Header

Senior Expert on Consumer Protection (Pensions)

STAFF VACANCIES
Ref. 1626TAAD7
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) is an independent advisory body to the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission that was established on 1 January 2011.
EIOPA is at the heart of insurance and occupational pensions’ supervision in the European Union. It is part of the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS) which includes also the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).
EIOPA’s core responsibilities are to support the stability of the financial system, transparency of markets and financial products as well as the protection of insurance policyholders, pension scheme members and their beneficiaries.
Further information on EIOPA is available on EIOPA’s website: https://eiopa.europa.eu/
For its offices in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, EIOPA is currently inviting applications for a position as

Senior Expert on Consumer Protection (Pensions)
Job description
Major purpose
The successful candidate will, as part of a team, contribute to the work of EIOPA’s Consumer Protection Department.  As a senior expert, the successful candidate will mainly be responsible for various work streams on retail investment, savings and pension products with a view to achieving a coordinated approach to their regulatory and supervisory treatment.
Main responsibilities
  • Develop concrete policy proposals for internal and external purposes on the transparency of long-term retail investment, savings and pension product;
  • Develop analysis of markets for net performance and fees of long-term retail investment, savings and pensions products, and contribute more generally to impact assessment and cost-benefit analyses;
  • Advise EIOPA’s decision-making bodies in the field of consumer protection and financial innovation, in particular with regards to retail investment, savings and pension products and work independently in that field;
  •  Develop technical advice and guidance, including impact assessments and cost benefit analyses, to the European Commission, relevant regulatory technical standards, delegated acts and guidance material, as required;
  • Within own areas of expertise, provide technical advice to internal stakeholders, national supervisory authorities and external stakeholders;
  • Liaise with internal and external stakeholders (EIOPA staff members, Working Groups and Committees of EIOPA and the Joint Committee of the ESAs, national supervisory authorities, consumer representatives and industry);
  • As member of the team, the successful candidate will also work on and contribute to other tasks relating to Consumer Protection and Financial Innovation.
  • Any other tasks as required.
 REQUIREMENTS
Eligibility Criteria
  • Thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Communities and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Communities;
  • Be a national of a Member State of the European Union, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein;
  • Be entitled to his or her full rights as a citizen[1];
  • Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
  • Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.[2]
Essential Skills
  • Qualification:
a)   a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies, preferably in Economics or Actuarial Science or a related field attested by a diploma, when the normal period of university education is four years or more; or
b)   a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies, preferably in Economics, Actuarial Science or a related field attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year, when the normal period of university education is at least three years.
·         Have at least six years of proven full-time professional experience in a field relevant for this position acquired after the qualification required under a) or b) above, of which three years in the financial sector preferably in a multicultural environment;
  • Knowledge of EU law applicable to long-term retail investment, savings and pension products, preferably in the area of conduct regulation;
  • Proven experience and knowledge of long-term retail investment, savings and pension products of at least two years;
  • Proven experience of providing oral and written advice to decision making bodies on complex matters;
  • Excellent analytical skills;
  • Very good command of oral and written English;
  • Working knowledge of MS Office, in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Desirable Skills
·         Work experience in a public institution dealing with consumer protection issues relating to financial services;
·         Proven experience in the field of long-term retail investment, savings and pension products (e.g. supervision / regulation / industry), including for instance in respect of product design, risk assessment, pricing;
  • Experience in working in or with EU institutions and international Committees.
For the above position, the following behavioural competencies have to be fulfilled:
  • Flexibility in terms of openness to taking over other tasks within EIOPA in view of the dynamic and evolving institutional environment;
  • Excellent team player sharing relevant information and supporting team members without taking over responsibility for their work, able to work in different teams with different levels of stakeholders in a multicultural environment;
  • Being able to have and express a critical view towards own performance and open to learn from experience.
  • Being able to establish and maintain cooperative relationships both inside and outside the organization, ensuring clear communication and mutual comprehension, finding common ground/points of agreement;
  • Handling and analyzing large amount of documentation, focusing on key information and making proposals;
