2015

Interviews: September 2015

Questions regarding the position may be addressed to the Acting Director of LEA: Maria Moustakali on +32 (0)2 286 1812/ mmo@eftasurv.int (until 31 July 2015) or Markus Schneider, on +32 (0)2 286 18 84/ msc@eftasurv.int (12 August 2015 onwards).

Questions regarding the recruitment process may be addressed to Kathryn Edwards, HR Officer, on +32 (0)2 286 18 32/ ked@eftasurv.int.