  • Being able to deliver results within tight time frames;
  • Being able to manage multiple assignments and track progress on numerous processes simultaneously.
Place of employment
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Function group and grade
AD 7
Monthly basic salary
Step 1: 5.937,01 EUR
Step 2: 6.186,49 EUR
plus specific allowances where applicable*.
Start date
1 March 2017
Contract type and duration
Successful candidates may be offered an employment contract for three years as a Temporary Agent. The contract may be renewed for a second fixed-term period, and upon its second renewal converted into a contract of indefinite duration.
Reserve list
Possibility of reserve list with validity until up to 12 months, in case of more than one successful candidate.
*Summary of Conditions of Employment
1. Successful external candidates will be classified either in step 1 or 2.
Grade / step 3Monthly basic salary4Monthly net salary, including specific allowances5
AD 7 Step 15.937,01 EUR6.233,15 EUR
AD Step 26.186,49 EUR6.444,44 EUR
2. Salaries are subject to a Union tax deducted at source and are exempt from national taxation.
3. Depending on the individual family situation and the place of origin, the successful jobholder may be entitled to: expatriation allowance (16% of the basic salary), household allowance, dependent child allowance, education allowance, pre-school allowance, installation allowance, reimbursement of removal costs, initial temporary daily subsistence allowance, and other benefits.
4. Annual leave entitlement of two days per calendar month plus additional days for grade, distance from the place of origin and in addition on average 15 EIOPA holidays per year.
5. EU Pension Scheme (after 10 years of service).
6. EU Joint Sickness and Insurance Scheme (JSIS), accident and occupational disease insurance coverage, unemployment and invalidity allowance and travel insurance.
7. General and relevant technical training plus professional development opportunities.
Information reserved for applicants employed under Article 2(f) of the CEOS, in EU Agencies other than EIOPA:
According to EIOPA Management Board decision EIOPA-MB-15-072 adopting the implementing rules on the procedure governing the engagement and use of temporary staff under Article 2(f) of the CEOS, and in particular Article 12 (2), if a successful applicant from this external procedure, on the closing day for applications, as well as on the day of taking up duty at EIOPA:
  • is a member of temporary staff under Article 2(f) of the CEOS, and
  • is employed within his/her agency in function group and grade included in the range “AD 6 – AD 8”,
EIOPA shall offer the applicant, in writing, the opportunity either:
a) to be assigned to the post by means of internal mobility, as per Article 10 of EIOPA-MB-15-072. In this case the contract at EIOPA will be in continuity with the contract of the previous agency (namely with regard to grade, step, seniority in step, and duration).
OR
b) in case the eligibility, qualification and professional experience requirements for the grade indicated in this external vacancy notice, (AD 7) are met, to be assigned to the post on the basis of a new contract (first fixed-term) of three years duration, subject to the probationary period of 9 months, at the grade indicated in the external vacancy notice (AD 7).
Application process
The recruitment process will include a panel interview and a written test. In addition, there may be a pre-screening exercise, a presentation to be delivered by the candidate and a bilateral interview.
Applications should be submitted in English language including:
(1) Curriculum Vitae clearly indicating (among all):
-Qualifications (please list exact dates of your academic qualifications gained)
-Responsibilities, experience and skills gained in previous positions (please list exact dates of your work experience gained)
-Nationality/Citizenship
-Language skills
and
(2) Motivation Letter of no more than one page, explaining why you are interested in the post and what would be your added value you would bring to EIOPA if selected.
Applicants will be assessed on the basis of the eligibility and selection criteria specified in the vacancy notice and these must be met by the closing date of the vacancy notice.
Applications should be submitted to recruitment@eiopa.europa.eu, specifying in the subject the reference number above. Deadline for application is 23:59 CET on 8 January 2017.
The successful candidate will be required to make an annual declaration in respect of any interests which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence. Before recruiting a member of staff, EIOPA’s Executive Director will examine whether the successful candidate has any personal interest which may impair his/her independence or any other conflict of interest. To that end, the successful candidate, using a specific form, shall inform the Executive Director via the Ethics Officer of any actual or potential conflict of interest.
For more information on the selection process of temporary agents and on the contractual and working conditions, please, refer to:

[1] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record.
[2] Before being engaged, a candidate shall be medically examined by one of the institution’s medical officers in order that the institution may be satisfied that he fulfils the requirements of Article 12 (2)(d) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities.
[4] The basic salary is to be weighted by the current correction coefficient for Germany. 

[5] An estimation of net salary, including the deduction for tax and social security and adding the allowances (this estimation has been calculated with expatriation allowance, household allowance and with one dependent child allowance). Allowances depend in any case on the personal situation of the candidate.